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Reminders to the Rescue

  I have lived with OCD all my life. I remember in high school always getting up to check doors is my earliest memory of compulsions controlling me. Through medication, therapy, and time I have learned to cope with my symptoms.

One of the greatest tools for me has been the Reminders app. Such a simple app, but such a powerful tool for someone with OCD.

I was inspired by pilots who use simple checklists before taking off in the plane. Reminders gives me way to create a repeating daily checklist to help me manage my symptoms.

   

I have a list in Reminders called OCD Checklist. I created the list, then added in a time and a daily repeat. I started to set a time, because it was around those times that my symptoms would be triggered.

 

When my mind starts to drift, I can glance at my phone to remind myself that I have that checked off on my list. It really has been a life changing tool for me.

Mental Health Accessibility
4 replies

December 09, 2023

Great strategy. Reminders and alarms certainly keep me on track as well. Thanks for sharing.

December 09, 2023

Should have added that my top use is grocery lists in Reminders. When I use something up or need to add something, I use "Hey Siri" on my Apple Watch to add the item to my ongoing list.

December 09, 2023

For me Karen, it’s house cleaning tasks - other wise they get left undone forever! And long term tasks like “write that post for the Community” 😊.

Such a good tip Brian to use for things like “lock door” or “turn off stove” - those things wake one up in the middle of the night wondering “did I do that?” I’m going to start using your examples! Thanks for the accessibility share!

December 12, 2023

This is a fantastic use of Reminders! Creating systems for self-checking with repeated reminders is a great way to mediate symptoms you experience. Thanks for sharing your experience and your tip!

I can see this as being a great tool for students (and adults!) managing anxiety, or that struggle with executive functioning. I am definitely adding Reminders to my Accessibility toolkit!

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