New obsession about plants

Trigger warning! Please don’t read this if you’re not scared of plants. You don’t want any new obsessions! . . . I got off the bus stop the other day and had to walk a small path down to the road. I passed some verges and didn’t think twice about it, until later when I saw a lot of apiaceae family plants growing. And my thoughts went to the various poisonous plants in that family, like hemlock and such. After work I went back to the bus stop (shouldn’t have done that) to check and yes there were some apiaceae growing there. I’ve been googling images for hours trying to figure out which one it was. I can’t figure it out anymore because I forgot exactly what the leaves looked like. I washed my clothes in the washing machine and am scared to use them now. I want to throw my shoes out… I don’t know how to overcome this one. The risk is so huge to me. Any tips?

VGH

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 2y

This is a great opportunity to allow the uncertainty to be there. In fact, it is a great exposure - go put those shoes on and feel all those OCD feelings while you go do something you value :) This is how you get better, how you get your life back. My "theme" of anxiety is around health issues, and one of the first things I learned was not to Google. If I have a question, I ask my doctor. Anything you do to relieve distress and uncertainty is a compulsion and it keeps the OCD going strong. Focus on what you value in your life - friends, family, etc. When I would get stuck in the OCD cycle, my therapist would often say to me, "you don't need to do anything, just live your life focusing on value-based (not fear based) behaviors." Hope this helps!

hen7

Date posted: 2y

@VGH Thanks for the comment. It probably is what my therapist will say, too. But what if it’s one of the super poisenous ones? It kind of had the same leaves… I feel sick just thinking about putting the shoes on. 😖

…………………

Date posted: 2y

Poisonous plants won’t do anything to you. I step in poison ivy all the time and it gets on my legs. It sucks but it won’t do anything to you. I think you should try exposing yourself to it. Unless it’s a plant that actually can kill you. As counter intuitive as it seems, expose yourself. You’ll get better this sounds like an easy obsession to get over. I cannot reassure you cause that’s only going to make your obsession worse.

hen7

Date posted: 2y

@………………… There are plants in that family that can kill you if you eat them, unfortunately. Most are harmless though, which is the issue here. They grow everywhere though, and I don’t want to hide inside. Heck, I don’t even know if I touched the thing. I walked past it without thinking at first.

VGH

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 2y

I appreciate that you're trying to reason your way through this trigger. However, you can see that you will never truly be satisfied with what answer you get. All you're teaching your brain now is when you have a fear/uncertainty you need to research and reassurance seek. I used to do the same thing. Eventually that particular fear would go away, but, as soon as another uncertainty/fear presented itself I'd be back in the same cycle. I did this for over 35 years. I finally had had enough and so had everyone around me. I decided to take the risk. It took practice and it was difficult, but it did get better. I hope the same for you.

hen7

Date posted: 2y

@VGH Thanks so much for replying. I’m happy to hear there is hope and that you feel better. Are you able to let go of most triggers, now? Or don’t they even come up as much anymore?

VGH

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 2y

@hen7 So, it’s interesting. Yes, I am able to let go of most triggers. I still get them, for sure, and I work very hard on using my tools. I think I initially thought I would never have fear or anxiety. Of course, that is not the real world. Even people without OCD can’t escape those feelings. In terms of my day to day life, I can do so many things I couldn’t do before in fact I truly barely even think about some of the stuff that used to cause me so much difficulty. That’s not to say, triggers don’t come up. I realized and got better at allowing the uncertainty/discomfort to be there and for me what happens is it dissipates so quickly, often in a matter of minutes. It might pop back into my mind, I quickly label it and move on. Another thing that really helped me was to stop checking to see if the ocd was still there. I know that’s so hard when it’s such a part of your life. It’s just subtle things and lots of practice 😀.

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond