I was diagnosed with OCD when I was 21, the first that I went to rehab for benzodiazepine addiction. I will be 31 this year, and have been clean from prescription pills for almost one year, after a ten year struggle. Whilst in recovery, I have been learning to cope with the underlying issues that caused me to use in the first place; panic disorder, generalized anxiety, PTSD, and depression. The one diagnosis that I don't seem to have many coping skills for is my OCD. Honestly, I had actually forgotten about the OCD diagnosis over the years. (I was doing some serious self medicating.) Since I got clean, I do not take medication for my psychological stuff. I do online therapy, support groups, yoga, meditation, and take natural supplements.

My OCD comes out in the form of constant hand washing, cleaning to avoid germ contamination, & spending a lot of time on organizing things in my house to be perfect. If I am unable to complete these tasks, I get pretty anxious and bothered by the lack of time to get them done. I am a single mother and I spend every day with my toddler. Since having her and being unmedicated, I feel as though my OCD is worse because I worry about her, as well as myself. I do not want this to negatively affect my daughter or myself.

I am going to make some time to see a therapist soon. In the meantime, I would love to hear any of your coping skills for OCD. I have been in therapy on and off for years, but never really touched my OCD...