Bathroom issues

Possibly tmi but one thing i’ve been really struggling with lately is using the bathroom and I mean #2. It seems like one of the worst germs to me. First of all I wipe and wipe and wipe more than I assume a person without contamination ocd does but I feel like I must know that its completely clean. Also, I then feel that when I shower and wash down there that my hands are contaminated and I need to wash them multiple times and I spend way too much time doing so. I know this is abnormal but I have trouble understanding how someone without contamination ocd would deal with this situation. I wish I could watch the process of how I should wipe and then how to wash that area in the shower. If anyone else has struggled with this, what did you do to improve? I feel like I don’t know what a “normal” routine would be that is considered clean enough.

Contamination OCD

Username: kaylaxokaylaxo

Date posted: 22w ago

Omg I have that problem when I go #2 as well. For some reason it’s something that only developed in like the last couple years. I use so many wipes and toilet paper. It makes me dread having to poop. Also same with hands being contaminated after washing down there which is another thing that developed pretty recently. I don’t see myself ever growing out of those things but I hope I can bc it can become maddening :(

Username: Anonymousoverthinker1Anonymousove...

Date posted: 22w ago

@kaylaxo Same! And mine is also a recent issue i’ve developed, I have no idea what started it but it’s so annoying.

Username: lily.sillily.sil

Date posted: 22w ago

I do the exact same thing. Something I’ve noticed helps me is accepting cleaning things well enough. The important part is to remember that people aren’t supposed to live in sterile environments, with zero germs. Just clean well enough, for your comfort and for what is practical. For example, when my room starts to feel unorganized and unclean, I don’t need to disinfect every object and wipe down every surface. Most of the time I just need to reorganize a few spots in my room, and then I’m good (obviously I don’t feel good only cleaning this amount, but I have to stop myself from overdoing the cleaning before I tire myself out). You can also look online for reliable information so your habits don’t become excessive. For example, I struggle with taking really long showers because I feel like I can never get the germs off my body no matter how much I scrub. I looked online at Mayo Clinic, and the recommended shower time is 5-10 minutes, so I’ve slowly been working to minimize my shower time to 10-15 minutes (knowing 5-10 minutes is a little too impractical for my OCD and comfort, and 10-15 minutes won’t affect my life negatively). I don’t know if this made much sense, but I hope it helped!

Username: Anonymousoverthinker1Anonymousove...

Date posted: 22w ago

@lily.sil Thank you for your response. I have looked up how a 10 minute shower is enough which I am far from. It’s hard for me to understand how I would be clean in just 10 minutes. Showering for long amounts of time is a struggle for me also, mostly due to me washing my hands after cleaning different body parts. You are right though that we aren’t made to live in sterile environments, my ocd just makes that so hard to accept

Username: lily.sillily.sil

Date posted: 22w ago

@Anonymousoverthinker1 I understand it being hard to accept facts due to OCD. I use to take almost 2 hours showering, but I am now at 45 minutes! It has taken me a long time, and some days I take more time than others, but it’s the repetition and making an effort that matters. My showers use to take two hours because I would spend forever making sure I cleaned every part of my body. I also would have to repeat the process of scrubbing if, for example, my arm touched my shower curtain, because my shower curtain wasn’t “clean”. After talking with my counselor I make a list of things that I would slowly make an effort to stop doing, and I’ve seen a lot of progress! If it ever goes unsuccessful, I’m able to calm myself down by ordering cleaning supplies or doing the step in my routine I wasn’t able to let go of yet. I wish you the best of luck, it will get better!

Username: hitsuji

Date posted: 5y ago

Does anyone else with Contamination OCD have a problem with bathrooms in general? Most of my more bothersome routines are bathroom related (hand washing, showers, and wiping) and it makes it hard to talk about my OCD with anyone, just from the fear of embarrassment. I still would like to find support, but I haven’t met anyone with similar issues to mine. Any pointers etc would be appreciated!

Username: Treasure

Date posted: 2y ago

Struggles with hygiene

I have contamination ocd and have been struggling with using the bathroom and showering. Everything is done in excess, so I’m constantly over wiping and washing to virtually no end! ironically, I feel like my hygiene has actually gotten worse because of this. Just looking for advice.

Contamination OCD

Username: Lulu_20

Date posted: 1y ago

Contamination OCD

Does any one else really struggle with contamination ocd? For me I struggle with laundry and feeling like it’s not clean enough, and taking a shower. My showers go on for close to an hour because I feel like I didn’t wash enough or it needs to be a certain amount of times. I also struggle when it comes to the bathroom and compulsively wiping. The hand washing and the anxiety just take up so much of the day and it really drains me. I have been struggling with ocd for years and have been working with a therapist with it but it still feels so consuming. I started taking medication, but everything still feels so overwhelming, and dreadful. I was wondering if anyone could relate, because I’ve been feeling really alone with the severe contamination ocd.

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