Answers to your questions

Wow. You guys know how to ask questions!

I’m usually the one asking questions, whether it’s on the job as a reporter or in my personal life. I have been reminded that it’s not always easy to be the one answering the questions.

This exercise was fun, though. And your questions really made me ponder some things.

Thank you to those who participated in this!

Shannon at She’s Mental

How in the world do you think you were chosen to get the blessing of these illnesses?

  I wish I knew. I don’t know whether or not I was “meant” to have OCD and depression. But I do believe that because I have them, I have had experiences that help me relate to others with mental illnesses.

Amanda at Therapy Addict

Is there anything that folks do not know or understand about OCD, that you wish they did? Has blogging helped you in some way, in terms of dealing with your diagnoses?

  I don’t think everyone without OCD understands how exhausting it is. The anxiety is draining, and the compulsions can take up a lot of time and effort.

  Blogging has been tremendously helpful to me. I have met some incredibly supportive and caring people online who understand what I go through. And blogging provides me with an opportunity to connect with others.

Lisa at Two Bears Farm

I know you’re not supposed to . . . but do you have a favorite cat? (shhh, I won’t tell!)

Do you want to get me in trouble with my kitties?

Seriously, I love all my kitties, including those who are no longer with us.

I did have a special relationship with Waddles. She was my first baby, and we spent a lot of time together.

Nikky at Nikky’s Strength and Weakness

What is one thing you would love to have or achieve in your life, but you know you won't be able to do it, and how can you compensate?

  I couldn’t think of one thing I want to have or achieve that I know I won’t be able to in some way, but I do have a sense of lost opportunities. I know I’ll never be 21 again with all the possibilities that I once had. I try to compensate for that feeling by remembering that all I really have is now, and I can still accomplish a lot.

Yaya at Adventures in Yayaland

Why do you love cats?

  I love dogs and other animals, too, but cats are special to me for many reasons. They are graceful but strong, independent but loving, and funny. So funny. I love to watch them move and eat and bathe and play and sleep. Everything they do is done with great elegance.

Kate at Obviously Completely Deranged

Do you think that it’s ever possible to totally overcome an OCD obsession, or is it always there?

I have to answer I don’t know, but I lean towards thinking no, you can’t ever completely get over an OCD obsession. It fades to the background and can seem forgotten, but then it can reappear for seemingly no reason.

What changes more is my ability to resist the obsession and not give in to the compulsion. For me, that’s what I have more control over.

Jackie at Lights All Around

How does OCD influence your writing life (if it does)? What are you writing right now (for yourself, not for work)?

OCD affects my writing in a couple of ways. Time given to obsessions and compulsions is time that I could be writing. And sometimes an obsession about plagiarism eats away at my creativity.

Right now, I’m working on a memoir about my life with OCD and depression. I’ve also started writing poetry again after many years.

Krystal Lynn at Sprinkle Some Sugar On Me: I Am More Than OCD

What makes you angry? And if I can ask a second one, it would be: If you could be granted a wish and be ride of one obsession/compulsion forever, what would it be?

Many things can make me angry, but what is sure to make me angry is when I witness someone taking advantage of a person or animal. Injustice makes me angry.

If I could be rid of one obsession/compulsion forever, it would be my writing OCD. I hate the anxiety that keeps me from being willing to sit down and write sometimes. I hate worrying about plagiarism and being perfect. Writing OCD affects what I love to do.

Janet at ocdtalk

If you weren’t blogging about mental illness, or cats, what topics would you like to blog about?

  I think I would have a writing/storytelling blog. I would write about my writing life, share pieces for feedback, and tell stories.

Sunny at 71 degrees & Sunny: One Christian’s Odyssey through Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

What is the piece of writing that you are most proud of?

 What came to mind is an essay that I wrote about Waddles. It is about how much she helped to change my life for the better. I wrote it a few years ago, but I still tweak it from time to time. I may publish it on my blog eventually.

   

Reconcile This

Do you write every day or do you keep a particular schedule (apart from the blogging schedule, that is)?

  I write mostly in the evening. I also try to write during the day on the weekends. I am trying to transition to a schedule where I write early in the morning, but that’s not going very well.


Added later: one more question--
Lolly of Lolly's Hope
Can I steal this idea and use it in the future on my blog? Also, what is your favorite food?
  Of course you can use this idea. I got the idea from another blog myself.
  My favorite food is peanut butter. And bread. And caramel.

  And now, dear readers, please leave me a comment and tell me why you started blogging, or, if you don’t blog, why you read blogs.