- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
i used to wear gloves too. i often wish i still did as they are fashionable and keep you safe. but we are expected to conform. as for germs on paper, they dont live long there so don’t worry.
- Date posted
- 6y
I have this too. My contamination ocd is solely centred on all kind of warts for example worrying I’m going to get infected with the wart Hpv virus if I touch door handles in public or touch other people and also things like plantar warts/veruccas because these things are genuinely contagious so it’s hard to stop these ocd obsessive thoughts when they actually are contagious :( I hate the idea of all these contagious virus’ being all over my house and in public places!
- Date posted
- 6y
i have this too. i calmed myself down by educating myself on how delicate these things actually are in the environment.
- Date posted
- 6y
i was forced to be exposed working in a retail environment. eventually you just have to trust doctors when they tell you that these things arent super contagious. you’ll get better. i was really bad before and im mostly ok now.
- Date posted
- 6y
Did it work well enough that it made it better? I have tried this and I kind of feel like avoidance is my only working strategy... and as I’m sure you know ... that’s not a real strategy
- Date posted
- 6y
I’m a teacher and I have only just managed to stop wearing gloves when I mark their books (can only do this if I wash my hands a few times afterwards so I’m not sure if it’s actually progress)
- Date posted
- 6y
i know exactly how you feel. yes, it did get better. i sometimes still count off before touching or eating something bc most viruses die in 14 or so seconds. but i am able to live a mostly normal life, use the toilet at work, and let people eat in my house using my utensils. i can also eat at my mother’s and friends’ houses, although i have a little bit of anxiety about it at the time. i just try to keep track of what’s going into my mouth, dont eat with my hands, and trust that virologists are probably not lying
- Date posted
- 6y
I feel the same! I have cleaned my poor carpets so often ? Any ideas what sort of therapy might help?
- Date posted
- 6y
I’ve had ERP therapy and that didn’t help me really! I think knowing that these virus’ are contagious doesn’t help trying to get rid of the obsessive thoughts because we can’t just say ‘my ocd is making me think these are contagious things’ etc. Wish I knew what could help!
- Date posted
- 6y
the only thing that helped me was accepting that viruses survive very poorly outside the body.
- Date posted
- 6y
That’s exactly how I feel, the one time I tried therapy it stressed me out so much I couldn’t carry on I’m desperate to make a change but I don’t know how to go about it I seem to be anxious even when I know it’s unlikely
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
back in october i made my first post about my specific type of ocd, how it mixes in with my day to day and how i “deal” with it. i talked about the starting point, how it gradually got worse, and then how it was going just a few months ago. i always think it’s insane how much can change in just the course of a small to a large amount of time. right now, i honestly feel like garbage. to be quite sincere i really want to give up, i’m barely holding on by a thread. and if i cut that thread, i really doubt anyone would care. i’ve never considered myself to be a suicidal person, and i still don’t consider myself that right now. it just gets to a point where it’s just, a lot to deal with. i don’t really enjoy things a lot nowadays. sure i have good days like everyone does, like today, when i was just enjoying my day without worries. but then it all comes crawling back twice as bad the following days. i take online college so i’m usually just stuck at home most of the time. but, when i do decide to actually go out and leave my house, my ocd just explodes because i have this whole routine i need to do or else i feel like i’ll contaminate wherever i end up going. i’m not going to go really deep into my compulsions because it’s hard enough to live with them, much more having to type them all out in detail. but when i go out my compulsions go from wiping down all my stuff i’m going to use after showering, to washing my clothes/cleaning the washer + dryer. i also have separate things (or two of the same thing) i use specifically in my house, and items i use when going out. such as shampoo/body wash, deodorant, lotion, hair curler, etc. as if that’s not draining enough, i also feel the need to fast a couple days prior to any plan i make because i’ve forced myself to believe i need to feel empty in order to be clean. i’m not sure if that’s my past eating disorder talking, or my ocd, but my brain can’t help but think any food in my house is utterly and completely contaminated. i’m so tired of this feeling, feeling like nothing will ever be clean again. feeling like my ocd is trapped in my childhood home. feeling that wave of diseases rushing through my veins the moment i step foot into what’s supposed to be “home”. and i’m so scared of therapy because what if i do get healed, and then everything comes rushing back the second i step into my room. i’m planning on moving somewhere far from my current house in this next coming year, so sometimes i feel like just waiting it out. but it’s insufferable when going to hangout with someone. i miss my friends, my family, and my partner. it’s crazy to me that i’m dealing with all this at the young age of 18 but, i’m sure lots of people have it way worse. i just want to find a way out, any possible way. but i keep pushing myself deeper and deeper that when i finally find a way, it will no longer exist.
- Date posted
- 21w
I started dealing with OCD when I became fixated on health issues, particularly the fear of contracting a life-threatening disease. If I experienced any kind of medical symptom, no matter how small, that even remotely hinted at something potentially fatal, it would drive me crazy, and I couldn’t stop obsessing over it. Then one day, I started having intrusive thoughts about accidentally hitting someone with my car, and I would end up driving in circles to check if I had. Eventually, I found myself overwhelmed by a flood of new obsessive thoughts and compulsions. One day, while I was at the park, a squirrel came near me, and for some reason, I felt like it attacked me. I Googled it and learned that squirrels could carry rabies, which spiraled me into a deep fear of rabies. I became consumed with the thought I received a bite from a squirrel, raccoon, or bat any time I’m in areas that trigger me. It started off only being inside then transferred to even being in my own home. This made me obsess over every physical sensation in my body, compulsively checking to make sure nothing was wrong. One compulsion that I hated the most would to be putting rubbing alcohol on me to make sure that I had no open wounds. Every day feels like I’m walking around in a fog of anxiety, constantly worrying that I won’t even make it to old age. Sometimes, it gets so overwhelming that I just want it all to end. It stresses me so bad at times to where my brain feels like I’ve been studying all day.
- Date posted
- 19w
Recently, I’ve been struggling a ton with what I eat/put into my body? I’m a first year college student with a few different health issues (including IBS), and lately it’s been hard for me to find food on campus that doesn’t upset my stomach. I also have pretty severe emetophobia, and feel extremely anxious when I feel sick. The ironic thing is that being anxious makes me feel even worse, so I end up sticking myself in an impossible loophole. My OCD has taken hold of these fears over the past few months, and it’s been such a struggle. Especially since people have been getting food poisoning from various dining halls on my campus lately. My OCD has gotten so bad that sometimes I’m too afraid to eat food other than what I buy myself. I feel so trapped. I don’t want my OCD to affect my physical health or prevent me from eating, bc I love eating!! It’s the fear of getting sick that’s the problem. And it’s even harder when everything is so unfamiliar. Just wondering if anyone could relate. Advice is appreciated!
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