Well it’s been a year and a half and I am happy to report that I am back (after much turmoil involving this account) and I wish I could tell ya this was going to be a super inspirational post but tbh it probably isn’t. Or at least it isn’t going to start that way. So buckle up, my dudes.

 I’m going to say something that no one wants to hear but I know anyone who’s experienced loss will agree with: if I can’t go back and prevent Taylor from passing away then I’d take the next “best” thing. Going back to the weeks after he died where I didn’t have to move on. Just existing was enough. I didn’t have to worry about accomplishing anything aside from physically getting out of bed to show I wasn’t going to let the overwhelming depression get the best of me. The problem is that overwhelming depression and sadness never goes away. It’s been almost two years and I still struggle, especially this time of year. It doesn’t get any easier, it just gets manageable to the point it looks like I have it all together. If you know me, and even if you don’t I’ll go ahead and let you know anyway, I do not have it all together.

They say comparison is the thief of joy and, let me tell ya, it’s the honest truth. Even before November 28, 2020, which marked a year since Taylor died, I was berating myself for not having my shit together like most people my age. I didn’t have a house or a family. I’d spent most of the summer sitting on the couch and watching every cooking show available because COVID drastically changed the taproom operations of the brewery I work at. I had so much free time and I still didn’t have anything to show for it. For some reason I was putting the pressure on myself that I would never put on anyone else (this is not the first time this has happened). And honestly I’m probably being way too hard on other people without knowing what they might be going through. It all takes me back to that awful day in December 2019, shortly after Taylor died, when I went to Target to try and get a few Christmas presents for my family. I was so overwhelmed by ALL OF THE THINGS that I froze in the middle of the store. Everyone was in a hurry, everyone was so excited about the upcoming holiday that I couldn’t keep up and my body physically froze in an isle and I started crying. That was one of the many low points I’ve had in the last two years. I never want to be the person who makes someone feel the way I did in that Target. I’ve learned a lot about myself the last year and I truly think the biggest takeaway is remembering how I felt that day and knowing, at the very least, the best thing I can do to help someone else struggling is to be patient and understanding. There was nothing anyone could have done to help me. I just needed a minute to catch up. And I did. It just took way, way longer than the minutes I spent in that stupid aisle crying surrounded by strangers buying Christmas presents. I am still catching up, I just don’t need to stop and cry it out as often. And I definitely don’t let my stupid OCD brain try and tell me that I am falling behind on all of the life milestones when I made it through absolute hell November 2019

It is almost impossible for me to tell you the significance of me finally being able to log in to this blog today. Two years ago today this picture was taken.

Both of the people in this picture were struggling. We were overwhelmed and depressed and didn’t know how we would ever get out of it. The problem is I didn’t realize the struggle Taylor was dealing with. Part of it was his pride, but the kind of pride where you feel like you have to be the support for everyone else, and part of it was me being so wrapped up in my own shit that I didn’t really see how much he needed help. I have spent so many days and nights thinking about anything and everything I could have and should have done differently that night. Things were bad. Since I can’t go back and change the past, no matter how much I would if I could, the best thing I can do now is to use whatever tiny platform I have to tell anyone who will listen to reach out. Reach out if you are worried about someone. Reach out if you need to talk or if you are struggling. Just please, please reach out. Life is crazy and there is absolutely no reason any of us should be doing it alone.

Oh yea! This is a blog about OCD. I almost forgot since I haven’t created content, especially OCD related content, in so long. It’s actually kind of funny and I’m sure someone way smarter than me with some sort of fancy degree would be able to explain why the obsessions and compulsions seemed to take a back seat after losing T. I only have a geography degree but I can confirm that the obsessions and compulsions took a back seat. HOWEVER I can also confirm that they have started to slowly creep their way back in the more comfortable I feel. Comfortable? I don’t know if that’s the right word. The more normal? I don’t know how to describe it but I’m hoping y’all know what I mean. I started working full time again (hello production team!) which meant I was back to a routine. I have the distraction of work, which is great. But as we all know with the great comes the bad and, for me at least, the bad meant I started using work as an excuse to ignore all of the things I knew I couldn’t ignore forever. For example, I have started checking to make sure the stove is off before I leave for work (this actually poses even more of an issue because I have to be at work at 7:00am and my ability to sleep has not improved at all. My picking has gone into overdrive. Sooo I think it’s safe to say I’ve been distracting myself from truly dealing with/feeling the things I know I need to deal with/feel. 

I’m not sure where this post was supposed to go. It has been so long that I kind of just combined the 5+ notes I created on my phone when I couldn’t sleep for the last year and a half. I suppose it was more of a venting session to show I am doing my best but also because I know I’m not the only one who feels like they are just doing their best right now. Doing our best is better than doing nothing and I am in no place to tell you otherwise. Personally, I think doing my best is better than doing nothing at all because doing nothing at all just made me feel even worse. The biggest thing is that I know I am going to be ok and I hope anyone else going through a rough patch knows they will be ok too.

-A

**Things got a bit real in this post and I feel like it is important to include this information** If you are struggling with your mental health and need someone to talk to please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or click here to start an online chat for free and confidential support. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line via SMS message at 741-741 for free crisis intervention. *please note that the numbers listed above are available resources to those in the United States*

I hope you’re still here because I had to add this little at the end of all the serious stuff because it made me laugh out loud when I realized I had to update my About Me since I am no longer a twenty-something. Time flies ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Spotify users! Be sure to follow my UPDATED SUPER AWESOME obsessive-compulsive diaries playlist for some of my favorite groovy tunes. It is a delightfully random mix of new songs and old songs from a bunch of different genres. It’s a great playlist if you need a good dance party or if you need a cry. Or a crying dance party.