More butterflies from the
Rio Grande Valley
Monday, March 14, 2011
Breaking Free
We spend our winters in Texas, in brush country south of San Antonio. We have a cottage surrounded by prairie and mesquite trees we call "Quail Haven" because we've seen quail on our property and we're trying to attract more quail by planting more native grasses and wildflowers they like. Last week we went birding down in the Rio Grande Valley and saw lots of birds we hadn't seen before. I'll share some pictures another time.
I also love spotting butterflies and getting their pictures. I can relate to butterflies, maybe because they've broken free from their cocoons, just as I've broken free from my OCD. That correlation started back in 1996 when my son first made my website -- CherryPedrick.com. He was only 14 at the time, by the way. He asked me for ideas for the website and I said butterflies. And cats. Okay, cats have nothing to do with OCD, I just love cats. With only that to go on he created a great website. Here is a pipevine swallowtail from our birding trip.
I also love spotting butterflies and getting their pictures. I can relate to butterflies, maybe because they've broken free from their cocoons, just as I've broken free from my OCD. That correlation started back in 1996 when my son first made my website -- CherryPedrick.com. He was only 14 at the time, by the way. He asked me for ideas for the website and I said butterflies. And cats. Okay, cats have nothing to do with OCD, I just love cats. With only that to go on he created a great website. Here is a pipevine swallowtail from our birding trip.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Rituals – Exposure is the First Step to Recovery
You can use the process of habituation to fight your OCD by arranging for prolonged exposure to the real-life situations that provoke your anxiety and cause you to perform rituals. For example, if you contamination fears, you could touch something you consider contaminated, and then go as long as you can without relieving your anxiety by washing your hands. If you have a fear of leaving things unchecked, deliberately don’t check or check once then go on to do something else. For example, when you leave the house, lock the door, turn and leave without checking again. Then stay away as long as you can. Maybe only five minutes the first time, then longer the next time.
Sounds easy, right? If you have OCD, you know it’s not as easy as it sounds. Make a list of your fears and start with one you can handle. If you’ve read The OCD Workbook, you know this is called a hierarchy. When you’ve managed one ritual go on to another.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)