EMETOPHOBIA TW: I have emetophobia (fear of vomiting) as one of my main OCD themes, and I have a family history of IBS and various digestive issues, which I have as well. Feeling nauseous or having stomachaches is a major trigger for me. But when I get anxious, I feel stomach pain, or nausea. I also often have the physical symptoms of anxiety before I notice mental anxiety- like I will start having stomachaches, clammy hands, faster breathing, etc. and then understand my OCD has been triggered. The IBS and acid reflux mean I have stomachaches and nausea pretty randomly though. So I can never tell if I’m having stomachaches and nausea I because my OCD is triggered, or if my OCD is triggered because of the stomachache and nausea. The treatment for the two is different (I take hydroxizine for OCD/panic attacks and antacids and other drugs for the stomach problems) so the real problem is that if I can’t tell the cause, I don’t know which remedy I need. I just needed to get this off my chest, sorry it’s so long!

Hand washing. Sanitizing. I don’t eat food that I touch without freshly washed or sanitized hands. If I touch it or if someone else touches it, I won’t eat the part that they touch. Compulsive praying about not getting sick. I stopped eating cause everything I began to eat, I envisioned myself throwing up. I stopped eating meat because of food borne illness. It’s been rough

@Sage53 Poor you, that does sound rough

I often don’t eat or have trouble eating in public. I sleep with a plastic Tupperware container in my bed to be a “barf bucket” if needed. I spend a fair bit of time in the bathroom, and have slept on the bathroom floor on many occasions when I’m feeling anxious or naseous. I wash hands and use hand sanitizer religiously and wipe down surfaces with wet wipes. I struggle to eat meat, especially chicken, due to fear of food poisoning. At the moment, I don’t eat most meat at my college dining hall, and eat a lot of what I think of as “safe” foods- lots of simple carbs/grain products. I have a problem being around anyone who mentions feeling any sort of stomachache or nausea, and I will go out of my way to avoid a place where someone with stomach flu has been. If anyone has had stomach flu recently, I will keep my distance for quite a while after.

@Delaney Would you like to be friends? I feel like we’re twins??I relate to everything you just said