- Date posted
- 5y ago
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Use the printer! Dont let yourself avoid it....it will only make it worse. You will feel a spike in anxiety...but do NOT avoid the printer.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I have used it, but I feel so dirty and disgusting now. I wanted to buy some new clothes later but I feel if I don’t go home and shower first I will contaminate the new clothes too!
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Okay went straight to town and bought some new stuff to wear I went straight from work. I have washed my hands loads today but I was tempted to wash them again before I left the work building and avoid touching my phone until after buying stuff because I see my phone as contaminated by putting it on my desk through the day I didn’t wash them I just left and I had my phone in my hand I also ended up walking past some grubby looking man, some unidentifiable liquid on the floor and also served by someone I’d rather not be ha But I managed it. And I bought a bottle of water and unscrewed the top without washing Baby steps haha
- Date posted
- 5y ago
That's awesome!!! Good job, I know it wasn't easy!
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I am so proud of you. I know that must have been hard. I have been trying to resist compulsions recently too, but unfortunately you have to let the anxiety consume you before you feel better. You're doing all the right things keep up the good work!!!
- Date posted
- 5y ago
@EMMaaaa Thankyou! I did just slip up and antibacterial wipe my phone but I’m trying to gradually reduce everything. Small progress
- Date posted
- 5y ago
@uwotm8 Yes it's okay I slipped up today too and carried out some of my compulsions but reduced them significantly for the past couple days. Be sure to accept your set backs and appreciate your victories, no matter how small ? you're doing great
- Date posted
- 5y ago
@EMMaaaa I did just eat some pizza without washing my hands after using my phone so I got that st least!! It’s not instant for anyone I guess ? I’m quite happy with myself!!
- Date posted
- 5y ago
@uwotm8 You should be!!!! Every time you choose not to do your compulsion you're making amazing progress! It can be hard so expect some setbacks but it's totally normal ?
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Also do NOT shower as soon as you get home,or buy new clothes. I used to throw clothes away too when I felt like they were contaminated. Imagine if everyone threw their clothes away! All that money wasted. You need to sit with the anxiety. This is a good opportunity for exposure response Therapy. You will feel intense anxiety....but eventually it will fade. Could take a minute...could take the rest of your evening.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Ohh no not for that reason, I’m going away in a week and need new clothes but the clothes I’m currently wearing that I associate with work and contamination I’ll be wearing while I buy the new ones then I will perceive them to be contaminated too ?
- Date posted
- 5y ago
But yes I understand
- Date posted
- 5y ago
@uwotm8 I know what you mean lol...definitely wear your "contaminated" clothes when you buy your new ones!!!!??
- Date posted
- 5y ago
@painintheocd Okay thanks for the support!! I’ll post here later when I do it then ?
- Date posted
- 5y ago
You got this!
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Use the printer, and do your absolute best to avoid performing compulsions. It's hard, I know. You can do it!
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Okay Thankyou, I have already done many compulsions today sadly but I’m making a note in a notebook so I can learn to reduce them and break the cycle
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Just remember to breathe...
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I can relate to this. Similar things happen to me but Even sitting with anxiety it does not go way. For example. Blood is my trigger. I saw blood on the floor and I know I didn’t step on it but I have sat with the anxiety for almost a year now and I can still not wear my shoe. Same thing happened last week and I wanna throw away my shoe so bad. I know even if I don’t do that it will last many months without the anxiety and contaminated feeling going away. They say erp helps by letting you sit with the anxiety but I sit with it everyday and it doesn’t help even one year later. Any tips?
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w ago
I have contamination OCD that causes me to excessively wash my hands/clean items with disinfectant wipes. I know I just need to start with small exposures but how do I do that without spiraling? I tried a while back by just touching the outside of my dishwasher and not washing my hands after and it led to me being unable to even exist in my house. I basically lived on my couch for three weeks as it was the only 'safe' space that I had not touched with my dirty hands. I had to take a week off work to clean my house to make it somewhat liveable. I still haven't got round to cleaning everything though so things like my kitchen are still no-go zones that I don't enter. I just don't know how to start ERP without it making everything worse. Any advice would be appreciated. I am not seeing a therapist at the moment due to financial constraints.
- Date posted
- 21w ago
This flare up is getting worse. So my son brought me a paper he needed signed for school yesterday and I asked him to get me a pen. As he got the pen I was just looking at him and unintentionally glanced over his private area and immediately freaked out with guilt. My ocd started telling me I was staring and that I wanted to look there. I know I wasn’t staring and I don’t ever want to look there. Anytime I accidentally catch a glimpse of my children’s private areas I always immediately look away and feel so guilty even though it wasn’t intentional or wanted but my ocd is making me believe I did stare and now the memory of it is blurred the more I try to remember it exactly to disprove the ocd. I feel horrible and I don’t know how I can ever get past this. 😪
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 14w ago
Does anyone imagine they are doing their harm thoughts during an action, making you feel like you acted on your thoughts? For example, someone gave me a hug and at the last second I imagined I was touching something I shouldn’t during the hug? I want to make it clear it’s something I have zero desire to do! But the problem is, I thought it on purpose and it makes me sick !! Obviously nothing happened but my mind is telling me that was me trying to do it. Even though it was physically impossible to do. Am I a monster or could this be OCD? I’m freaking out and don’t want to be here anymore. I feel like I’m the exception and that this isn’t OCD. I know I post about this stuff a lot but I’m struggling and don’t know what to do.
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond