While in treatment for OCD, I had to go through exposures. These exposures made me touch the thing my OCD brain feared. I did them repeatedly until the anxiety subsided. A lot of the time, after these three-hour sessions, I would be emotionally exhausted.
I missed school. I stopped hanging out with my friends. My grades slipped. I just wanted to sleep. I wanted to quite the exposures. I saw no result.
For a few months, my life just revolved around exposures and sleep until I finally “woke up.” I finally did not worry about touching door knobs or pens.
Once OCD stopped running my life, I got the motivation to start over. Once I started attending school more often
, my grades went up. I worked ahead in my cyber classes and finished early. I found my love for art again. I also reconnected with some friends I had strayed from.
You may be going through a rough spot now, but if you get back up and stay strong, there is no doubt that it will get better. I may have had a few setbacks but I turned them into my comeback.
Understanding Emily 