I think I am one of the lucky ones. It has been one year since my OCD started to go away. I sort of remember what it was like one year ago when certain things would set me off. Now, those things don’t bother me. Not many things bother me.

I think I am lucky because I get the impression that people who recover from OCD usually manages their OCD. The OCD never goes away. They stay on their medication for the rest of their lives.  The best they can do is just manage it. I am lucky because I barely manage it at all. The OCD is mostly not there.  And I have been off my medication for about a year.  I do believe that OCD never goes way. Sometimes OCD creeps in when I drive, and I am able to manage that. But on most days, OCD is hardly there.

I had OCD for 17 years. I was a hand washer. I constantly feared that I hit somebody with a car. I feared 666, the devil, Satan, Lucifer, and things evil. I had scrupulosity. I had intrusive thoughts all the time. I had thoughts like this every day for several years. I quit my job because of OCD. I couldn’t function at work anymore. I was a mess.

Now, I eat at restaurants without washing my hands and after handling my smartphone. I don’t drive in circles checking if I hit somebody. I have tried Casillero del Diablo wine and Devil’s Ale. Guess what? Nothing happened.

So what is it like without OCD? First off, once you’re over OCD, life finally begins. I wasn’t really living a full life with OCD. I lived in constant worry and fear. Now that OCD is out of the picture, things are clear a glass. OCD clouded my thoughts. It was difficult to make decisions that wasn’t influenced by OCD. Now, I have a clear picture of what is going on.

I remembered somebody ask a question about the positive points of OCD like how has OCD  helped them. Some of the OCD suffers talked about the positive aspects of OCD despite the misery OCD brought overall. When it came it me, I hardly had anything good to say about OCD. Out of 17 years of total misery, I can only think of one instance that OCD might have help me but even then I am not sure if OCD could have helped me. Other than that one instance, I had nothing good to say about OCD.

Now I have one thing good to say about OCD. The catch: You have to get over it. You’ll never appreciate the fullness of life until you get over OCD. Until you get over OCD, you’ll see the world in the lens of OCD.

There are few things I noticed since I got over OCD. Observations. The hope this helps the OCD suffer and the people who are living with an OCD sufferer.