My name is Kyra, and I’m a senior in high school. I have had OCD for most of my life, but I struggled more in the past five years. I first had ritualistic OCD when I was a competitive gymnast. I remember that I needed to repeatedly perform specific actions before a dangerous skill, or I was convinced I would fall and hurt myself. I’ve also experienced perfectionism and magical thinking OCD. Recently, my OCD has primarily been contamination based. 

In the summer of 2021, my compulsions took up a large part of my days, and the intrusive thoughts never ceased. My mom was worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish high school.  It was definitely a difficult time, but I worked really hard and made it my mission to reduce OCD’s impact on my life through extensive ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). My OCD controlled and isolated me for many years, and now I want to help others by creating a safe space to talk and share.