Description
What OCPD Really Feels Like, and Why It’s So Often Misunderstood
What if the thing you’ve called perfectionism your whole life was actually something deeper?
In this episode, I sit down with Janice Russell for an honest conversation about living with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, or OCPD. We talk about what life felt like before she had a name for it, why OCPD is so often confused with OCD, and what people around her rarely see: the constant mental noise, the pressure to get things right, and the exhaustion that follows.
What stayed with me most is how Janice describes the gap between how someone looks on the outside and what’s happening inside. If you’ve ever replayed conversations, felt trapped by perfectionism, or wondered why your brain won’t slow down, you’ll likely hear something familiar here.
Janice Russell is a speaker, writer, and coach who helps people manage overwhelm. In our conversation, she shares her lived experience with OCPD, along with the perspective that came after diagnosis and years of self-awareness.
I’m also sharing a question that runs through the whole episode: when does a coping pattern become part of your identity, and what do you do with that once you see it clearly?
Timestamps
0:13 - What life felt like before Janice knew she had OCPD
10:56 - Her reaction to the diagnosis
12:31 - Why OCPD and OCD are not the same
19:05 - What a day inside her mind actually feels like
36:26 - How perfectionism shows up in everyday life
42:00 - When wanting it done right makes it harder to finish
45:43 - The difference between wanting control and needing it
56:26 - One small thing to do when overwhelm hits
61:33 - What she’d tell herself after diagnosis
Janice's Links
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if this conversation speaks to you, listen to the full episode and subscribe to The Neurodivergent Connection for more honest stories about neurodivergence, identity, and being human.
#OCPD #NeurodivergentConnection #MentalHealth #Perfectionism #Neurodivergence
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