Hey guys! So, for those who have contamination OCD and that struggle with “taking showers normally”, do you have any tips for showering with OCD? It is hindering me from getting into the gym as frequently as I’d like because showering with OCD is just so exhausting (more exhausting than going to the gym, funnily enough) so any tips on how you overcame/are overcoming something like this? Thanks so much in advance!
I don’t have great advice they you probably haven’t already heard other than maybe distracting yourself by singing a song or thinking about something you enjoy. That’s only a short term solution but it helps to calm down the anxiety level going into the shower. It’s hard to not mess up when you’re already at a 10 going into it on the anxiety scale. In the long run the only real solution is to honestly cut down on your shower time by any means necessary. I don’t know what your specific routine looks like but for me I was having to wash each section for a certain amount of time washing my hands in between each section. It’s exhausting. I would leave the shower each time feeling so drained and still feeling dirty. But you really just have to do less and less each time. Maybe wash each section for less time. Then you can work up to maybe skipping a section completely. You really have to accept that you may not be fully clean or you may have missed a spot and that everything will truly be ok! Over time it does get easier as you realize that nothing bad happens. Also what has helped me (and I’m by no means over the whole OCD thing. I still struggle with this) but working on your confidence in yourself and your own strength. That if for some reason we miss a spot or we don’t follow our routine exactly and something bad does happen, we have believe that we are strong enough to deal with it if we have to. There’s real power in that famous quote “he who worries before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary.” So working on truly believing everything will be ok. Allowing yourself to believe that everything will always work out even if it feels naive at first. Then if for some reason things don’t turn out how you planned, trust that you’re strong enough to get through anything. Lastly, another piece of advice someone told me is to trust your body and your immune system to deal with anything you may miss. We’ve survived this long so it is obviously doing its job. Like think back to being younger did you truly have the same shower routines as a child rolling around in dirt and whatnot? Trust your body and let it do what’s it made to do.
As Rlamar said, try reducing the time you shower. I'd suggest, you use a timer, so that you are not in danger to cheat. Also, if the amount of soap and shampoo you use is a problem, try to only take a certain amount in to the bathroom with you.
shower shoes, things to hold my items, remembering that IM getting clean, practicing not letting little things bother me.
Im having a OCD specifically contamination OCD flare up all month and I don’t want to feel this way going into March, I’ve thrown out clothes, towels, stayed up for hours doing compulsions, washed my hands till they crack and bleed, I have washing pilling up cause I’m so overwhelmed by all the extra things I’ve added cause I thought it was contaminated. It’s completely draining me to the point where I’ve become sleep deprived and are avoiding part of my home because they are deemed contaminated to me…I only moved in a few months ago, I had a roach problem and using baits and insecticides really messed with my ocd too. anyone have any tips or tricks to make this easier? I wasn’t doing this bad in January :( thankyou in advance :)
Does anyone have any tips on how to handle contamination OCD?
i have contamination ocd and i have a hard time knowing what’s normal- please help me get back to normal!! do you worry or clean under your fingernails when you wash your hands? do you specifically wash your thumb? if so how? do you pay attention to the pace you wash your hands at? do you ever feel the need to do things a certain amount of times or count while doing things? in the shower do you wash your hands at any time? especially after washing private areas? question for the girls!! how many times do you wipe after you pee? how do you all pee so fast?
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