When comic Paula Poundstone steps on stage, sporting one in all her well-known zoot fits, she takes the microphone and does what she does finest — make individuals snort.
What her viewers could not understand, although, is that all through her life, Poundstone has handled obsessive-compulsive dysfunction (OCD), a psychological well being situation that causes obsessive ideas that result in compulsions, and melancholy. Doing stand-up comedy is only one approach she’s managed her circumstances.
Identified with OCD
Though Poundstone believes she could have had OCD as early as fourth grade, she was formally recognized about 25 years in the past.
“I’d discover somebody I used to be obsessive about, and I’d name that individual loads,” Poundstone mentioned. “I additionally had repetitive ideas. For instance, my pal Martha was a employees member at a faculty I attended. All day lengthy I’d suppose, ‘Martha doesn’t like me.’ Ultimately, I’d ask Martha, and she or he would say, ‘That’s not how I really feel.’ Then I’d really feel this big aid,” defined Poundstone.
“However the second I’d dangle up, I’d suppose, ‘Martha doesn’t like me.’ I’d suppose it over and time and again,” Poundstone mentioned.
After she was recognized by a psychological well being skilled, Poundstone mentioned that simply figuring out why she was having these kind of obsessive ideas helped her considerably.
She was prescribed a drugs to assist together with her OCD, and she or he took it, however it launched an entire new set of issues.
“It was my fault as a result of it mentioned to watch out in case you drink with this remedy. I used to be being so cautious, however I believe that the 2 issues interacted poorly,” she mentioned.
For Poundstone, mixing the remedy with alcohol made her OCD worse. She ended up having much more signs than she’d had earlier than.
“I spent a few day or two the place I felt like I needed to stroll like a knight in chess. I may go two steps ahead, however then one step sideways. Packing to go on tour took endlessly. It was hellacious,” recalled Poundstone.
When she stopped taking the drugs, her signs went away. Although she not has OCD signs, she thinks they’re like a sleeping tiger which will come again in the future.
For individuals who don’t perceive how OCD feels, she likes to reference the film Shut Encounters of the Third Sort.
In a single scene, the character Roy Neary, performed by Richard Dreyfuss, begins to form his mashed potatoes at dinner into the type of Devils Tower Nationwide Monument. His spouse and youngsters are upset and crying. He says, “That is necessary. This implies one thing.”
“And nobody else will get it. That they had no thought what he was doing or speaking about. Even when it did imply one thing, why did he have to make it out of mashed potatoes?” mentioned Poundstone. His compulsion to make that form is what OCD can really feel prefer to some individuals.
Coping with melancholy
Over time, totally different therapists have recognized Poundstone with melancholy.
“I believe I’ve most likely had it my complete life. I imply, it’s biochemical,” she mentioned. She found what most helped her when she was engaged on a guide referred to as The Completely Unscientific Examine of the Seek for Human Happiness, which she printed in 2017. “The aim was to make jokes, however the premise was fairly honest. The entire premise was that I used to be doing experiments — issues that I or different individuals thought would make me completely happy. Every chapter was a special expertise.”
The primary one she did was the “Get Match” experiment, the place she launched train into her life.
Seems, it’s precisely what labored for her.
“Train is without doubt one of the issues that causes that completely happy chemical launch,” Poundstone mentioned. When exercising, the physique can launch feel-good endorphins which will assist with melancholy and anxiousness.
“I used to be so hoping it was going to grow to be simply sitting in a chair consuming Doritos, however it isn’t,” mentioned Poundstone.
As a result of she is aware of it helps with melancholy, Poundstone walks any time she will be able to. Whether or not it’s taking out her canine, to do chores or go to appointments, she walks.
She additionally jumps on a pogo stick, and every day, she provides one leap. As of our interview, she was as much as 55 jumps.
Poundstone is speaking about psychological well being — and persons are listening
On her podcast, “No person Listens to Paula Poundstone,” which simply recorded its four-hundredth episode, Poundstone usually talks about psychological well being.
“It’s necessary as a result of ‘No person Listens to Paula Poundstone’ is your comedy area information to life, and almost all people has some kind of psychological well being one thing,” she mentioned. “I’d say the problem of a psychological well being drawback is this sense that, one way or the other, you’re the one one who has it, and that’s simply not true.”
Along with being comedy, Poundstone mentioned that the podcast additionally has the spine of actual data, and she or he likes sharing issues that she thinks are necessary for listeners to know.
Poundstone additionally jokes about her psychological well being in her comedy routines, not solely to assist herself, however her viewers as nicely.
“Comedy is a coping mechanism that nature’s given us,” she mentioned. “One of many issues about comedy is there’s this sort of snort that I name the ‘recognition snort.’ That’s the place persons are laughing not as a result of what you mentioned is so terribly intelligent, however as a result of they suppose, I’ve that. I try this. Loads of occasions, [the topics are] issues that we don’t usually discuss — and psychological well being undoubtedly falls into that class.”
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