Emetophobia

Hi everyone, I’m new here and just wanted to see if there’s anyone out there who relates to me in any type of way so i don’t feel like a weirdo lol. I’ve had food anxiety my entire life, and it’s gotten progressively worse over the years. it started off with meat (chicken especially) now i’m scared of raw fruits and veggies (due to ecoli, salmonella, parasites, etc.) and now it’s even coming down to simple things like bread or milk. I throw food out all the time when it’s literally fresh but my mind tells me i’ll get sick from it. i stick to specific “safe foods” that i don’t think i’ll get sick from and 99% of the time it’s not healthy and it stresses me out that i’ll have problems later on when i’m older (i also have health anxiety) i even overthink about the way the grocery store workers stock food, thinking they’ve left it out for too long. it’s ridiculous. i love food, i’m just scared of throwing up and getting food poisoning. anything that involves throw up: i’m out. i even overthink about bleach and lysol somehow getting into my food if someone is cleaning near me. i hope there’s someone who understands in some type of way. i cant even enjoy eating out at a restaurant with friends or family. i hope after i talk to a therapist it could help. I’m happy i’m taking a step in the right direction :)

Hi i’m new here. Everyone in my family except me is now positive for Covid and i’m freaking out so badly i cannot sleep. i cannot eat. i’m worried i’m going to get sick, i have a phobia of throwing up too on top of all of this so it’s making this even more difficult hearing coughing/gagging/vomit. My face is literally tingling numb and i cannot sit still. I’m trying to calm myself the best I can because this is almost a nightmare to me but nothing is working and my therapist isn’t even responding to me. What do i do? i’m so scared

Hello everyone, I'm new here and have severe contamination ocd that has been happening the past four years since I was 20. I'm 24 now and it seems to be getting worse. I don't want to be around kids because I know they're germy little gremlins and carry the main thing I fear that caused my ocd to worsen. I shower whenever anything above my chest has been touched (neck, face, hair). I wash my clothes after one wear because they feel contaminated after the use. I refuse to let people touch my bed or clean clothes. If I hear that anyone in my family is sick I freak out intensely and have to stay away from them. I also shower if I've been in public and people were coughing near me. If I don't feel like showering and that my above triggers aren't contaminated I just wash my arms up to the elbow and go to sleep because I sleep in short sleeve shirts and my arms touch everything all day. I refuse to touch my face, neck or hair after touching my phone or anything else. I bring a travel blanket with me but have to wash it after every use. I use my shoe to open doors and press the cross walk button. If I can't use my shoe I use my pinkie and immediately handsanitize sometimes twice just to have my hands feel clean. I have to use a utensil to eat when in a restaurant and would ask to change it if I see it touch anything. I work at a place that requires me to use a phone so I have to shower and wash my ear. I hold my breath when walking past people. I can't sit back in the car or on the couch because it'll contaminate my neck and hair. I also have to do a double wash with my hands to feel clean. I used to do it for 20 seconds but I do the hand wash for 20 the 1st time then 30 for the second. I can't wear purses with straps that touch my shoulders, same with back packs. And I use so much soap and lotion that don't help keep my hands moisturized. And if I get triggered by anything I sit there in a quiet rage and ramble in my head because I know saying anything out loud will have me look crazy. There are times though that I get angry and close to tears when it feels like I've been contaminated and when my family makes fun of me for things I feel I have no control over especially the intrusive thoughts, emotions, anger, fear, and tiredness I feel on a daily basis. I'm scared of doing exposure therapy because I know they'll have me touch something contaminated and have me touch my face and not wash it how does that help it'll just make me angry.