I was formally diagnosed with clinical Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) during the pandemic, though it hadn’t come out of nowhere. For years, I’d had a lingering sense that something wasn’t quite right, that OCD might be part of my experience, but it wasn’t until that period, when everything intensified, that it became undeniable + finally put into words.

After two + a half years of avoiding Covid, my parents + I finally caught it. Honestly, I’m incredibly grateful that we somehow managed to avoid getting sick during the earlier stages of the pandemic. Sometimes I still wonder if my clinical-level OCD tendencies played a role in keeping it away for so long. I was constantly reminding everyone around me: “Don’t touch that doorknob without a tissue,” “Go wash your hands,” “Put your mask on,” “Clean your phone.” The list truly we