I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and when people ask me how to be in a relationship with anxiety — that is, how to be in a relationship with someone who has anxiety disorders — the first thing I think about is this: Patience. Being in a Relationship With Anxiety Requires Patience The hardest thing for me to…
What it’s like to have anxiety is like having a rock on your chest. It’s like having your breath taken away in the worst way possible. It’s like this low-level, unplaceable fear that comes from nowhere and everywhere. Anxiety is like fear, except it’s not. It’s this thing that eats you alive, that takes you out of the moment and places you in this strange…
“My greatest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist, haha.” How many actual perfectionists have said this in job interviews before? If only that was a joke. If only my fear of imperfection (an outgrowth of my OCD) didn’t cause me to procrastinate so much that I don’t get anything done in the first place. It’s taken a lot of work over the years to try…
Since I was a kid, I’ve had OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). OCD and intrusive thoughts can manifest in a variety of ways. Here’s what mine looks like. This house isn’t clean. This house isn’t clean. I need to write. I need to work. I need to make money but it’s not clean it’s not clean it’s not clean it’s– I have to clean. Did I…