Poll: How are you doing currently?

I went to multiple psychologists, tried talk therapy, tried SSRIs, and while there were modest improvements here and there, my life continued to be dictated by my deepest fears and obsessions.

Three years ago, I read a book on OCD that completely changed my perspective. [1]

I started CBT (mostly exposure therapy) with a clinic that specialized only in OCD. I quickly realized that I had never actually done CBT in the past, despite various therapists who claimed that they combined CBT with dynamic therapy.

I stopped therapy after less than a year (no longer needed it) and reduced my SSRI prescription to a very low dose.

Today I'm the CEO of a small but (so far) very successful startup. More importantly, I'm in a healthy and happy marriage. My mental health has never been better.

Your mileage may vary, but if you're struggling with similar issues I would recommend avoiding dynamic therapy like the plague and finding a good CBT clinic specializing in OCD. If you've been going to therapy for years then it's ineffective therapy. If you talk to someone, feel better, and then need to go back next week for another talk to feel good then you're not getting better.

[1] https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316086/freedom-from...

This kind of thing invades my decision making daily. I "blame" the high-demand for excellence at the tech firms I've worked at, and a personal obsession with self-help. It's whittled down my capacity for fun.

The only thing I've found help is to invest in something else I value highly - a hobby, friendship, family time. At the end of the day TV and movies (while enjoyable) aren't all that important compared to the obligation you feel to co-workers.

Hit my head and had severe concussion symptoms for about four months. It was extremely difficult to manage work and still try to prep for interviews. Kept putting them off til January. Those several months were really crappy and I missed out on a lot of nice things planned with friends and family.

I interviewed a bunch in January and got a bunch of offers!

But my grandma died. Not too bad because she lived a long and healthy life but still sad. Silver lining is that I flew home and got to see my whole extended family. Also nice to see my core family since COVID interrupted our holidays.

2 days after flying back and accepting a job offer, my dad died of a heart attack. No words to describe it really.

My mom was dependent upon him and I’m the oldest child so pretty much everything has fallen to me. It’s been stressful managing the finances which are a lot worse than I thought. Fortunately my dad ran a small consulting business but I’ve had to take it over and it’s all unfamiliar. I’ve finally gotten it to a mostly stable place and we’re hoping to renew our contracts later this year, but I’m afraid that process will be stressful too.

The job I accepted is at a certain well known company that’s been experiencing a bit of a circus in the media and my job security is now at risk.

I also just got COVID and had to miss my partner’s family reunion. My other grandma just died and I’m starting to get worried about what’s next.

Overall it gives perspective I guess but still sucks. I keep a journal and it’s sad how long it’s been since I’ve had a pleasant weekend. Hopefully things trend up from here