I have a question about jump cables to the car. I have OCD fear about battery acid and I think that maybe there is some acid on the cables. I know this is an obsession, but I dont know where to draw the line. My husband and I have discussions about this. I want to put the cables in a bag or some kind of cover. Do you mind give me some of reality check? My therapist has told me to do like ordinary people do. Do you have the cables loose in the car together with other stuff?

I have mine in a vinyl bag, but because 1)they came in that bag 2) it’s tidier. The battery acid thing never occurred to me. I think the oil and dirt on them would bother me more than battery acid lol. I know lots of messy people who I seriously doubt go to the trouble of bagging their cables, and instead have them mixed in with luggage and groceries, and they seem to be doing ok. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone with bagged cables other than me.

I get the whole idea of OCD hijacking your logical abilities. Sometimes, some thing seems logical to me, but it’s also negatively impacting my life. In those moments, I have to ask a family member, friend, or therapist (and I’m not supposed to ask more than once...) what they think, and it’s only sometimes months late that I realize “Oh. Yeah. I guess that was kinda silly and OCDish, wasn’t it?” Maybe pick a friend you know who’s generally responsible, call her or send a text and ask what she would do, and leave it at that. *Or* as it sounds like your husband thinks it’s fine, maybe choose to trust his opinion. Hope that helps.

I think if you want to do like ordinary people do, you might be better off asking this question to people without OCD. Personally, I keep the cables in a bag just to stop them from getting tangled with other things in my trunk. Since you know this is an obsession, you probably know that recovery means going towards the fear, not trying to escape it. If you need to keep the cables contained while also exposing yourself to the fear, a mesh bag might work best

Thank you Katie! Yes, maybe I should ask orher people, I think I'm a bit shy to ask...and I also think that this is a rare OCD thought, I mean many of you here are totally "normal" in this area. Thanks for you answer and advice!