I’ve only taken two showers in the last month because I can no longer take cleaning the hair trap and the hair and scum and pooh particles out of the tub. I’m afraid of the germs on the walls, shower curtain, floor mat, and grab bar. I can’t even use the main toilet because I’m afraid of what I’ll sit on. I heater being dirty, but I hate the thought of other peoples hair and germs touching me.
it sounds like you're going through a really tough time with your fear of germs and contamination, and it's affecting your daily routines in a big way. dealing with these fears can be incredibly challenging, especially when they interfere with something as essential as personal hygiene. you're not alone in feeling this way, and it's okay to seek support to help manage these fears. 💛 by the way, have you heard about this new ai-powered ocd therapy tool called "unstuck?" when i was struggling with similar fears, my nocd therapist recommended this free ai ocd therapy tool to me (unstuckmyocd.com/try), and it genuinely made a difference. i think it'll be especially helpful for you because the ai provides personalized, step-by-step support for dealing with fears of contamination, offering strategies similar to those an ocd therapist would. it's like having a therapist in your pocket for those moments when ocd gets tough. i hate when people promote stuff, but i really think it can help you because it's changed my life. lmk if you have qs or just want to talk more! <3
@LeslieB3 Thank you! I’m going to try that.
Seconding this!!!! The unstuck app is the best thing on my phone for my OCD
*hate being dirty
Who do you share it with?
@helpneeded My husband, son, and daughter.
@MrsH_2023 Try to look at it this way.. once they are done with their shower, they have rinsed away all their germs. Everything remaining gets slid down the drain, leaving you essentially just a wet tub/shower. I know it’s hard to share bathrooms because I’m the same way but at the end of the day, it’s the one place that relaxes me and helps us feel fresh and clean after!
@helpneeded My problem is this. I’ve found the tub with scum, hair, and bits of poop in it. My husband is constantly shedding his thick hair and beard (which always resembles pubes🤢). Our son takes baths and leaves scum, hair, and poo bits. The hair trap fills up quickly. I just can’t. I’m at work and the thought of that bathroom has my anxiety up.
@MrsH_2023 Lay your foot down and tell your son that you will turn off the water valves if he does not wipe the tub with the wipe after he is done bathing. And actually turn it off if he tries to shower without wiping! That might incentivize him to wipe it. Also tell you hubby that he needs to wipe with a wipe after since it’s so messy! He should be understanding I wouldn’t want hair everywhere either.
@helpneeded Unless he is a toddler lol I didn’t think about that
@helpneeded He is 18. Special needs.
@MrsH_2023 Okay I understand I can see where that can be tricky
ugh i’m so sorry this feeling sucks and I know it all too well! i refuse to take showers in places that aren’t my one safe shower but i also desperately need to feel clean but the shower (walls, drain, hair, pieces of dirt, curtain, sides, molds) make me never wanna shower at all. especially in a tighter shower cause the claustrophobia makes it worse. what i can suggest though is doing a simple quick clean before u shower (I just pour a bit of soap on the bottom) and rinse it along all the parts you will stand on with the shower head and try to not look around you when you take the shower so you can focus on not getting triggered!! hope your able to feel better about taking showers!!
I can’t deal with this OCD bullshit anymore. It’s to the point where every time I walk out my house and come back in I have to sanitize my shoes then the floor where my shoes stepped. I even have my boyfriend doing this and he doesn’t have OCD. I can’t even enough life like I use to anymore I have constantly be cleaning and disinfecting. All these chemicals that have gotten on my skin I know that can’t be healthy. I’m scared the thought of even walking in with my shoes and not using disinfectant triggers me so badly that it ruins my whole day. This all happened when weeks ago I saw a skunk at night walking through the apartment complex I lived in. Then I took my dogs to the vet to get their vaccines. Even though there was no contact I still freak out about rabies. Then the vet assured me that everything was ok. Then I see this stray cat that walks around the apartment complex and he is always trying to come up to my apartment door or the walkway then I’ve seen him walk we’re the skunk area was so now I’m like what if this cat has rabies and I walk where it walks and track it in my house and get rabies. God forbid. It’s to the point where we have a shoe rack and we have to disinfect every time we walk in and out. The other day I had guest and when they left the whole entire house was mopped and I even had bathe my dogs too since they were walking around where everyone was stepping. I even threw away their dog bed and bought them new ones. Please help I can’t live like this anymore.
My OCD has been a total Hell. I literally was stuck trapped in bathroom for 15hrs straight no food water or rest for days. When ever i shower/brush teeth anything of washing it takes forever! I was up for 18hrs total i started crying i was soo exhausted then i still couldn't drink anything all day my anxiety was soo high i couldnt. My severe contamination OCD stops me from everything including drinking n eating. Sooo miserable!😭
I have ocd rituals everytime I take a shower. Sometimes takes me about 2 hours to get out of bathroom. I have been working with a counselor which says to set a timer for 45 mins and try to finish everything in that time frame and get out. I still find that I am irritated or moody if I don’t complete them I have no idea why. Should I try to cut down on my time in the shower/ bathroom?
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