 When a picture doesn't say a thousand words....this photo was taken December 2014, as I was plunging into an OCD relapse. Welcome to The OCD series. I’m Francesca, a Nutritionist who has lived with OCD since I was 10. In my teens and late 20s, I hit rock bottom with OCD – it was so distressing and debilitating that it left me feeling suicidal and as it worsened, partially housebound. Now, after investing time, money and effort in creating a mental health tool box, I've been living largely OCD-free since 2012. I now offer support to people suffering from OCD who want to get their lives back.
If you've landed on this page and would like to go to the beginning of The OCD Series, where I'm discussing nutrition for OCD, click here. A client recently asked about my experience of relapse, and our conversation reminded me I’ve been meaning to write about this.  Herbal tea - a far better friend to your nervous system than coffee or tea. Welcome to The OCD series. I’m Francesca, a Nutritionist who has lived with OCD since I was 10. In my teens and late 20s, I hit rock bottom with OCD – it was so distressing and debilitating that it left me feeling suicidal and at one stage, partially housebound. Now, after investing time, money and effort in creating a mental health tool box, I am thriving. And I offer support to people suffering from OCD who want to get their lives back. If you've landed on this page and would like to go to the beginning of The OCD Series, where I begin with discussing nutrition for OCD, click here. This article discusses a nutrition and lifestyle change that my clients routinely report leads to reduced frequency, intensity and duration of their OCD spikes: taking a break from caffeinated drinks. You’ll learn how caffeine impacts your nervous system. And I’ll share why I went cold turkey on caffeinated drinks for 6 years (yup!), after 19 years of suffering with OCD, and the changes I experienced as a result.  Welcome to the fourth article in The OCD series. I’m Francesca, a Nutritionist who has lived with OCD since I was 10. In my teens and late 20s, I hit rock bottom with OCD – it was so distressing and debilitating that it left me feeling suicidal and at one point, partially housebound. Now, after investing time, money and effort in creating a mental health tool box, I have been largely symptom-free of OCD since 2012, with one relapse. And I offer support to people who have OCD who want to get their lives back.
The previous three articles in The OCD series focused on nutritional tools that support your mental health. Yet nutrition is not the only tool for recovering from OCD, though it is an important one. Because I take a holistic approach to supporting my clients, this article will discuss the role of childhood trauma in OCD. Before we go further, I'd like to say – the information in this article won't be relevant for all of you. Not everyone affected by OCD will have experienced childhood trauma. If this article doesn't strike a chord for you, I invite you to look at the other articles in The OCD Series. |