Skylar Prentice

Reflection Time

"She comes in colours everywhere/She combs her hair/She's like a rainbow" - She's A Rainbow by The Rolling Stones Living with OCD as a college student is challenging to say the least. My mind is repeatedly jumping back and forth between several tasks and hundreds of thoughts. For those of you who may be wondering what OCD looks like, here are some examples: Avoiding the uneven textures of the ground when I go on walks, counting my steps as I ascend staircases, checking my locks repeatedly, and re-setting my alarm three times every night to make sure the time is correct. And that’s just a fraction of my odd behaviors. Some days, my anxiety is merely a dark hole in the back of my mind, which I can easily forget about - but most days, this isn’t the case. It’s habitual for me to let my intrusive thoughts drown out any logical ideas or positive reassurance that I give myself. It’s especially difficult when I have to worry about going to class, maintaining good grades, participating in activities, and finding a job on top of the recent pandemic. So, I’ve always explored healthy ways to distract my mind and refocus my attention on more enjoyable tasks. Listening to music has not only been a great source of relaxation and distraction from my daily anxieties and ticks, but it’s helped to heal me of them.