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Blogging as exposure therapy

Maybe this happens to everyone who tries blogging about OCD or other forms of anxiety -- though it was a surprise to me -- but a month or so in and I'm realizing that writing about my OCD experiences is a form of exposure therapy.

I have lots of stories to tell and I can't wait to share them. If I had my way, I'd think them and they would appear on the page -- I want to tell them that quickly.

But at the same time, I've noticed that the more stories I share, the more my OCD acts up. Putting these challenges into words that I read over and over before hitting "publish," is bringing things to the surface.

I've got to think that's a good thing.

Frankly, I had a therapist who told me to record myself telling an OCD "worst-case" scenario and play it over and over and over again until I became desensitized to it. (It was a hospital-ambulance scenario and within a week I actually lived it in reality -- more on that in an upcoming post.)

Anyway, I needed to take a break from blogging for a few days to re-energize and to let the OCD subside a bit, but I'm back at it and hoping it's helpful to others with OCD.

Thanks for reading.

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