Cale L.

There are some topics that feel like they hit a little too close to home, cohabitation being one of them! 😝 The first belief that immediately comes to mind when I think about cohabitation is “This is supposed to be my safe space!” And I see how that already frames things in an anxious, defensive […]

It was only a matter of time until we circled back on a previously covered topic, especially when it’s somethings as foundational to the human and OCPD experience as Shame. You can read the first post that took a deep dive into the science behind shame here: https://www.youmeandocpd.com/2024/01/zoom-meeting-ocpd-shame/ Additionally, here is my usual approach of

In my experience, the impact OCPD has on our interpersonal connections is felt most acutely in the context of our romantic relationships. The intimacy that is intrinsic to romantic relationships can lay bare our deepest thoughts and feelings, and requires fostering trust and vulnerability to be truly seen. Because of this close, sustained proximity our

As an over-intellectualizer, I find it way too easy to fall into the trap of thinking about OCPD only in psychological terms, to the degree that I forget that I’m not just a brain but a whole body as well. It’s been interesting to spend some time reflecting on how OCPD directly impacts my physical

As someone who identifies with all 8 of the diagnostic criteria for OCPD (yay for being an overachieving perfectionist! 😜) the ones about money/frugality and hoarding initially felt like they were sort of tacked on. They also seem, to me, to be more culturally contextual and ambiguous. After all, what is “money” other than an

Time to tolerate some distress! I’ve been working on distress tolerance and emotional resilience over the past few months in therapy and I’m here to (begrudgingly!) declare that it’s working. 😒 I’m still constantly reminding myself that the goal of learning skills in therapy is not to predict and eliminate future problems or pain but

Break out your best notepad and writing utensils because we’re about to make some lists! 😋 It brings me a special kind of joy that the DSM decided to place “Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost.” as the first

Hi All, I finally gained enough time and mental energy to contribute some of my own thoughts to the our upcoming discussion topic: OCPD & Family Dynamics. The first thing that stood out to me is the need to define what constitutes a “family” to begin with. The Better Help article below offers six main

Cale’s Note: Less time than ever to create these posts. Grieving the loss of my former capacities for sure… ChatGPT Response Prompt: Summary of grief. Grief is a deeply personal and often nonlinear emotional response to loss, most commonly associated with the death of a loved one but also triggered by other significant life changes