Episode 73: Oh… It’s OCD, but she’ll grow out of it

Claire’s parents were told by their family physician when she was just around 4-years- that what Claire had been presenting with was obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), but it was something she would grow out of. This informal diagnosis was not shared with Claire until she was in her mid-20’s nor did she grow out of it. Once she learned about OCD and how it shows up in her life, it took a great deal of healing to even come to terms with it, learn how to cope and manage it, and choose a path that led her to who she’s become today. Claire shared openly that while she was unaware of the OCD, she did have her own rituals and compulsions, and this resulted in limitations to her social skills and was a victim of school bullying. She suffered through anxiety, grew up with people pleasing tendencies, she felt that her true self and voice were silenced and suppressed, experienced intense sadness, became fearful to express herself and her inner critic was loud. Claire explained that her parents were extremely supportive of her, though they were aware of apparent struggles that she faced, it was attributed to emotional growing pains, like being shy, low self-confidence, and masking parts of herself. She spoke about how much of what she experienced had been internalized, she was so afraid to be judged and not accepted, afraid to let people witness her talents, and worried she wasn’t good at anything or competent. Her experiences have taught her determination, drive, what she is passionate about, and has found a way to conquer her fears by not giving into the voice of fear and learning how to work through the complexities of circumstances that come her way. Her key message to the listeners is that: it’s worth giving yourself some time to reflect; allow yourself to be big and bold; invite your true authentic self wherever you go; belong in your space, so express yourself -- therefore, it’s vital to get to know yourself and love yourself fully.