From the article: OCD and Romantic Relationships
If you have OCD, you know that your symptoms can often get in the way of establishing and maintaining romantic relationships. Indeed, many individuals with OCD are single and those who are in a relationship or are married often report a significant amount of relationship stress. How has your OCD impacted your romantic relationships? Share your experience
relationships and ocd
- I am in my third marriage and all I can say is this time around I was the most honest I have ever been in my life. I have no clue why I feel such a safety net with my husband of almost 1 yr {2yr} relationship. I feel something I have never felt before. I have two of the most amazing, understanding daughter's; both are well aware of what I have and accept me unconditionally. They are my true strength. I think with time and my age which is 36 has helped a lot, Trust me it is still hard and everyday is a constant battle, but by the grace of God I have been able to grow with this disorder through good times and bad and still have two daughter's and now two more. With my husband's understanding I can still be myself. Trust me, I know it is not easy for him or the girls but for all of us we'll make it as a team.
- —Guest nutsrus
still worrying, maybe even wilting?
- One of my first poignant moments was when I was 17 years old with my first love many moons ago. He noticed me staring back at the sidewalk that we were walking on and responded by yelling and criticizing my behaviors. Little did he know that I was counting the number of squares on the sidewalk to make sure that it did not sum up to a "bad number". I always thought I could camouflage what I believed to be my secretive "quirks". Eventually, my OCD magical thinking and "just right" rituals started to consume me. I wish I could be in the moment while meeting and being with others. Needless to say, this has presented a barrier in maintaining relationships. In bed, my most recent ex-bf would feel my arm twitch by him during an OCD ritual and exclaim, "What are you doing?!" I'd feel mortified, much too embarrassed to say that I was ritualizing. Counting the number of letters in the words that I say has stifled my romantic livelihood. So here I am, single.
- —worryflower
