OCD affects every aspect of your life. For me personally, it has had a big impact on my relationships with people. It has made some relationships more of a struggle for me but has impacted in ways I wouldn’t imagine.

The struggle usually comes when people don’t know that I have OCD because it’s not public knowledge. Not because I’m ashamed but purely because it’s not who I am, it doesn’t define me, so people don’t need to know.

I am so lucky to have the friends I do, especially my best friend, because they could not make me feel more normal about it. It’s not an unspoken topic and when I do what I need to, no one comments. It strengthened my bond with a lot of people knowing how willing they were to be there when I needed it.

I’ve always found OCD has given me new relationships with people I would have never expected. Some of my closest friends don’t know but a girl I don’t really talk to but is in my class does. We now support each other with our different struggles which we never had before.

I’ve always known who I felt right telling and who I didn’t, and you never have to be pressured to tell someone just because you’re close. Only tell people if it feels right but never be ashamed, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.