05/13/2026
For me, it’s rarely just the cold.
It’s waking up with a sore throat and needing to know:
is this the beginning of something, or is it just dry in here?
It’s one symptom turning into a whole spiral.
It’s checking if I’m worse or better.
It’s debating whether I should cancel my plans.
It’s spending 30 minutes in the cold aisle trying to buy my way out of the discomfort.
It’s telling everyone, “I’m getting over a cold,” or “I took a COVID test, it’s negative,” like I need to confess, warn them, or prove I’m being careful.
And of course, taking reasonable care of yourself and others matters.
But OCD can take reasonable care and turn it into checking, fixing, overexplaining, and trying to make every uncertain feeling go away immediately.
What I’m practicing instead:
taking care of myself without needing to feel 100% certain before I move on.
Reminder I’m returning to: Embrace uncertainty.
