- Date posted
- 1y
Hello, I hope everyone's doing well
How do you guys deal with emotional contamination?
How do you guys deal with emotional contamination?
I don't know how to explain it, but Everytime I study when Im uncomfortable or if someone that I dont like or that I think I have uncomfortable thoughts about (Like I dont like that person or I dont like the way I thought about that person?) touches my books I just want to rebuy them. That happened maybe like twiceOr maybe someone that I think I had a bad past with which may sound not sensible but it happens... I reassured myself said first past this year and order new ones in the summer. Or recently something happend and I still havent touched the stuff that has something to do with it. I avoided touching them. I feel like my stuff gets contaminated by my thoughts. Its not severe but I wanted to share
@sepsomeone yes! I get this so much like if I think it relates to a bad thing that happened I will avoid that object
@ambermayx Im so sorry that you can relate, but Im glad that we aren't alone in this, we will get through it!
@sepsomeone We will it can be so hard
@ambermayx For sure
You should sit with uncomfortable feelings, but you shouldn't suddenly do this. If you can, use therapy. If not, you should learn about not engaging with your mind. They are just thoughts. Learn to be an observer, and then allow your feelings to come up and let them go later. Do the opposite of your OCD. You can educate yourself and then start ERP. If you're still not ready, you can use a wet cloth and a little soap, or even just a clean and dry cloth, to clean the book that they touched. Later, tell yourself that it's okay, whatever feelings you have about them, and let the emotions go. Doesn't need to buy a new book and shouldn't at least give you a little resistance in front of your OCD, but not buying again or throwing out.Remember, you have to break the cycle of OCD; otherwise, it will become harder and create new rules. Cleaning is only temporary relief.
Thank you very much, I actually used to take thetaphy but I left now I go to my phsychiatrist once a month. Im taking medicines and I hope they will help too. I know thoughts doesnt have to be the reality but something I just cant help but overthink it. Ill try my best. I was diagnosed with ocd maybe a year ago or not sure. That is true its a temporary relief... Ill seek for more advices by explaining my situation more detailed to my therapist. Thank you for your message I appreciate it
@sepsomeone You're welcome. I have contamination OCD too. Also, try meditation; it is very helpful. If you are a fan of reading books "Letting Go" by Dr. David Hawkins is great. Also, "From Stuck to Unstuck" by Matt Codde is for OCD. It is also important for your therapist to be a specialist. Wish you success on your journey
@Anonymous here Ill make sure to check them out, and Ill try meditation. Thank you and I wish you the best with your journey as well, we will succeed :)
@sepsomeone Thanks. Yes, we have to believe in ourselves, have hope, and never give up.
@Anonymous here Exactly ❤️
I even feel like my stuff are emotionally contaminated from what I avoided mentioning,
Does anyone have any tips that helped them? Mine is due to a specific person and I work with them so it’s been really difficult. I’ve started ERP which has been reaaalllllly challenging and I would love to hear from anyone else that has gone through any type of contamination ocd and how they have overcome or are fighting their way through it. Thank you!l
Hi all, I’m new here and just recently got diagnosed. I’m trying to make sense of a lot of things and could use some perspective. I feel like I’m the only one who has contamination themes and does not have the compulsion to clean things, but rather to run away from the mess. I would really love to hear from someone who can relate, because right now I feel like I’m making it up. Details which might either be useful or triggering: My kitchen is the best example. I might leave a dish or two in the sink and say “I’ll clean it up soon, it’s no big deal.” But then—because of a combination of factors—it will probably sit there for a couple days. Around day 2 or 3 I develop an aversion to dealing with it. It gives me ick. And the longer it sits, the ickier it becomes—realistically and in my imagination. And because I’ve stopped doing dishes, they really start to pile up, and each day, getting started feels like more work and more confrontation with disgust. I will start thinking about how I need to do dishes, or take out the trash, and then get hit with a horrifying mental image of bugs (I’ll spare you the details) or other really disgusting things happening. That image brings me shame and makes me scared to deal with the mess. When it really piles up, I start getting images of the nastiest hoarders’ houses I’ve ever seen, and I start catastrophizing about the future I’m doomed for. So mostly I just watch tv to get my mind off it. (I swear I’m not just lazy 😔) This is true for food too. I will be unsure if something in my fridge is a little too old, so I decided to hedge my bets and I avoid it. I let a lot of food go to waste this way. The biggest problem here is I don’t throw it away when I decide it’s bad. I just side-eye it. Maybe because I know it’s silly to decide 6-day-old soy milk that smells fine has a “bad vibe,” and I think I may be able to get over it later. But then the food actually spoils and I don’t want to touch it to throw it out. I actually had a week or so in June where I couldn’t open the fridge because it smelled bad. It took every ounce of emotional energy and an external deadline to force me to clean my kitchen. I had a couple of meltdowns but it felt great to get my space back. Of course, it’s a cycle and it got bad again. The crazy thing is, I love to cook and I even like doing dishes. And I do dishes every day at work, no problem! But I’m spending so much money on takeout because my kitchen is always trashed. :( Is this super crazy? Does it even sound like contamination ocd? Am I alone in this? Any feedback would be helpful.
Hey guys, recently I’ve been struggling with always checking in with my emotions. And it gets very tiring right now I’m dealing with some suicidal OCD and I constantly check for negative emotions or depression. I’ve noticed it’s very hard for me to stop checking my emotions cause it’s something I’m used to doing because I have mental illness. Any advice on how to stop checking. Thanks 🙏
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