Hi.  I am new to this site.  I've read up on OCD and everything seems to say that while there's not a cure, there is improvement, there is a better life out there.  Is there?  I've been reading profiles and seeing people who have known they've had this for 10, 15 20 years and still its an every day thing.  I've only been diagnosed for less than 2 years.  The last few months, my therapist had really been pushing the exposures, and while the desired elevation of anxiety and then slow dimishing of it happens, it doesn't seem to be translating outside the office walls.  maybe its the specific exposures we've been doing, maybe they aren't the right ones.  but the therapist says that what my mind and body learn thru the exposure process will carry thru to other aspects.

but i'm not seeing it.  and in fact, now i get so anxious about just going to her office, that i start the exposures so high up on the scale, that our 45 minutes to an hour barely have me able to hold my car keys. 

is the stress of these sessions worth the end result if in the end, this will still be everywhere and everything?  is it possible to someday walk into a room and 1st off greet people rather than noticing the misaligned picture on the wall and this incredible urge that it must be fixed?  and really, whats the big deal with fixing the picture?  or washing my hands a lot or having my own personal plate, glass and silverware at home?  or at work having my small paper clips separate from the large, or having the push pins on the wall in 4s?  or is it the fact that its all of these things, and not doing them and what happens?  how does doing an unrelated exposure make me not need 4 push pins lined up?

how does everyone here deal with this at work?  how do you keep the paranoia at bay?  how do you act "normal" enough not to threaten your position?  how do you deal with other people touching your stuff, moving your things around, leaving their oily fingerprints on your freshly cleaned desk surface?  what about common areas?  and do your co workers mess with you?  do they think its funny to mix up your paper clips?