My Anxiety and OCD is impairing my ability to run my business and be a husband and farther.

[Luke_D]

Hello dear friends, my name is Luke. 

I am a 32 year old business owner who has been suffering from anxiety and OCD for most of my life. As of the last 5 years my disorder has really begun to impair my ability to run my business. I have been unable to make decisions without them going around and around in my head. I can not make any work related purchases unless everything is falling onto line on that day and being the right time/date and perfect day when I buy them. For example I have been needing to update my work computers now for 3 years and every time that I purchase one if anything that I would consider negative/bad happens on that day I would then return the computer to the store because it hasn’t been a good day and that computer won’t bring me good luck.  For some reason I can only make purchases on certain dates and times and even then if anything doesn’t feel right or perfect I would not make the purchase or will return the item.

The other pain haunting me is my ability to use computers. I am unable to use a computer as they are designed to be used. It will take me 30 minutes to open a single web browser after turning on a computer and then another 10 minutes to visit a website. For each simple tab I will wait 5 minutes and a work task that should take me 1 hour to complete will blow out to over 5 hours. Once I have finally completed my work I will wait 30 minutes to turn off the computer and I will repeat this process everyday. 

As one could imagine this has significantly effected my quality of my life and the life of the family. I am currently seeking help with a Psychiatrist and Psychologist but am yet to find help to correct these problems.

I have built a successful business and a good life my family but it would seem my illness is impairing me to the point where I am far from the husband and father that I could be and I fear without any help this will not improve. I am trying to talk to people but maybe my situation can be confusing for many of my friends and family. 

I have turned to beyond blue to seek any potential advice or guidance if available or any direction that could improve my quality of life and that of my family.

[Summer Rose]

Hi Luke

I’m really sorry to hear about the impact of OCD/anxiety on your ability to function and run your business.

I know OCD and anxiety well, as I’ve supported a loved one who also has both conditions for the last ten years. I know how hard this is for you.

The good news is that with the right treatment and sustained effort, I am confident that you can reduce the impact of both conditions and improve your functioning. For many people with OCD a combination of medication and treatment really helps (I am not a doctor this is from research I have done to help my daughter). The “gold standard” treatment is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) works well, but there are others that you may also want to consider with your psychiatrist and psychologist’s advice.

The International OCD Foundation  has a website that contains credible information and may be useful to you.

There is also a website called OCD Clinician’s Network where you can find professionals across the nation who specialise in OCD. If you’re not satisfied with your current team, it may pay to have a look.

From my experience, fighting OCD by seeking help with regular psychological appointments takes time. And it’s often “two steps forward and one step back”. I’m not saying this to discourage you, only to encourage you to be realistic in your expectations. I know you want to get on top of things fast to protect your business, but please be gentle on yourself.

Happy to keep talking and I will support you anyway I can. Post any time.

Kind thoughts to you