Speak Up 4 Mental Health Now!

Ugh is it Friday yet? I know it is only Tuesday but man. I have been in a funk lately, extremely anxious and more depressed than I have been in a while. My OCD has been up and down, I have had a lot of successes yet a lot of not so successful attempts to take control.  I have recently found out that I have to be in an aircast (aka the boot) for 3-6 weeks. I have to wear it at all times, unless I am sitting down and not walking around or when I am sleeping. So most of the day, since I have ADHD and don't sit still for long. OMG, my OCD sky rocked immediately, because my thought went straight to having to wear it in public. Nope, no way! Well luckily my friend and her family are just as accident proned as I am, so they had a boot I could borrow. So now I have two boots, one for around my house and inside only, and one for public. Score! I still can't face that hurdle of wearing just one in public and then in my house. Even if I washed it each time I came inside I would still no...

Enjoying the present and living in the moment, this is something that I haven't had in years. When I am out in public I am always "looking" for things that make me uncomfortable. If certain things bother me, then why on earth would I intentionally look for them. But that is how I am; I am so focused on the things around me that I can't enjoy the time I am spending in places with others.  A couple weekends back was the first time I was able to enjoy myself and not "look" for things. My husband and I went out and checked out a new Brewery that had just opened and listened to live music there. I wasn't focused on finding something gross or unsanitary, I was just enjoying myself. This was a shock when I realized it was happening. I didn't want to ruining a good thing so I just continued on without dwelling on this success at that moment. However later that week I did celebrate this when I was with my therapist at therapy.  I think we tend to focus so...

Who else has to check and re-check things, over and over and over and over again? I know that I have to. Like something is going to magically turn back on or unlock itself, and if I don't check it something horrible will happen. Sounds like a horrible feeling doesn't it, and it is. It is hard to really describe what this feels like. I mean I know this isn't going to happen, but I have to check it again. However, I have learned a few tricks that help.  But why do I do this? And how can I make myself stop? These are literally questions I ask myself constantly every day, on top of my obsessions. Exhausting!  For me, I will check the stove and oven even though I haven't used it that day, when going to bed or leaving the house. I would hate to leave it on for obvious reasons, but I fear that if I leave the house and I don't check it over and over, the house would erupt into flame with my pups inside and I would be devastated. Yet I check it even if I didn't us...