Contamination

Thanks for sharing your current experience. I would say that you should be very proud of yourself for 1st noticing the anxiety, distress, and discomfort and letting those feelings of anxiety, fear, etc. be there.This is a perfect time to as I like to say "practice" ERP. Practice not analyzing any of those points you mentioned and place your attention on this present moment. Feel your feet on the ground, take a deep breathe, go for a walk, read, go hangout with a close companion, or play a sport. Not avoiding the discomfort, but choosing to do things you want to do and not give any attention to dwelling on that. The most important part being the response prevention. Not easy, but part of the work. When this type of situation occurs and we are in environments in which we are organically exposed to distress, use this as an opportunity to practice doing the work! This allows for two things; showing yourself you can handle and tolerate it, and also letting your body know that although you feel uncomfortable you are willing to keep doing whatever it is you are doing and getting on with your day! This is the foundation!

Thank you for your comment! You’re right this is all apart of practicing the response prevention. Hopefully I get stronger having those feelings be there and not reacting more than noticing that they are there. I very much appreciate your insight and tips on how to handle my feelings! I feel like my OCD brain tends to “reset” itself and forget my skills especially when I’m feeling discomfort or doubt and reminders are very helpful!

uhhhh you could try calling a friend to distract hou

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