Ten years, yup you heard that correctly, 10; 1-0 years until I was properly diagnosed with OCD. They say that is the average! THE AVERAGE! That is a horrible statistic! People should be shocked when you say 10 years, not nod and say “sounds about right.” We must do better. We must have more professionals who can identify conditions. We must offer more resources. We must encourage self care and self discovery. The pain we experience is preventable AND treatable!
Talk therapy is not therapy in my opinion. Talking provides temporary relief; a short-lived weight being lifted, but there must be work done. Physical therapy is all about working the muscles to make them stronger and heal, so why would it not make sense that the organ that controls everything in the body (which also contains a few muscles) be treated just the same!
For those who are not ready for change, talking is all you might be ready to do. That is ok! Take it one step at a time. But when you are ready, and for those who are ready for change, you must look for help in people who challenge you to change your behaviors in order to change how you feel. If you know the things that make you anxious, instead of avoiding them try to challenge yourself to face them (I know it’s backwards but it only keeps anxiety alive if you avoid). If you are feeling depressed, work with a professional to talk about things you enjoy and make a plan to integrate more of those things into your day to day. Be strong enough and educated enough to identify when the help you are getting is not the help you need.
It is not a solution made overnight. Change takes time. The mind is a fragile thing but as with any muscle in the body, consistency, proper guidance, and small adjustments foster progress and the life-long habit becomes a passion.
SEROTONING 