Covid-19 and OCD- Alice Helliwell

The ‘new normal’ is what we are all trying to adjust and adapt to right now. It’s a scary time for everyone, and now more than ever, we need to lean on, learn from and lend a hand (metaphorically of course) to each other.

This can be an especially triggering time for OCD sufferers and those who experience Health Anxiety. Ritualistic behaviours that you worked so hard to overcome, intrusive thoughts that you have dulled and anxiety that you continue to manage, may rear their ugly head during this time of uncertainty.

My experience at the emergence of Covid-19 was what I labelled as ‘odd’. It was unexpected and slightly unnerving how comfortable and calm I was feeling about the pandemic. After speaking with my therapist I learned that this was a feeling shared. The anxiety was reduced because the feeling of shame was reduced. The things I, and others, do all year round such as carrying multiple hand sanitizers, avoiding close contact with people, avoiding touching areas on public transport, and sanitizing workstations were now not just socially acceptable but encouraged by World Leaders and Health Officials. 

This is not an ‘I told you so’ moment because it’s not like I predicted a global pandemic. And I was still engaging in inappropriate behaviours in my seemingly calm state. Checking and refreshing the Guardian website and Coronavirus statistics every 30 minutes is apparently on a similar level to panic buying toilet roll.

The reality is that the fear that presents itself when dealing with health anxiety morphed from something ‘unlikely’ to something ‘likely’. The probability that you’ll contract an illness from touching something or someone increased dramatically within a number of weeks. The anxiety inducing thought ‘I might harm a family member or someone I love’ was now, to all appearances, a realistic one. It’s a confusing time being told that you must now practice the strict hand washing routines and self isolation that individuals with OCD and health anxiety work so hard to avoid doing.

During this time you have to remember that ‘your OCD does not know best’, it has never known what’s best for you and never will. Self care is incredibly important and I have found a few things particularly helpful;

- Be mindful of letting other compulsions creep back into your life and watch for morphing of obsessions and rituals. 

- Follow official guidelines with regards to cleaning, sanitizing and washing your hands. 

- Get your news updates from a reliable and reputable source. Limit the amount of time spent reading articles and number of times searching for new information. 

- Monitor your emotions, check where you’re feeling them in your body and how you’re processing them.

- Enjoy being connected and creative in communication with friends. Have fun with it, it’s okay to not want to discuss coronavirus all day every day.

- Bring it back to the basics- are you sleeping? Eating a balanced diet? Drinking water? Moving and stretching? What is your daily routine?

The key is to remember that this ‘new normal’ is only temporary. We all have to continue doing our best to live our lives, stay connected with each other, and allow anxiety to come and go. To quote a popular meme (Yes, I realise I sound about 100 years old)- If Britney can make it through 2007, we can make it through this.

Stay home and stay safe.