The Noise No One Else Hears

Imagine sitting on a bus full of people.
Everyone is talking at the same time, yet you can clearly hear every conversation going on.

That’s OCD for me.  

Thoughts constantly in my head telling me what I should do - what to think - what will happen if I don't do something just the “right way'“ but while these thoughts are happening you still need to function in your everyday life. OCD doesn't care that I have a job, that 3 little kids and a husband rely on me, it just demands I listen and act on what it wants.

Imagine nobody but you knowing those thoughts are going on in your head. You hold normal conversations with people but your mind is telling you...

perfect, perfect, things need to look just right
clean, clean, bleach away the germs
order, order, everything in its right spot
check, check, the door definitely isn't shut

OCD has no boundaries. It loves changing the goal posts. Just when you learn to deal with one intrusive thought or one compulsion, another one pops up.

After 20+ years of living with OCD I can now 70% of the time ignore the compulsions and thoughts. OCD is something I will always have, but I learnt the 'tools' to put it back in its place!

— Parent with OCD