The vast major of the threads in this section of the forum consist of the negative aspects of OCD (and trust me, I get it.... there are a LOT of negatives), but I want to try to bring a positive side out, and potentially a little "hope" for some people.

I realize that NOT everybody (possibly not even the majority) of members/readers of this forum have been able to accept their OCD; however, I would like to hear from those who have (and of course from those who wish to eventually get to this point).

For those who have already accepted their OCD:
Please share your journey on how you were able to accept having OCD. Was therapy and/or medication involved? Was there something you had to do in order to finally achieve a sense of acceptance? How long had you been struggling with OCD before being able to accept your diagnosis? What level of acceptance are you in (i.e. you are okay with your diagnosis but don't tell others about it, you embrace your diagnosis and have no problem being an advocate for OCD awareness, etc.).

For those who wish to eventually accept their OCD:
Do you have a plan put in place to help yourself achieve a level of acceptance? What are some barriers to your gaining a sense of acceptance?

For me, my OCD has always been an annoyance and has been difficult to live with, but I do not "hate" it or let it completely control my life.-- Do NOT get me wrong, it has caused many tears and depressing thoughts, but I can not say "I severely HATE the fact I was ever diagnosed with this stupid disorder."

Right now, I am not yet in therapy (a... long... work in progress) and am not on medication for my OCD. Regardless of the fact I have yet to face my fear (okay, "anxiety") of going to therapy and working on my OCD, I can say that I accept the fact I have OCD. I can accept it for what it is, and once I was able to tell a particular person (family member) about it, I have been able to embrace my diagnosis further. I feel more "free" about it and have less of a reason to hide it. As much as I would like to, at the moment I can not say I am 100% accepting of my OCD, as I am aware of more personal issues that are involved with it that have yet to be worked on, so it makes things a little difficult.

What about you?