- Username
- BG
- Date posted
- 6y ago
- Username
- Becky B.Becky B.
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Be patient and kind toward yourself. You can’t all of a sudden be recovered overnight. That’s not how it works. ERP is the golden standard for OCD treatment but you can’t completely reverse all symptoms that quickly or easily. By all means, make every effort to avoid the compulsive behaviors but don’t get down on yourself because you’re not doing the ERP “perfectly.” That’s OCD trying to tell you that you won’t succeed so you should just abort the mission.
- Username
- ZaniiZanii
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Way to go! I’m working on that too with ERP. I can touch the taps now a lot of the time. I can’t if I’m going to eat or prepare food just yet. It is hard but what helps me is telling myself that people without OCD touch taps all the time, the other people in my family touch the taps and they are healthy but what works the best for me is telling OCD it has stolen enough time from me. At the moment that helps push me through the fear. When I’m ready to use door knobs I hope it still works! ?
- Username
- IdrisIdris
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Proud of you! ERP can be so hard to do, but trust me it’s for the best. I’m rooting for you through this time
- Username
- BGBG
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Thank you all of you for such motivating comments. Sounds like I have found a new home where everybody understands what is like to have an OCD which I am suffering for almost 20 years.
- Username
- BGBG
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I use to pour water on the taps before touching them. My therapist told me not to do so. Is it ok not to do so? Because, I believe that pouring water on the taps is not part of my OCD. I have seen many people doing it. One more thing, for me, the reason for not touching things is not always fear of contamination. It is something else which I am afraid if I tell then it may trigger that in someone else.
Related posts
- Username
- Qasim
- Date posted
- 4y ago
After the caronavirus started every surface seems a threat to me. Even at home, I can not touch door knobs or buttons. I continuously wash hands. Skin on my hands have become very dry and damaged due to continuous washing with soap.
- Username
- sev774
- Date posted
- 2y ago
cant touch door handles
this is a really big part of my ocd, not being able to touch door handles/railing/really anything shared. if i dont have long sleeves i can find myself wasting time waiting for someone to open a door for me or putting myself in danger by not holding the railing while going down stairs (i also have knee problems). every time my fingertip even slightly touches a door i will run to wash my hands with in insane amount of soap and burning hot water. its gotten to the point where i am constantly wearing a jacket, no matter how hot it is, where i am, even if i dont need to touch anything. i need sleeves. does anyone know a way i can calm this down? without extreme stress? im sick of being so dependent on having sleeves.
- Username
- Ancient-1
- Date posted
- 2y ago
Fear and Guilt
Hello again. I'm having a bit of a struggle today... I worry about contaminating others with my "bathroom germs", and I know ERP would involve carrying on as normal say, if my shirt gets in my lap when using the washroom and touches an area of my body where there's been waste, but while rationally I know that that kind of thing isn't horrible and there's already "bathroom germs" EVERYWHERE... I am stuck. It feels morally wrong to PURPOSEFULLY go about my day despite knowing I'm "contaminated". I get lots of people don't even wash their HANDS... I don't want to participate in the germ spreading. I don't like knowing that MY grossness could be on someone. It's probably not harmful, but I feel like I don't have the right to do this, like it's disgusting and amoral somehow. A vent, I suppose. I want to start meaningful ERP but I can't get over this. Any advice? (Tagging as trigger just in case.)
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