ocd

The Dumbest OCD Gag Gifts Ever

by Bill Brenner November 27, 2012 Lighthearted

Those who know me understand that I’m not bothered by humor that pokes fun at OCD. As long as there’s plenty of education available for people to manage the more insidious parts of the disorder, I’m fine with having fun with the quirks. My only requirement is that the jokes be clever. Some time ago, I wrote about clever OCD gag gifts. These gifts, though, I never want to find in my Christmas stocking. Not…  [Read More]

I’m a Hot OCD Mess Today

by Bill Brenner October 23, 2012 OCD

I’m admittedly failing to control my worst OCD impulses this morning. I’m trying to assemble a slideshow for my work website and a vital application keeps crashing. It’s a busy day ahead, with blog posts to write and meetings to sit through, so this isn’t the best time for an app to fail me. Mood music: [spotify:track:7qSPdNGrKbaqLg6HqflCoZ] I’ve heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again,…  [Read More]

Out of My Head

by Bill Brenner September 27, 2012 Mental disorders

Like anyone with a mental disorder like OCD, I spend a lot of time locked in my head. My thoughts will be on what I’m doing the next day or a year out. Or they’re in the past, replaying scenes from long ago. Last night I began the mission to get out of there. Mood music: [spotify:track:7yqO8vYeyf8ahnLj9vOZ4G] It was the first night of my Stress Reduction and Mindfulness class. The instructor is my therapist, though…  [Read More]

Too Many Balloons in the Air

by Bill Brenner September 17, 2012 Mental health

A friend on Twitter asked what a person is to do when OCD, ADHD and other mental maladies produce the effect illustrated in this comic strip on xkcd.com: The illustration really hits home for me, having suffered from OCD and ADHD and having a son with ADHD (the alphabet soup alone is enough to short-circuit a person’s mind). All these conditions have one thing in common: the sufferer tries to keep track of everything going…  [Read More]

Is Humor Reinforcing the OCD Stigma?

by Bill Brenner September 7, 2012 OCD

I got an interesting response to some older posts about OCD gag gifts — particularly one about OCD hand sanitizer. The reader was worried these gifts and other brands of OCD humor would only reinforce the stigma monster that keeps people like us in the shadows. Mood music: [spotify:track:2TJRQj7XJvGBY4ZzIue2ei] Here’s the comment, from Arthur Lawrence: I can laugh at it, and so can you. We both have OCD. And laughing at the OCD “monster” does indeed…  [Read More]

Lessons From Facebook Unfriend Finder

by Bill Brenner July 17, 2012 Communication Skills

I recently re-activated the Facebook Unfriend Finder that I wrote about last winter, after discovering my wife was using a similar plug-in. Given my past paranoia over why certain people unfriended me, she thought it was a bad idea for me to use it. But I figured if she could use it, so could I. A few weeks in, here’s what I’ve learned. When your friend count goes down, it’s usually not because you offended…  [Read More]

Five Traveling Tips for OCD Heads

by Bill Brenner July 16, 2012 Coping tools

Staying healthy while traveling has never been easy for an OCD case like me. When I traveled to New York in June, I pushed myself to the point where I was lying on the floor of the airport as I typed away, waiting for the flight home. My LA trip the month before ended pretty much the same way. I don’t really sleep on these trips. There’s too much to do and see, too many…  [Read More]

Camping? Don’t Let Fear and Anxiety Ruin It for You

by Bill Brenner July 9, 2012 Fear and anxiety

I just got back from a weekend camping trip with the family. It’s the second time we did this in a camper, and I’ve done a few Cub Scout camping trips in the last year and a half. No small deal since OCD and anxiety used to make me fear such things. Mood music: [spotify:track:1v0rXeY3UipDeptRv73Xtx] Fear of dangerous situations used to keep me on the couch, and camping was one of those things that made…  [Read More]

OCD and Facebook Scrabble Don’t Mix

by Bill Brenner July 2, 2012 OCD

I’ve always avoided all those Facebook games, but I recently decided to give Scrabble a shot. I’m a professional wordsmith, so I figured what the hell. I can kick a few asses and feel good about my word wizardry. But I’m the one getting my ass kicked, in more ways than one. Mood music: [spotify:track:0N7yGNvc6Oy2bAb4gM8euG] I have six games going and I’m getting beat to shit in all but one of them. I have my…  [Read More]

Five Steps for a Less-Irritating Facebook Presence

by Bill Brenner June 28, 2012 Communication Skills

Editor’s note: This is a sequel to yesterday’s post, “Stupid Things People Say on Facebook.” In this installment, Bill outlines the steps he takes to be less of a jerk on Facebook. He admits he’s not perfect, especially when it comes to the fifth example. Mood music: [spotify:track:2eGGIxRfU8udVR0kX6Z2fq] My personal rules for using Facebook: No bitching. If I’m having a bad day, I don’t complain about it in my status updates. Since I hate it…  [Read More]

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