October is OCD Awareness Month, and I wanted to share a little bit of my story because I think it's so important to break the stigma surrounding mental health, especially OCD and medication.
Before having children, my OCD and anxiety consumed so much of my life. I was constantly stuck in negative thoughts and living in a state of fight or flight. Simple everyday tasks felt impossible. Folding laundry could take exponentially longer because I had rituals attached to almost every item I touched. Even getting dressed was a struggle because the things I touched would become associated with an omen or negative consequence in my mind. It was exhausting, and it affected so much more of my life than most people knew.
One of my biggest fears before becoming a mom was how I would function as a mother while managing all of this. I worried about how my OCD would impact my children and whether they would grow up watching me struggle the way I did. I was also terrified of taking medication because of the stigma surrounding it.
But four years ago, I took that step, and it changed my life. I genuinely never thought I could feel this free. The difference in my everyday life and the mother I am today is something I wish I could explain to the version of myself who was so afraid to ask for help.
I share this because I know there are people silently struggling, afraid of being judged or afraid of what getting help might mean. I wish I could tell my younger self that she didn't have to live that way just to prove she could handle it on her own.
Taking medication didn't make me weak. Getting help didn't make me less of a mom. It gave me the freedom to experience life in a way I once couldn't imagine.
At Bandit Babies, we believe in creating a space where moms feel seen, supported, and understood. That means talking about the hard things, too. Our children don't need perfect moms, and we don't have to sacrifice our own well-being to be good ones.
This OCD Awareness Month, let's keep talking, keep challenging the stigma, and remind one another that asking for help is nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes, it's the very thing that changes your life.
