2014 was a year in which I think I’ve begun to learn just a bit more about balance. The workaholic OCD tendencies that run around in my head, demanding I write more, blog more, and work harder have been a bit easier to ignore. Why? Because God has been helping me do unofficially what is advocated in the 4 Steps article. Slowly, I’m learning to assign value to what is truly valuable.
I think being a military wife has really helped with this. Deployment is always a possibility. Something I’ve begun telling myself is that if something every happened to my husband, I wouldn’t look back and wish I’d spent more time writing or blogging. I would wish I’d spent more time with him. I’ve learned to remind myself often that no matter how hard my OCD pushes me to work, in the end, I will never regret one more hour spent cuddling, or one more evening of silly Lord of the Rings trivia. In the end, my OCD would berate me for ignoring my husband. And so would I.
2015 is going to be an even more important year when it comes to finding balance. Our little princess is due in March. We’ll be moving at least once, and we could be moving even more than that. It’s important that I sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk with my OCD. I’m learning to talk back, telling it that it will never be satisfied; when all is said and done, the health, safety, and spiritual health of my family is more important than a perfect work record. My health and safety is more important.
Will I do a perfect job in containing my perfection? Absolutely not. But with God’s grace and my family’s support, I’m going to continue to learn and grow as a child of God, as a wife, as a mother, as a writer, and as the crazy, anxious, overly-energetic, ticcing person I was made to be. This year, I’m going to work hard, but I’m not going to work for my OCD. It’s going go to work for me.
Do you struggle with your OCD taking work or other pursuits to the extreme? Do you have any questions, comments, or tips you’d like to share? Leave a comment in the Comment Box below. And don’t forget, you can sign up for my newsletter for extra resources on neurological disorders, education, and spiritual encouragement. As always, thanks for reading!
