Share your 2015 successes, small or big, temporary or permanent success

[Guest zombiepaul6]

Hi my name is Paul I'm 17 and suffered ocd for almost 3 years and last year I had a huge panic attack that I was going to have a stroke and kept it got to the point to where I had to slip in the same room as someone and could not be left alone but over 2015 I have improved a lot I struggled but had so much support and now I can stay in alone for a while and have been on a course to gain some social skills which has improved my confidence a lot and I'm gonna go on to get my grades up higher so I'm really happy with myself and I love to see everyone on this forum supporting each other its great have a good Christmas everyone

[Legend]

to take a small step , even be it the ability to put one foot in front of the other is success , when one is challenging such an evil illness

[Ashley]

Hi my name is Paul I'm 17 and suffered ocd for almost 3 years and last year I had a huge panic attack that I was going to have a stroke and kept it got to the point to where I had to slip in the same room as someone and could not be left alone but over 2015 I have improved a lot I struggled but had so much support and now I can stay in alone for a while and have been on a course to gain some social skills which has improved my confidence a lot and I'm gonna go on to get my grades up higher so I'm really happy with myself and I love to see everyone on this forum supporting each other its great have a good Christmas everyone

Welcome to the forum Paul and congratulations on your achievement too, being able to stay on your own for a while is huge compared to last year! Keep fighting the OCD demon

[Claire1704]

I haven't been here for a little while (forgot my password!) but I've really enjoyed reading about people's successes.

For me, I've been talking about my OCD more at work and to my family. I even wrote an article about OCD for my work magazine that was published today!

It's been really up and down year for me (not just for OCD reasons) but I feel on the whole, it's been successful. I found a fantastic therapist who has helped me understand myself a lot more.

I also met some lovely people at the conference and feel more than ever that I'm part of a community.

You're all wonderful. Happy Christmas and a happy and healthy 2016 sxxx

[Ashley]

I even wrote an article about OCD for my work magazine that was published today!

Oh you kept that quiet, do share

[Claire1704]

Oh it's nothing you've not read before. In fact I ripped some of it off an article that went into Compulsive Reading!

I've emailed you a copy.

Edited December 25, 2015 by Claire1704

[Guest PalaeontologyLover]

Last year my OCD was so bad my grades were terrible as I couldn't get anything in on time. This year I started uni and in every assignment I've done so far is been graded a 1st so am looking to finish the year with a 1st, even if I have a complete disaster in the exams at the end of the year I'd still get at least a 2:1 because of how well I've done in the assignments. I've made a real turn around

[Caramoole]

As 2015 comes to a close I can't particularly think of anything to report of interest personal-wise.....other than I've enjoyed yet another year seeing people join this community, often in a state of distress and bewilderment, lonely and afraid and from that begin to have successes , gain knowledge, support and friendship and little by little start to claim back their life.

Happy Christmas Everyone

[taurean]

For half of this year I could equate with PolarBear - in a good place, able to steer away triggers helping my wife and happy to spend time aiding others.

The other half of the year has been really bad mentally and physically.

Thanks to the forum members I have insight into why that was, what I have been doing wrong, how I might better react - given my particular mix of issues, my hypersensitivity and emotional instability.

I was carrying out way too much exposure to the main news and when I just couldn't handle it the floodgates burst and I became overwhelmed.

At the other end of the scale, just a small - fractional - exposure to a distressing trigger can be latched onto by my OCD and then it won't let go. Like one upsetting paragraph in a whole book, for example.

In the remission phase, I sort of cope - get more and more confident thdn head for a very big fall.

It's easy enough to reduce the amount of exposure to the news to a more tollerable level.

It's much harder to tackle the small trigger that the OCD doesn't want to let go.

But I have that insight.

Edited December 25, 2015 by taurean

[Ashley]

This year I started uni and in every assignment I've done so far is been graded a 1st so am looking to finish the year with a 1st, even if I have a complete disaster in the exams at the end of the year I'd still get at least a 2:1 because of how well I've done in the assignments. I've made a real turn around

Wow, you have made a fantastic turn around, you should be so proud of yourself, what a lovely message to read on Christmas Day, go you!!!!

[snowbear]

As 2015 comes to a close I can't particularly think of anything to report of interest personal-wise.....other than I've enjoyed yet another year seeing people join this community, often in a state of distress and bewilderment, lonely and afraid and from that begin to have successes , gain knowledge, support and friendship and little by little start to claim back their life.

Happy Christmas Everyone

Thanks for highlighting this, Caramoole. This is one success we can all be a part of and take pride in. The OCD-UK community is going from strength to strength and the work of the charity is reaching ever more people, even influencing policymakers. From individuals to society at large, OCD-UK is having a positive impact.

Definitely something to celebrate!

[taurean]

My sentiments exactly snowbear. So much for the team to be proud of, and a great outreach.

When people leave the forum for a while they are working what they have learned - and many come back with their updates and thanks.

Edited December 25, 2015 by taurean

[Superg]

Some big improvements and realisations for me this year. No longer obsessing about my relationship - huge win. Physically been much better than 2013 and 2014 in terms of stress / fatigue. Gave 5 speeches in a work speech group, fear of public speaking decreased 80%. Small downside - currently experiencing highest anxiety levels for a while, seeing lots of family and friends and not dealing too well with social anxiety - 8 days to go which feels like a long way away before I can get back to normal routine. Let's me know there's a lot to work on in 2016, and I feel it's very achievable to improve this social anxiety. To wrap up easily the best year since 2010.

[Guest Matt145]

I'm improved slightly overall, which is a big difference for me. Still have bad days/weeks but i'm able to overcome them in the end. Things only start getting bad when i start repressing thoughts, either on purpose or sub consciously.

[taurean]

I'm improved slightly overall, which is a big difference for me. Still have bad days/weeks but i'm able to overcome them in the end. Things only start getting bad when i start repressing thoughts, either on purpose or sub consciously.

Yes neutralising - which is what you are doing - just strengthens the thoughts.

Leave them be and apply distraction, alongside periods of exposure and response prevention, is perhaps a better approach.

Keeping busy and distracted, and actively seeking to focus on pleasant uplifting and enjoyable lines ilif thinking may also help - this can set up new benign calming neural pathways.

[Guest PalaeontologyLover]

Wow, you have made a fantastic turn around, you should be so proud of yourself, what a lovely message to read on Christmas Day, go you!!!!

Thank you I haven't realised it but looking back on this time last year I'm in such a better place and I've came a long way in the last year I'm proud of my progress and though I've not 100% tackled my demons i know it can only get better from here

[Guest Azamour]

Happy Christmas everyone. It's great to read stories about people being mindful and coping better with OCD this year. As progress with OCD can be slow it is a great idea to reflect on progress over the last year. Three areas I have made progress over the past year are:

• Significant reduction in OCD and social anxiety. I can go out now pretty comfortably which is a massive improvement over 12 months ago when any social interaction caused me massive anxiety.
• Have made progress in work and find it easier to interact with people there
• I am in a good and positive relationship with a great girl

For the first time in a few years and I looking forward to the year ahead. I hope to make more gains and strengthen my resolve. Whilst my I functioning well my OCD is still pretty constant but just not causing anxiety like it has before so I will continue to fight this but also look more at my underlying beliefs that feed it.

Edited December 27, 2015 by Azamour

[Guest AnnieX]

Felt today the need to talk and here as usual I find a thread that focuses my attention. 2015 has held many areas of progress for me . I am loosing track off what happened when ; I've finished a course of very helpful therapy; recovered from the depths of depression; met my personal ambition to be able to prepare food ; I've found the strength to be at peace with my feelings surrounding certain events in my life. The magnitude of what I have achieved has only just started to hit me and this led to a rather strange Christmas period . I wish you all peace in the new year and for me I intend to build on what I've learnt and learn to be the person I am. AJ

[raven]

Hello merry Christmas all!

I have had quite a few positives this year, which include:

Accepting the times when I "break down" as blips and starting fresh.

Working harder with exposing myself to things- tonight I am going to a party despite my worries about what could happen! I don't know yet if I will end up putting restrictions on myself when there, but I am trying hard to avoid that. If I do though,I am determined to still see this as a positive!

Being more mindful and letting thoughts go- did this consistently for nearly a week recently!

Focusing on being mindful and living life rather than stopping ocd thoughts and feelings.

My aims for 2016 are to keep doing these things, to move forward with my life even if it hurts to do so and to accept worries as just a physical sensation.

I also want to really improve my diet and exercise because I know that these things will really help.

[raven]

Oh also I wanted to mention that it made a huge difference for me to change my job 2 hive allowed me to get lots of sleep and eat regularly. Could have been the ocd stopping me from eating, sleeping and making me stressed at work or could be vice versa, but definitely things are better.

[ocdismylife]

I've managed to stay alive after my true love broke it off with me after 4 years. He had supported me and helped me through everything and when he broke it off I KNEW I was going to commit suicide.But here I am 2 years later...still struggling BUT alive

[SaraJane]

Wow - some amazing achievements here. Well done to all.

I've been more sociable and now we've moved house I've started going out to the shops and into the community without having my hubby by my side. I managed to get a train to stay with a friend and we got to the York conference. Mostly though it is the little achievements everyday that make the biggest difference - each minute more where a compulsion is not done and it all adds up or sitting on a public loo seat only to find it wet with some unknown something and not applying a mass of anti-bac hand gel to it.

I feel positive about this year ahead and plan to keep moving on taking more and more steps against this illness and my other anxieties.

Sara

[Guest Guppy]

I think my big step forward for 2015 was that I've accepted that in order to live with a reasonable quality of life, I'm going to be on medication probably for the rest of my life.

This is something I've resisted in the past because for some reason I saw it as a sign of weakness but looking at the difference between me "on medication" and me "not on medication" it is so vast that it makes no sense to come off it.

The net result is a massive decrease in my OCD-related stress levels which generally makes me a nicer person to be around for everyone I live/work with.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Guppy

[Guest ciaramarie]

hiya all i wanted to write the one success i did have this year because i been writing really negative on here asking for help and advice

but for about since i was 18 i had thoughts that i was a pedofile thought i was gonna hurt my nieces. did not want to be left with children on my own. i felt like i had done something terrible that i was gonna go prison that my sister would never let me see my nieces again. sometimes i would be fine but eventually it became so bad i was crying all the time not sleeping until i got diagnosed with ocd, then realised id suffered with it my whole life.

when i was in primary school i needed to go toilet all the time was going to specialist. i couldn't even walk down the church aisle without being afraid i was gonna pee myself. but got over that by just being stern with myself and trying to hold for longer each time

after this i thought i was gonna kill my mum and do bad things be possessed by the devil and the bad things you can think of

apparently i wasnt bad enough due to i wasnt hurting myself.

but eventually in 2015 I Learned with the help of cbt i realised they way i thought wasn't normal and everything wasn't my fault and i wasn't a bad person and its just the way i've been thinking all my life due to ocd but now i can be around my nieces im not staring at my children. do i fancy them do i not what going on with me.

although my ocd has come back in my relationships im proud that i have come through all these things it never killed me its just made me stronger so always have faith that you wont feel bad forever its temporary

[taurean]

Getting back to exercising, and some hard manual work around the home, has been beneficial.

Too much reading of the main news was deeply upsetting me, so I have steered more to business and sport.

And less tv more reading writing music and getting out has been good.

For some periods my ability to dismiss things has been good and I am looking to extend those.

Edited January 7, 2016 by taurean