- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
Thanks everyone!! All your posts helped a ton. The anxiety did go down a lot. It helped for me to acknowkledge that I have done what I can and disgust is not going to harm me. It’s hard but I’m trying to move on. Thanks again for all the tips
- Date posted
- 5y
Disgust is a harder emotion to habituate to than anxiety. Be patient with yourself. It's going to take a longer time without doing rituals for the feeling to fade
- Date posted
- 5y
I know this feeling so well, not with blood anymore but other things like toxic chemicals etc. I know how it is to feel like something is “on you” and feels disgusting even if it isn’t a danger. I can say that with blood, germs etc I had to start sitting with it and exposing myself to it intentionally without washing afterwards. The exposure is so hard but after a couple months I would go to clean a bathroom and forget to even wear gloves until after I was done... or feelings of anxiety would sometimes come up when I was around blood and I would almost instantly let it go and forget about my OCD. ERP if consistently practiced really does help ! When I’m unsure if it’s my “OCD brain” talking or my “rational brain” I simply ask myself “how would someone else react ?”
- Date posted
- 5y
This is my absolute worst ocd fear as well, Lark, so I get how you feel. Focus on that you've taken a shower w/soap, which means that you are clean, fact! (even if it feels like you're not). Most people probably wouldn't even notice, they would have just gone on with their day (and maybe not have taken a shower until the next morning). I understand how disgusting it must have been (not only ocd people would think that). But try telling yourself that "yes, that was gross, but I took a shower and I'm clean now, so I'm moving on from this." :)
- Date posted
- 5y
God I fucking hate people. Dirty bastards!!!!!!!!! No fucking need for that howling behaviour, why don’t they clean after themselves it’s grotesque I’m sorry you’re feeling this way I would too if it’s any consolation. I’m not sure if any other techniques but people always say the anxiety decreases eventually so hang in there ?
- Date posted
- 5y
Thanks guys. As an update, yes my anxiety has come down a lot. BUT. I’m still feeling dirty and I’m sure when I shower tonight I’m going to be long again. Even washing the clothes I wore, it may take me many times. I’m definitely frustrated that I didn’t check or notice it since I typically do and I’m frustrated that people are so rude to not clean up but trying not to focus on that. It’s so hard as even now I feel like I can still feel it in my hand which I know is not true. It’s almost like I was forced into a high exposure.
- Date posted
- 5y
Sometimes that happens, no matter what our fears are. If possible, redireyrhe anger at the person to be anger at the OCD and use it to fuel doing the opposite of what OCD wants
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
Sorry if this is tmi. In advance, I know some germs are fine - I'm all for that, and it definitely does ease some contamination anxiety. But I have lots of anxiety surrounding going to the bathroom, specifically number two. Again I'm so sorry if this is tmi. I went yesterday, and obviously my hands were contaminated because well, they are when you go to the bathroom. But also because I accidentally brushed the back of my hand against myself. When you're done in the bathroom you obviously put underwear back on, and trousers or whatever, but I wash my hands before touching my trousers but not underwear. So I do that bit before I wash my hands, but my hand, the very contaminated part, touched like a bit of my skin at my waist. At the time, I brushed it off, thinking that my trousers will cover that anyway for the time being. But then today, I wore leggings that are kind of small on me and they weren't as high waisted. And then I got in my bed, and had a t-shirt on, and probably touched so many things. I changed my t-shirt, meaning it touched my hair as I took it off. So now I'm paranoid I have poop particles all over me. I'm convinced I need to have a full shower again and wash my hair. I'm okay with having a shower, but I barely have enough energy for that let alone washing my hair too. I don't shower every day, so with my schedule, I'm not due to have one until tonight. I just want to be able to get up, get dressed, and go about my day. But how do I do that when my bed feels contaminated and I feel like I need to change the bedsheets. How do I cope when it feels like poop particles are in my HAIR. And that could totally be possible. I know some germs are fine. But I just don't know what to do.
- Date posted
- 19w
I'm keeping it light hearted but I really desperately need some help. Just to preface this is very tmi. I thought it was just gonna be a quick bathroom stuff. No! That would be silly of course, so number two decided to screw things up ROYALLY. And please bear with me because I am coping with humour 😭😭. So I went, but sometimes, tmi, I struggle to.... Get it all. Out. If you know what I mean. Which is pretty awful to the point I'm like genuinely praying. Because you can't clean up properly if you're not done. So I'm in the bathroom, trying, for over half an hour. And I finally give up pretty much and try and clean up. Oh no, that was a huge mistake. But what else could I do? It was so messy that I wanted to just get in the shower and be done with it. Onto the things I'm worrying about I guess. On the tp (tmi, I'm WARNING 😭😭) it was.... Messy, and there were very loose specks on the tp. Which is an issue, because I used wet wipes which needs to be binned and not flushed, so I have to carry the tp-wipe combo over to the bin, which means carrying it over where my legs are, and thus where my clothes also are. I hate it. I'm now paranoid specks fell into my underwear! Great! Love it. I'm also paranoid specks or just #2 in general went on my hand. And, believe me, with the state of things, it was POSSIBLE. So when I'm finally done and wash my hands, of course that isn't going to feel like enough. I have really short nails, so short they're painful, and I'm always terrified stuff gets under them. So, I use a nail brush while washing my hands. I also filed them down (which HURT) because I'm convinced that could get rid of anything underneath them. But it still doesn't feel enough. Because I have loose skin and hangnails around my nails, and I'm paranoid as well that stuff gets under dry skin. Not to mention my hands are so dry from washing that they're cracked and flaky and they peel, so I am worried that #2 or dirt gets under the flakes of skin. I know it sounds stupid, but I am so scared. Usually it feels irrational but it was such a state that I'm convinced there must be a speck of it on me somewhere. On my hands. And I'm terrified. I know I need to accept uncertainty but I'm struggling right now.
- Date posted
- 15w
This is a repost, only because the last post had no responses lol. Please if you have any advice share. I’ve been trying hard to sit with the feeling of anxiety. Actually that’s the problem, recently I’ve been trying to sit with the thought (and I’m able to for a few hours or until the next morning) and then my anxiety comes back so strong and it’s like I need to clean everything off. I see images of gross laundry getting on everything or my hand and then I need to clean everything off to un contaminate it. Sometimes the thought happens later at night so I just sleep through and the next morning I will wake up with intense anxiety about contamination. That happened yesterday and I had to clean everything off and since then I’ve been traumatized so I’ve been doing compulsions like avoiding the bathroom and being around people so I know I couldn’t have done anything wrong. Actually recently my biggest compulsion has been recording every time I get up to go eat, etc so that I know I couldn’t have done anything. Any advice or help???
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