To clean or not to clean

With doing ERP, does anyone else have a hard time distinguishing whether there is actual risk or not ? I frequently feel like I can’t distinguish whether or not there is actual risk or if it’s just an OCD urge and to keep on with the ERP for that particular exposure. How do you practice distinguishing the difference so you find logic in your decisions? I’m a logic seeker for any anxiety and that always breaks the cycle. but when things are not 100% certain it turns into a stagnant place for me because now I don’t know how I “should” respond if that makes sense?

Contamination OCD

Anonymous

Date posted: 2d

Yeah that's the key in what you just said "when things are not 100% certain it turns into stagnant..." Exactly! You are seeking absolute certainty before acting or making a decision when it doesn't really exist except in the abstract. We can always doubt even the most seemingly obviously true things. If there is credible risk from not being sanitary for harm you'll know based on trusting common sense but you have to build the mental muscle for accepting the uncertainty and acting with your best judgement anyways. Of course some things are sanitary and others are not. When does it become something actually harmful? You might never fully know but you generally know it takes a lot to die from lack of cleaning if you're basically decently cleanly.

Anonymous

Date posted: 2d

I was asking myself this earlier when I got hung up on if you have to sit with uncertainty indefinitely until it calms down or if you can have an affirmation or positive thoughts to steer to the light but I realized after a session I was avoiding my real feelings and that's why I felt like I needed some intellectual idea to save me. You got this. You already reasonably know the truth. Don't feed the doubt agonizing and it gets easier.

recoveryisco...

Date posted: 23h

@Anonymous This is a good point. For most of my life I’ve always been a all or nothing kind of person and have been someone to make certain of all things so that I always had a safety net when odds were stacked against me. A coping mechanism for being hyper independent perhaps ? That being said I can definitely see how certainty seeking is a problem here for my brain. Especially with acceptance of that. I think it makes alot of sense that you say I need to gain the muscle memory for accepting as well because I noticed when I stick to an exposure and don’t give in to the compulsion-even with uncertainty- accepting the uncertainty does become easier. But only by practice. Thank you friend🙏🏽

recoveryisco...

Date posted: 23h

@Anonymous Yes that is totally where I get stuck -looking for the intelectual data to save me.Definitely trusting practicing trusting what I know reasonably. Thank you so much !

Anonymous

Date posted: 2d

I've been trying to pause and sit with my feelings of anxiety before deciding what to do. It doesn't get me to certainty, but even if I end up doing unnecessary cleaning I'm not supporting the pressure that it has to be done right in that moment to address the anxiety

recoveryisco...

Date posted: 23h

@Anonymous That’s a wonderful oh handling it. I’ve been trying to do that as well. That way I also remind myself that when I do this it stops feeding the dopamine cycle in my brain from giving in to the compulsions right away. Almost like breaking an addiction cycle in a physiologic way. . Trying to cut off all dopamine feedback cycles from my compulsions. Thank you I’ll try siting with them and pausing more before reacting 🙏🏽

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