- Date posted
- 37w ago
Handwashing OCD
Has anyone else struggled with handwashing in their OCD? I’m interested in hearing other stories about different experiences with it
Has anyone else struggled with handwashing in their OCD? I’m interested in hearing other stories about different experiences with it
Yes, it’s one of my main struggles. I have went through different phases. At one point I washed so much my hands were always cracked and bleeding. Im now down to washing 2 times in a row instead of however many times I did in the past, no more cracked & bleeding hands for the most part but I still spend way too long on those 2 times.
@Anonymousoverthinker1 Thank you for sharing ❤️
Yeah, I still cannot interact w must surfaces. I honestly wanted to tackle my contamination fears as soon as possible but I developed really bad hand eczema and rashes and didn’t want to risk damaging the skin further by exposing myself too much. I’m quite embarrassed by the state of my room and the dirty places I’ve left untouched bc of my hand washing/contamination problem. 😭😅Maybe this is my calling to start! I can say, one positive outcome is my hands have FINALLY healed after two years. So if your hands are suffering from your OCD, I can tell you it does heal!!!! Just lots of hand creams and invest in a good, sensitive soap. ☺️
@Chibee Thank you for sharing ❤️
my hands are always so dry and I find it hard when washing them because I don’t want to touch the taps when they are clean too so after I’ve touched the taps I use hand sanitiser to “be sure” they are clean, I wish I didn’t wash them as much but always feel like I need to they just don’t feel clean after touching any objects. It’s something I need to work on for sure , I do it a lot with exposure
@ambermayx Thank you for sharing❤️
Yes, I have. Though it never became severe.
@Nica how to define severe?
@bingbongsingh My hands *weren’t* bleeding and blistered from washing so much.
Yes, I still struggle but not as bad as before
Anyone struggle with this with having ocd?
I’m having a big OCD relapse and would like to hear anyone’s tips on how to be present and healthily deal with these intrusive thoughts and the “need” to preform compulsions. Thank you!!
Has anyone experienced their reputation affected or misunderstood because of a societally taboo OCD theme? Others catching wind of your obsessions and misinterpreting it, assuming the worst? I’m intentionally keeping it vague because I don’t want my specific situation to get reassured, but it’s been a real tough pill to swallow knowing that people close to me (and anyone else they might talk to) think of me differently. I’m unwilling to share about my OCD because I feel pretty confident it will be taken as an excuse or denial, and feels compulsive and reassurance seeking. Let me know if anyone here has experienced anything like it, how they handled it, exposures you did.
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