So i have a 2 year old daughter and every time we go for walks around my neighborhood i scan the floors where we're walking, usually looking for stuff like used bandaids or stains that might look like blood. And if i see anything that triggers my anxiety i completely avoid that part of the sidewalk for my next walk.. Is this normal or is it just my anxiett taking over?? Please help

Thanks.. Can you share how you got over the vomit thing?

@strawberry cupcakes Kind of a weird way. My therapist told me if I didn’t get over it, we’d eventually have to step it up with ERP until he’d give me an emetic to make me sick. Not wanting that motivated me so much I just kept pushing myself. I was so stubbornly opposed to vomiting, that I decided I had to deal with it when it would naturally happen. I knew it was ok to still not like it, most people don’t like it without it being a true phobia. I also had a few instances where I had to deal with it, like if my husband or dog or child I was babysitting needed me. Then I could turn on helper-mode and internally scream that louder than the OCD. I think that’s not usually how ERP works, but maybe you could still use a little bit of the care-taker-mentality as inspiration? Like tap into your superpower of being a mother to tell your OCD you’re stronger. Because again, no one wants to touch old bandages, but you don’t want to let them ruin your or your daughter’s walks together. And remember, sunlight is also a great disinfectant. That also helped with my vomit phobia too. Again, I’m not sure if using logic and science to quiet OCD is normal in ERP, but before I ever knew about it, these were just ways I’d internally try to fight OCD. I don’t know what’s right for you, but I’m here as part of the struggling mass ready to support and cheer you on! Good luck!

@ARTnotOCD Thank you!! And yes mostly i want to get over it because of my daughter, she is only 2 but she starting to notice my weird habits, like the excessive hand washing,me freaking out if i see something weird on the floor and the list goes on. Im scared of what i may be projecting on her?.

Im really scared of catching an incurable disease specially hiv. So my fear focus on body fluids specially blood, i can't stand blood. A couple of days ago i was driving with my daughter sitting in the back, and noticed a dead animal with its guts out right in the middle of the street and i just started panicking really bad?. Im not sure if im just being irrational,

@strawberry cupcakes I can tell you that HIV dies very quickly, and I haven’t heard of it being transmitted by roadkill. But even if it were, it seriously dies when not still in fluid, as in any dried bandage or roadkill blood does not still have active/live virus. For me, knowing more helps give me confidence and stop asking for reassurance, so if it helps you, know that. (While knowing more helps me, researching online is often a bad OCD action. So much is contradictory and begets more fear. That’s why I know it’s not for everyone.) You can overcome. OCD may keep making new battles, but you can overcome!

@ARTnotOCD Thank you for taking the time to answer.. I used to google routes of hiv transmission all the time but is like even though i know is not really possible to catch it just from casual contact, my brain tricks me and im always like " but what if" is like it never ends, so exhausting.. I can't wait for the moment i can actually enjoy my life and be happy