Scrupulosity

Scrupulosity is one of the many forms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. One that I have come to know very well. Basically it's the religious type; the type that effects every part of your life. Germs and all of the other obsessions no doubt confuse and upset your life, but scrupulosity starts at the base and works its way up of until you're a whirlwind of chaotic discombobulation. It was undeniably the most stressful and confusing time of my life.
Warning: The following content is extremely embarrassing.... but true.


A Day in the Life of Scruples:

7:00 AM
Get out of bed and immediately face toward your prayer shelf to begin your morning prayer.You decide to keep things simple with an "Our Father."
Begin with the sign of the cross, pausing in between each Person to reflect: "In the name of the Father........ Son........ and Holy Sp- Oh! I put weight on my left foot when I said Son! Start again!
In the name of the Father...Son-Rrrr!
In the name of the Father.....Son......and Holy Spirit... Good."
After a roughly ten minute Our Father you quickly slip into some clothes and make your way downstairs. But don't forget to cover up the indents you've made in the carpet for standing there for so long. You don't want your mom questioning you later.

7: 32 AM
Don't do your hair or shave your legs. God comes before looks.


8:05 AM
Beginning of School Prayer:
As the prayer begins you try to keep up with your classmates but your thoughts are way behind and you have to start over every time you think of something other than what you're praying about. You say the words they're saying but in your head you're still on the sign of the cross. Everyone sits done when the prayer is done including you, but while they start they're lesson you sit silently staring at the cross until you have completely finished which can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes if you get distracted. When you're done make sure you get caught up with what you missed.

11:00 AM
Lunch:
Tip: When finishing the meal blessing prayer, a good way to hide is to go to the bathroom in the last stall and lock the door. But make sure you have a good excuse if you take to long.
Hmm... Ham for lunch... Doesn't the Bible say we shouldn't eat pork?

11:23 AM
Great! It's recess! Get ready to have a blast! But here's a couple rules and tips just to make sure you don't go to hell.
-Never step on left foot when saying any kind of holy word.
-Make sure you step on your left foot when saying especially not holy words (like sin or poop)
-If you hear a siren, see anyone sinning, or just feel guilty for some reason you must say a prayer! Even if you're in front of your friends. You can hide it... probably.
-Never exaggerate! It's lying in disguise!
- Never say Oh my gosh... It's just asking for it. Never say "Goodness!" or "Oh my goodness" because the bible says God is good.
-Don't look at the ground when saying any holy words.

Good Job! Now go have fun!

11:46 AM
Back to work:
Make sure you don't capitalize any words that don't have to be. The only words that deserve capitalization are names for God. Duh! But I'm sure he understands if I'm doing it for a grade... right? Yeah He does. But what if- I'm sure it's fine. Hmm....

2:39 PM
The Bus:
What could be easier then a simple bus ride home?
Just insure that you say a prayer for the forgiveness of the troublesome kids in the front and everyone you see along the way that may look like a sinner while trying to act like you're listening to what your friend's saying.
(Lindsay, If your reading this... I'm sorry. I promise I listen now, no matter how boring it may be :) LOL. Just kidding.
Oh! That reminds me. When texting or instant messaging, make sure you never type "lol" unless you did, in fact, laugh out loud. That would be considered lying.

Evening
Things stay constant for a while. You go to dance, do your homework, and play with your brother.

About 10:00 PM
Night-the most hectic part of your day.
You start off sitting on the bed with your bible. You can read anything you want, but make sure you don't move on till you understand what you read. Repeating lines a couple times is very common.
-Don't think any unholy thoughts while reading.
Bible time can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Prayer Time:

You then kneel by your bed sitting your prayer cards and Rosary in front of you in a very specific order. They can't be touching anywhere on your bedspread where there might be a stain or anything that just doesn't feel right.
Make sure you aren't facing anything directly while you pray or else you may be worshiping false gods. You decide to begin with a decade of the rosary.
Our Father: roughly ten minutes Hail Marys: about 45 minutes on good days.
(For those not common with the Rosary, it normally takes about 10 or 15 minutes a decade.
-When praying, make sure you hold out the holy words like God and Jesus for about 5 seconds. Don't think about anything unholy while you do this. If you do, start the prayer over or at least back up a couple lines.
-Also, never sit down or lean on your bed while you're praying. Jesus died on the cross for you so you should be able to kneel for a couple hours.
By now, your dad has probably told you to go to bed. You casually say okay and pretend to end your prayer, but I mean...Come on! You're just starting!

Then you start with your regular prayers.
Prayers for sinners, Prayers for sick, Prayers for dead, Prayers for Forgiveness, or whatever you can come up with. But don't leave anyone or anything out. It is your responsibility to take care of this world and make sure people don't die or go to hell. God will be very mad at you if you forget something. If you wake up in the middle of the night and think of something you have to get up and pray so you should try to remember everything now. These prayers last about 1 to 2 and a half hours.
-If you ever have to pee while praying...don't! You would be putting peeing before God and that's a sin. (Yes, I have peed my pants before)
Finally, you finish with your prayer cards. Nothing to dramatic, just make sure you think about exactly what you're reading.
Alright. Almost done. Seal it with a sign of the cross and you're good to go. Put away all of your prayer items, go to the bathroom and lay down to fall asleep the second your head hits the pillow. After all, it's usually 1 or 2 o'clock by now. Your legs are aching for kneeling sooo long but that's okay. You'll get used to it.



So that's what an average day was like for me about a year and a half ago. Plus all of the anxiety, guilt, and depression that I didn't really mention. But thanks to counseling, medicine, and family, I'm a lot more... normal. Ha ha. But not all the way.
Actually, I really have come a lot closer to God than before this all started. He really helped me conquer this whole thing. I know it wasn't God telling me to do those crazy things. It was my OCD.

P.S- For all of the Scrupulous who may have read my obsessive religious rules, Don't believe any of them. I hope I helped you to realize how crazy you are. :)