the importance of support

[annika2009]

I just wanted to share with you the positive effects I have experienced from participating in these forums.

I have not yet received my program package in the mail, but I have visited the forums on two different days (not in a row), especially the OCD forum, and I have found that on the days that I do visit and read some of the posts from others going through the same difficulties, I have a more positive attitude in my own daily life and a more positive approach to myself and my OCD problems, than I do on other days.

I find relief here in the support and sharing openly about our struggles and thoughts because it gives me peace to know that I am not alone in this and that what I experience is not unusual, even though I do need to work on dealing with it. It also helps me to read such honest posts about particular thoughts that I am self-trained to push away, because it shows me that I can look at these words and face the thoughts they bring on for me and see that they are no more than thoughts experienced by many people, thoughts that really have no power or meaning beyond what we give them ourselves.

Reading about what many of the rest of you are dealing with and how you are coping really encourages me to give less attention to my thoughts, to understand where they are coming from, and to move through my day focussing on better things because when a bad one comes along, I remind myself that others have described exactly the same thing and that I am not going crazy, nor would I ever want to follow through on anything disturbing that my mind suggest to me.

So thank you all, and I encourage anyone who is new to try to stop every day even for just a few minutes to receive this positive reinforcement and strength to start the day out with the support we all need!