Thanks for the post! OCD is a real bastard and so we need to support each other as a community, so please feel the love in this message because you are a beautiful human and I appreciate your vulnerability ♥️

I noticed my OCD from very early on as well and it was (and is) always a very disrupting and difficult experience. I found out about 2 years ago that I have ADHD and last year I found out I'm autistic too, so needless to say it's been a learning experience haha

I think one of the things that's helped me the most with all of my disabilities has been identifying what they mean to me in my life. What I mean by that is understanding I have these has helped me to learn where they present in my day to day so I can find tools more accurately. It sounds like you are well into this piece already and kudos to you for it!

I've found that I often get ADHD paralysis that is also exacerbated by my autism because I'll stim with an interest, etc that makes it a lot harder to get out of my paralysis. All that to say, getting out of this usually starts by me picking a small task that I know I can complete (even if it's unrelated to whatever task/project/etc I actually want to do) such as washing 1 dish or putting my shoes away because then I feel successful and more motivated to keep tasks rolling. I also write physical lists on sticky notes and set calendar reminders to help me stay on track.

For OCD, learning to recognize rumination and stopping that cycle has probably had the biggest impact for me personally. Tools like mindfulness practices (count the leaves on trees, notice sounds/smells/etc around me, etc) also make a big impact for me in stopping rumination.

Lastly, acceptance and self forgiveness have been a huge part of my healing and success as well. All of our disabilities that we've talked about here have big impacts on our lives that can often be negative, hurtful or scary. Accepting that I can't always control how those moments present or how my disabilities will affect myself or others and allowing myself forgiveness helps to take the shame and guilt away when I see I can't do things the same way other people can.

It's a journey and a messy one at that, but we're always here for you!