Getting answers about my OCD symptoms has been a strange mix of relief and frustration. I spent a long time thinking I was just overly anxious, difficult, or somehow choosing to get stuck on the same thoughts. Hearing a professional explain the obsessions and compulsions made a lot of things click.
The relief is there, but so is the feeling that I lost a lot of time blaming myself. I’m still figuring out which behaviors are compulsions, especially the less obvious ones like mentally reviewing conversations or asking for reassurance. At least now I have something specific to work on instead of treating everything like vague anxiety.
Has getting a diagnosis helped you understand your symptoms differently?