Hello to all, I’m Jan. I come from Singapore, and I work as an architect. English is not my first language, so please, bear with my words, but feel my emotions.
In my job, I design many buildings in Singapore. But for a long time, inside my head, it was like a storm. This storm, doctors call it Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It means many bad thoughts come and go, and I cannot push them away. One day, I think, “This building, will it fall?” even when it’s strong and steady. I remember one time when designing a house for a lovely family, a thought kept coming: “What if the roof isn’t right?” I went to the site in the middle of the night just to double-check. I found no problem, but my heart still raced with worry.
Then, my friend told me about ocd.app. At first, I thought, “How a small app on phone helps with such big head problem?” But I tried, and things started to change.
I learned about “cognitive restructuring” from the app, a technique from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It taught me how to change the way I see and react to my thoughts. And I wish to share with you three tips that helped me cope better:
- Question Your Thoughts: Whenever a bad thought enters, don’t accept it right away. Ask yourself, “Is this thought based on truth? What evidence do I have?” Most times, you will find that the thought is just an illusion.
- Replace Negative with Positive: When you identify a negative thought, think of a positive one to replace it. If I worry, “What if this building isn’t strong enough?”, I remind myself of all the successful projects I’ve completed and the training I’ve undergone.
- Visualize Success: Imagine a situation where everything goes well. When I design, I sometimes get scared. But then, I close my eyes and visualize the building standing tall and proud, people admiring it, and everything being perfect.
ocd.app helped me practice these tips every day. It’s like a small teacher in my pocket, always there to guide.
So, if your mind also has storms like mine, or you know someone who does, maybe try ocd.app. It’s like an umbrella for the rain in the head.
Thank you for listening to my simple words and my big journey.
With warmth and hope,
Jan