Hello Brave One!
In the throes of our suffering, we tend to feel alone.
“No one suffers more than I do.”
“Others have issues that are easier to manage than mine.”
“Others have it so good.”
“If only I didn’t have to deal with this, I could accomplish my goals.”
Sound familiar? Guess what? You are not as unique as you might think! This “special-not special” feeling is a symptom Mental Illness uses to maintain control over that prime real estate in our brains.
“Look at her, and her wonderful job, well-behaved kids and her perfect hair! She must have it so easy!”
“If only I wasn’t so f*cked up, I’d be that great too.”
“I don’t deserve to be happy. I’m supposed to be in pain.”
If you’ve been paying attention to the lessons of CBT, you’ll easily recognize these cognitive (thought) distortions. Common culprits of these “special/ not special” messages are black-and-white thinking, catastrophizing and discounting the positive.
Mental Illness thrives when we feel isolated and special in a bad way, because then it can maintain its grasp on our brains. Recognizing these cognitive (thought) distortions as symptoms of mental illness and not fact is the first step to loosening their control on your life.
Stay Brave! -The OCD MN Team