Thank You, Recent Friend, for Supporting Me in My OCD Struggle
It hasn’t been all that long since we met, but knowing you has changed my life for the better. On the darkest of days, you’ve shown me light. It would be impossible to list every single wonderful thing that you have said or done for me. But there are two words that I don’t think I could ever say to you enough – thank you.
Thank you for continuously reminding me to keep going, no matter how bad things may seem. Even when the anxiety and intrusive thoughts feel like they are consuming me, you remind me to “just keep swimming.”
Thank you for picking up the phone every time I call, for reading every long text and Facebook message, and for always being willing to listen. You’ve always been honest and non-judgmental, something which I will always appreciate.
Thank you for sharing parts of your own story with me. Knowing that you understand what it’s like to have your mind taken over by this illness makes me feel less alone. I am glad that I can confide in you and turn to you for advice.
Thank you for encouraging me to take important steps towards treating and managing my OCD. Sometimes, these things feel impossibly hard. But you always remind me that “hard things are worth doing.”
Thank you for reminding me that bad days happen, but that I am no less strong because of them. There is no such thing as perfectly managing the intrusive thoughts and compulsions that come with OCD, and you remind me that it’s okay not to be okay sometimes.
Thank you for reminding me that I am not my disease. You remind me that I can still be the person I want to be, and that I don’t have to let my illness hold me back. Even though my OCD will be with me for life, it is not what defines me.
Most importantly, thank you for being my friend. You have never turned your back on me, and you continue to provide me with unconditional support and compassion each and every day. I don’t know where I would be without you! Everyone deserves to have someone like you in their life, and I am so incredibly thankful that you are a part of mine.
Getty Images photo via kzenon