Hi sunflower,
You sound so unsettled and, as you said, frightened. I can only imagine how draining and nerve racking it would be to feel the constant need to check and double check things. I feel that must take so much out of you both physically and emotionally.
But I think you’re very brave to open up here about some of your struggles. I get that therapy can be expensive, and sadly it isn’t always easily affordable.
I also understand that you would prefer a professional that specialises in OCD. But till you’re able to access more specialised help when you start work placement, I wonder if we can maybe brainstorm alternative strategies in the mean time...
I have some suggestions that I wish to share, and you can see if you like them or not:
- If you haven’t already, I wonder if you could book an extended appointment with a bulk billing GP. I know they don’t specialise in OCD, but what they can do is they can assess your mental health and maybe be able to link you up with helpful organisations & other professionals that maybe you hadn’t thought of previously.
- Consider using online chat services with reputable mental health organisations (e.g. Lifeline has an online chat) to ask their counsellors if there are services that they would recommend in between now and the start of your work placement.
- I know that the following isn’t specific about OCD, but there’s a thread called self help tips for managing anxiety. It’s not quite what you’re looking for, but I think there still might be some tips there that you could find potentially useful. If you’re interested, I think the easiest way to find it is to search for it by typing the thread title in the beyondblue search bar.
Those are just some of my suggestions...just gentle ideas for you to think about. No pressure though of course...
Is it okay if I ask how have you been doing since your opening post?
Again, no pressure to answer or share, but just know that there is support here if you want to chat 🙂
Kind and caring thoughts,
Pepper
