One of my first memories is sitting in therapy crying because I couldn't stop imagining my therapist naked. I was probably 8 years old, so it wasn't a sex-related thought, I just thought nudity was "bad." Once I started obsessing over nudity—specifically not thinking about people naked—it became the only thing I could do.

Obsession is what the O in OCD stands for. They're consistent, intrusive thoughts. "People with OCD can have obsessions related to a wide variety of things, including losing control, hurting others, unwanted sexual thoughts, and many more," Jeff Szymanski, PhD and Executive Director of the International OCD Foundation (IOF), tells Prevention.

The C stands for Compulsions. "The anxiety caused by these obsessions can be lessened by different compulsions," Szymanski explains, "such as 'checking' (re-checking door locks, repeatedly making sure the oven is off), 'repeating' (doing the same action or ritual over and over to be sure it was done "correctly"), and 'counting' (doing things in certain numbers, counting items to certain numbers).”

One of my many, but most detrimental compulsions involved my alarm clock.

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