- Username
- GypsySoul13
- Date posted
- 6y ago
When you’re feeling ready, here’s a little exposure you can try. Set a small amount of time (I’d suggest a minute or two, don’t jump off the deep end or anything) and then look at the thing you want to clean and say “It might not be clean, but Im going to accept it.” Then don’t clean it for your set amount of time. Increase the time a little bit every day, and you’ve made some awesome progress towards recovery. Hang in there ❤️
I hear you. I don’t have cleaning compulsions but I understand the anguish and meltdown. Isn’t it also crazy how with OCD one thought can ruin your whole day?
I relate to this so much! Thank you for sharing. I will burn my fingers from using bleach for cleaning and not being careful enough with gloves you know i make sure to wear!
Thank you, TabbyKitty. I have tried that when it comes to things being out of place and the floor not being perfectly clean (I have cats-the floor is never clean lol). Sometimes I can do it, sometimes I can't. It's a process. Flamewheel, it is crazy how one thought can ruin your whole day. I have multiple types of OCD so one thought or another is bound to do it. My mind exhausts me. So does the 4-8 hours of cleaning I do every single day.
I am obsessed with cleaning, I will clean even when the house is clean. It's not that I am worried about getting sick. It just makes me feel better to have everything perfect, clean and in its place. This is effecting others in the house though because I get frustrated if someone comes in with their shoes on and brings a tiny bit of dirt in. Or if my partner doesn't leave areas clean the way i do. I also feel like it effects my child because I can't bare mess, when she gets toys out I feel like I'm tidying as she is playing. I must clean 3 times a day and sometimes I can't leave the house without doing certain chores. Or it plays on my mind all day. Its frustrating, I feel burnt out because I never stop
First my credit card fell on the floor at the coffee shop. I managed to pick it up with gloves, clean it with wet wipes and put it back in my wallet (usually I would try to wash it, but managed to just wipe and put away). Then as ai was throwing away the wipes and gloves, my glasses fell out of my bag, onto the floor. They were in the case so I ended up dumping the glasses on the table and discarding the case (but later found my good case that I've been looking for in my car since last year 😁). I later decided to get rid of the 3 bags of garbage sitting on my counter, went outside, and of course it was raining. I continued to the dumpster, and tried to throw it from a distance. One bag hit the dumpster, while the other 2 went in. I didn't want to get in trouble, so I picked up the bag and threw it in (despite that it felt extra contaminated), and removed the gloves I had on. I continued to enter my apartment and touch stuff (even though it was raining and water that was on my contaminated gloves could have gotten on me). I continued then to go clean my bathtub/shower/shower curtain. Right now I'm trying very hard not to start avoiding touching things and still working a bit about contamination in my apartment (I have chain type contamination OCD that is disgust based, not getting sick based). I hate this😭
I have ocd but my house is always messy I can’t seem to clean it and when I try it’s like I can’t do it right and I can’t get things organized the way they need to be and I obsess over it constantly thinking it can be better so I give up and then I stress and get depressed over it but I don’t know what to do
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