Samantha Colicchio is a San Diego-based writer who focuses on feminism, sex, and mental health. She writes regularly for lifestyle and wellness blogs and she is currently working on a book of nonfiction.

To me, she is Sam my sweet neighbor and friend that is apparently also humble and a VERY talented writer. I knew nothing of her phenomenal writing skills until she recently wrote an article that was featured in the Huffington Post. It is a brilliantly written, brave, very transparent and vulnerable account of her struggles with Relationship OCD, a relatively new subtype of the disorder.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and has been observed in the U.S. since 1949 every year to highlight mental health issues in order to fight stigma, provide validation and support, educate the public and advocate for policies that support the millions and millions of people in the U.S. affected by mental illness.

This is so important but is a very a tall order and such a large infinitely evolving issue.  The giant umbrella and mountain of mental health is so large it can be paralyzing.  I’m not sure there is anybody that has not been affected by a mental health issue in some way. How do we start …how do we feed a nation of people starving for a connection that lets them know they are not alone, that lifts a stigma or breaks chains of shame or secrets that will set people free?

Well, a great start is sharing and listening….rolling up our sleeves and digging in.  We all have closed door stories that, let’s be honest, are usually rooted in a mental health issue. So… when someone is brave and generous enough to open that door for us (whether it be public or private) graciously accept this gift and opportunity and go in!!!  The more we understand the more we can cultivate compassion.

Sam’s article is a perfect example of opening a very public door. She had such a massive amount of positive responses and connections that The Huffington Post has her creating videos that dig deeper into the layers of ROCD and her story. For me personally, I waltzed right in her door and asked her if she wanted to go for a walk because I wanted to know more and have a conversation.  This, in turn, opened up a door for me to step out of and share with Sam a mental health issue I have, and never discussed publicly until now.  We decided we had so much more relative conversation that we should record a podcast episode to open does for others and help them peel back layers to become lighter and start feeling free.  All the links and resources we discuss will be in my show notes.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to a mental health care professional if you or someone you know needs help.  There is no reason to ever suffer in silence!

You can learn more about her at http://www.samanthaacolicchio.com  or on Instagram at @samanthacolicchio.

Relationship OCD, or rOCD, is a newly recognized type of obsessive-compulsive disorder that is primarily concerned with fears and doubts about one’s relationship, typically of an intimate or romantic nature.

Mental Health Care Resources :

https://www.nami.org/home

OCD:
https://nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Obsessive-compulsive-Disorder?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwpayjBhAnEiwA-7ena_vFDRNioztB6FtrGInaJFm4b2PnlToBarh-7c1Dm0RHtR8UwqFfbhoCgEQQAvD_BwE

ADHD:
https://chadd.org/

https://nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Obsessive-compulsive-Disorder?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwpayjBhAnEiwA-7ena_vFDRNioztB6FtrGInaJFm4b2PnlToBarh-7c1Dm0RHtR8UwqFfbhoCgEQQAvD_BwE

Amazon Book link: (the author doesn’t have a personal website)
https://www.amazon.com/Relationship-OCD-CBT-Based-Commitment-Relationships/dp/1684037913#:~:text=“Sheva%20Rajaee%20has%20written%20an,%2C%20freedom%2C%20and%20love