OCD: Fight the Boggart! :)

Do you think Harry Potter books and movies are just perfect for Christmas? Well you are not alone!

I do not only suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but there’s one more condition that I have: I am a hundred percent addicted to Harry Potter. I simply adore the magical atmosphere of JK Rowling’s books and it reminds me to my childhood: I grew up alongside the amazing world of Harry Potter and I was extremely disappointed when I had not received a letter from Hogwarts on my 11th birthday. Actually, I do not think that I will ever forgive that school: they totally forgot about me and that is simply unacceptable. I have always wanted to be a Slytherin. Anyways, I’m 27 years old and life should go on. 🙂
(What is your favorite Hogwarts house and why? Please share in the comment section)

Even though I am totally offended, there is no Christmas without Harry Potter. I do not know why but Harry Potter books and movies always remind me to Christmas. And one of the characters from the Harry Potter books that I find extremely important is the boggart.

Now first of all, what is a boggart?

A boggart is a shapelifter that has no definite form, but takes the shape of the thing that is most feared by the person who encounters it. Sounds pretty much like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, does not it?

Why do I think that the boggart is an iconic character?

Because it reminds me to my OCD. Now you may say that I see OCD everywhere – and I think you would be right if you said that. But the boggart from Harry Potter is something that one can absolutely relate to OCD. It is a monster that always represents your biggest fears.

Ronald Weasley’s boggart was a spider. To Neville Longbottom this monster appeared in the form of Severus Snape and Harry’s boggart took on the form of a dementor,

It is pretty much like OCD: some of us are scared of germs, some of us are having intrusive thoughts about harming our loved ones and some of us are afraid of harming ourselves. But all of us have one thing in common: we are haunted by a boggart called OCD, and this monster is responsible for a lot of things that can easily ruin a person’s life: obsessions, intrusive thoughts and compulsions.
(Note: click here to learn more about the different types of OCD)

Riddikulus! – Defense against the Dark Arts!

Riddikulus – this is a spell that could protect you from the boggart. Unfortunately, it does not work against OCD and one of the reasons behind that is that OCD is not ridiculous at all.
But one thing we can learn from the Harry Potter series is that we should not be scared of our little boggart, because at the end of the day it’s nothing more than a pathetic monster. Is it difficult to think of it in that way?
It certainly is. But by acknowledging that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is just like the boggart, you have better chances to fight against it.

So I can not give you one single spell that helps you fight your boggart, but what I can give you is a list of things that actually worked for me: click here to see them and a piece of advice: learn more about OCD so that you’d be better at recognizing this monster. It has a thousand faces and it is scary, but if Harry could defeat his own boggart, why wouldn’t you be able to get rid of yours?

And finally, please feel free to share your ideas and stories in the comment section. Because as you know, there’s one thing that I enjoy more than writing my own posts: reading yours.

Mark Wester