- Username
- Dolphin19
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I hear you. That sounds really tough, it’s hard when ocd problems merge with real life problems and you don’t know where to turn. The most important thing for you to do right now is to take care of yourself, I hope everything works out :)
Thank you kindly. Best to you.
Hey. I went through and continue to go through something similar with my family where I wanted to keep social seperation even amongst ourselves and they just wouldn’t take it seriously. I really did. Used to wake up every night at two am in a panic needing to wash my hands in order to go back to sleep. It’s amazing that ur doing what u can to stay safe, but maybe speak to ur therapist about some ERP excersizes you can do while remaining in your room. Hope your situation improves...
Definitely gonna try to ease up on my extremecaution bit by bit. Thank you and wishing you the best.
Awh you too :)
Honestly, this sounds like a reaction that many without OCD would have. I’m really sorry you’re having to go through this. But it sounds like you’re both fighting the OCD and balancing that with respect for the CDC guidelines. Congrats on that! I had just about secured a teaching job before the pandemic shut the gallery down, along with a plethora of other jobs. It’s hard to find work right now, and it’s scary to work in some situations. My brother doesn’t have OCD, and he’s terrified to go back to work as a massage therapist if/when they open back up. I’m lucky that my partner is getting his unemployment and that my parents keep offering to help to keep us going. Until I can get work, I’m just making masks for those in need and using donations for supplies to make more. Times are tough, confusing, and can be scary right now. I wish you the best and hope the better living arrangement comes quickly for you!
I’m sorry about your teaching job, I really hope you can make it back after this is over. And your mask making is admirable! Thank you for your kind words, and best to you going forward.
I can’t touch anything my parents touch. (If any part of them touches it) . That includes people. I’m so isolated from my family I hate it. I was forced to move out because the family dog accidentally got in my room. It’s been almost a year and all my stuff is still in my old room because everything the dog touched is “dirty” now. I feel my workplace is “dirty” now after I tried to do an exposure and go to work “dirty” but it backfired and I have too much anxiety when I’m there and I have to come home and wash everything I touched that I need to bring with me to work. But it’s really difficult because I have two jobs and I have to go from the “dirty” job to the clean one and it’s all too much. I want to quit the “dirty” one but i don’t know how and I don’t want ocd to win.
I work at a college. I have to start working in my office again on Monday. I'm petrified. I feel like I'm being gaslighted because admin is saying it is safe when I know it isn't. I keep trying to explain my extreme anxiety about returning to campus, but I keep getting responses like "we're anxious too" etc. They don't understand that my anxiety is more intense because of OCD. I went to campus 2 weeks ago and my first interaction was with a campus cop who didn't wear a mask or keep 6 feet apart from me. My college also had a flu outbreak earlier this year so I do not trust that campus will be safe from COVID. I'm in the process of getting a diagnosis, but in the meantime, I don't know what to do. Even if I did have paperwork, OCD is not a "risk factor" for COVID and HR doesn't have to do anything. I feel like I'm shutting down. Any advice about returning to work during all *this* would be appreciated.
Hi everyone. First time here. I suffer from Contamination OCD. I have a good support group in friends, family, and my boyfriend, but I have not met anyone else with OCD and I needed to reach out to others to find help. I first got OCD when I was 17 (I am now 33) and was able to go into remission, but COVID brought it back. I was struggling at work (which was outside with the public). I found a therapist and she wrote me a doctor’s note suggesting I be allowed to work from home. My work was not accommodating at all and only offered me FMLA leave, so I took it as my only option and eventually got on Short Term Disability. The whole process took forever and was incredibly stressful. My leave was supposed to be a time of healing and it just made my OCD symptoms worse. My employer basically treated me as though I was trying to get out of work and proved to me that though they talk about the importance of mental health, they don’t take mental health seriously. I ended up having to leave my job “involuntarily due to health reasons” as they would not grant an extension nor let me return with any restrictions/accommodations. My therapist seemed good at first, but it became clear that she wasn’t really helping me. She would often use our sessions to vent about the insurance company and in one session, she basically called me a hopeless case and kept saying “I don’t know. I am concerned. I don’t know how you are going to be able to function” and threw out the word hospitalization, though she did backtrack on that one. I struggle everyday. I am worried that something from outside of the home touched something clean and is now contaminated. I need help working through this. I am constantly looking for reassurance, question if things are clean, wash my hands, use too many disinfectant wipes, and take showers upwards of 50-60 mins. I feel like my mind is being taken over by my OCD, I’m losing time, and it’s straining my relationship. For anyone who is struggling with contamination OCD brought on by COVID - any tips? My therapist never gave me anything specific to work on with this - to help me focus on something else. I am in the process of finding another therapist, but until then - any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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