OCD and showering…

Haiii guys! I’m back with an update. OCD recently attached itself to showering, and I honestly didn't expect it to find a way into something so ordinary. For me, OCD started creating this rule that if I shower after 12 AM, it “doesn't count” as today's shower anymore. It says that I lose my shower streak, that I'm messy or unhygienic, and that I somehow failed at keeping myself clean. But if I shower before midnight, OCD tells me that I kept my streak and everything is okay. The other night I was watching a show and completely lost track of time. I looked at the clock and it was 11:58 PM. The second I realized, I literally sprinted to the bathroom because OCD made me feel like I had to shower immediately before midnight or something terrible had happened to my cleanliness. And even after showering, OCD didn't just stop. Now it's questioning whether it “really counted,” whether I did it correctly, and whether I somehow still failed. It's frustrating because showering used to just be... showering. Now OCD has turned it into a deadline and another thing I feel like I have to get exactly right. I'm trying to remind myself that I don't need to follow OCD's arbitrary rules or maintain a perfect streak. The goal isn't to make the uncertainty disappear. It's to stop letting OCD decide how I live my normal life. Has anyone else had OCD attach itself to hygiene routines or create weird rules around when something “counts”? I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

Eldian

Date posted: Yesterday

This sounds similar to my own experiences with OCD. The way forwards is to purposefully disrupt your OCD’s desired pattern for your hygiene routine as a form of ERP. It also sounds similar to optimisation OCD which is also something to be aware of and avoid with intention.

Starve_The M...

Date posted: 17h

Hi again, sorry for the late reply. I've never had any weird rituals for hygiene. However, I had this odd thing with the number 3 related to my HOCD or SOOCD, if you'd like, and it was 1-2-3. I’m...not... gay. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I tap 3 times as a way to remind myself, and I kept doing it. Let’s be honest, it sounds ridiculous lol, but for me, it was serious. What I did was try my best to just do nothing, even when OCD demands it, and what also helped was realizing it’s just ridiculous. I know logic makes things worse, but if I were you, I'd shower at random times to annoyocd and yes it will be hard . Well, to be fair, I shower two times a day: once in the afternoon or morning if I have a class or something important, and once at night.

starlight.se...

Date posted: 13h

@Starve_The Monster2099 Heyy, thank you for replying again! I’ve missed you sooo sooo muuuchhh!!! And honestly, I completely understand what you mean. The “1-2-3” thing might sound ridiculous when you say it out loud, but I know how serious those little rituals can feel when OCD attaches meaning to them. 😭 It actually makes me feel less alone hearing that you experienced something similar with your OCD demanding a specific action and that you eventually worked on doing nothing instead. I’m trying to learn that too, especially with the showering thing. I also really appreciate you encouraging me to shower at random times instead of letting OCD decide that there’s some specific “correct” time. I know that would probably be difficult at first, but I can see how it could help me stop treating midnight like some magical deadline. 😭 And honestly, I wish I could stay in contact with you outside of here because you’ve been such a kind person and I really appreciate all the advice you’ve given me. But I’m still glad we can talk here whenever we happen to come across each other. ❤️ I’m genuinely rooting for you too. I hope your OCD keeps getting quieter and that things continue getting better for you. You deserve that. I love you sooo sooo muuuchhh and I’m always there for you! 🫶

starlight.se...

Date posted: 1h

@Starve_The Monster2099 Haiii!!!

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