Hi, I'm Catherine,

I live in London with my husband, son and two cats and I have OCD. That’s not how I usually introduce myself but it’s important here. I’ve had OCD since early childhood but didn’t receive a diagnosis or treatment until 2013 - I was 33 - and by that point OCD had impacted every part of my life and had cost me an unimaginable amount. I was also dealing with anxiety, depression and a panic disorder. But enough about that because 2013 was also the year my life started again. I’m well most of the time, and I’m living life according to my values.

Advocacy has been a major part of both my recovery and my life in general since 2017 - the year the world’s most sensitive, compassionate and annoying sidekick, Olivia, was born - and I haven’t looked back since. My work with Olivia has allowed me to view myself, my condition, and my recovery with compassion. It has taught me self-love and the importance of self-care.

STRENGTH

Compassion

community

hope

C  eativity

r

r

Humou

r

Kindness

...into recovery

It is about learning how to treat ourselves with kindness and compassion even when our brains are telling us that we don’t deserve it. It’s about using acceptance to help us recognise where we currently are in recovery and where we want to be. It’s about learning to accept what we can’t control and working on what we can. It is also about using creativity as a recovery tool. Taming Olivia is about kindness, community, creativity, hope and, what is hopefully, an appropriate amount of humour.