- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
That’s what I did too when I started with the hierarchy list or I would skip the minor things, thinking when I am able to conquer the more anxiety provoking ones then I probably won’t even think of the small ones anymore. But that’s not how it work, at least for me. The best way I personally believe is to climb the ERP ladder. Meaning starting with the first smallest step on your hierarchy list.
- Date posted
- 5y
And what do you mean exactly by mentally contaminated? Because for me personally I think of mentally contaminated as being, they technically aren’t contaminated but your ocd has labeled them contaminated because something or someone at one point touched them and that person was an ex and therefore if I touch that now then that would be like cheating on my bf to have another mans “germs” especially an ex’s on me or my hands. Sorry that may be not be at all near what your explaining. I’m just trying to understand
- Date posted
- 5y
Well we know the fears are irrational. And I once heard on a podcast called, OCD Stories, “do the opposite” that your ocd is telling you to do. So along with ERP. Keeping those 3 words in the back of my head has actually helped. So I don’t know if you have made a hierarchy list but I strongly suggest doing that and listing them in order from least anxiety provoking to most anxiety provoking. And no matter how small your least anxiety one is, always remembered, that’s still a win! So what I have done and am still doing is climbing what I call my ERP ladder. From the 1st step and up. But obviously doing these exposures is going to cause anxiety you need to go into it knowing this and prepared for this. So for me breathing techniques work well and also then moving my attention to something else so I am not constantly thinking about it. And for my and if you put the effort in, minute by minute your anxiety will lessen. And since you said they were hobbies you used to do.. maybe try starting them in small amounts of time and slowly build up.
- Date posted
- 5y
And as far as feeling like something is forever contaminated, my OCD wants to answer yes to that. BUT logically the answer is no! And that’s what we have to do think logically! If you really think about it not too much can be forever contaminated. Germs die. Cold viruses die. Flu viruses die. Even sperm dies after being exposed for a period of time. So for me personally I combat the irrational part of the OCD with fact or what some may call common sense. My therapist basically told me to “debate” with my OCD by using logic.
- Date posted
- 5y
Hi stef thanks for the advice! Yes it’s similar to how you’ve explained but just a different ocd fear. How do you cope if you did touch the contimated object/person? Do you feel like it’s forever contaminated, do you having any strategies for dealing with this, thanks again
Related posts
- Date posted
- 25w
Hi this is my first time posting on here. I wasn't sure if I should because I want to make sure I'm not seeking reassurance because I heard that makes ocd worse. I don't want to talk about what my ocd problem was, but basically I was really upset about a religious ocd problem that I know isn't true. I'm feeling a lot better about it now, but when it was bad I decided to try and get better on my own. I read about ERP therapy and how you're supposed to make a list of your ocd problems, from least distressing to most. So I wrote them down on two pieces of paper. At first I started with the simple ones, like looking for spiders before leaving the room. I have a tendency to look for spiders before leaving a room but lately I've been trying not to anymore. Then I decided to try and do one of the hard things. It was a religious ocd problem. I decided to start simple, and just write the problem down on a piece of paper. So I went downstairs and got some paper. But then I thought, oh no, my ocd is probably not going to like this. What do I do with the paper once I write it down? If I think what I wrote down is bad and going to upset God and I will go to hell, (even though I know logically it's not), my ocd is probably going to freak out if I throw away the paper. It probably won't calm down unless I erase it. So I just decided to not write it down on a paper, and just type it on my phone instead. So I did, I typed it on my phone. So, even though I didn't write anything down on the paper, now it feels like that peice of paper is bad. I feel like it's connected to the problem I was having, and I was so upset I called my mom crying asking her what to do. Eventually I decided to just put the paper back with the rest of the paper downstairs, but I'm still upset. I feel like I have to throw away all the paper downstairs, the pencil I was going to use to write down the problem, and the eraser I was going to use in case I needed to erase anything. It feels like if I use any of those items I will make God angry and go to hell. I know I shouldn't do this though, so I'm not going to. I don't know what to do with the papers where I wrote down my ocd problems. They are on my desk and I'm too afraid to move them. And if I put them in my desk I'm afraid they will get mixed up with other papers. I guess I can do whatever I want with them. I think I'll put them in a folder or binder and if I make any more ocd papers I can just put them in there. I'm just really confused on how to move forward. Right now, I'm too afraid to use the papers, pencil, or eraser for anything. I feel like I can't write on them, draw on them, or anything. It's even making me feel like I can't make digital art. It's making me feel like I can't do a lot of things. I guess what I have to do is just do whatever I want to, because I know the ocd isn't true and doesn't make sense.
- Date posted
- 24w
sorry this is super long i just wanna know if anyone else has been thru something similar bc i feel super alone 🩷 i have super bad contamination ocd. it was bad already but my house was like my safe space until a few months ago someone brought something into my house that i considered ‘contaminated’. and so then i felt like that part of the house was contaminated, then it spread to everything outside my room (since family is moving around touching stuff) and then somehow i got convinced everything in my room except my bed is contaminated and i need to wash my hands after touching it. in my mind its like the contamination just infinitely spreads to things after the tiniest bit of touch. idek what im afraid of anymore or even what the original thing was but i can’t let it go. when i have to wash off contamination i have to wash at least 4 times or until it feels right, or sometimes take rlly long showers and wipe down all my stuff. i even throw away food and clothes or just whole items sometimes because they feel so contaminated i don’t want them in my space. i can’t be super near people or have anyone touch me, and i also can’t bring anything new into my room since it had to go through the entry of my house which feels contaminated. i feel like all i do is lay in bed and then wash my hands and do compulsions so i can go eat or do other stuff around the house. also i never go out because i’m bc people outside make me feel dirty, and i hate thinking about how many people have touched stuff in stores or in public and stuff. so im just in my room worrying all day. i feel so trapped and the contamination/avoiding it is all i think about anymore i barely have time for anything else and im never present when i talk to people because im worrying about if i accidentally got contaminated. im starting erp next week and knowing that im going to have to expose myself to things is really freaking me out. does anyone else have this kind of ocd ? im exhaustedddd 🥲🥲💔
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 20w
I'm currently at one of the lowest points with my OCD despite me working so hard on it and everything that I know it stems from because a lot of my OCD comes from trauma from sexual abuse as a kid and as I got older and a lot of other stuff which is also why I have Complex PTSD. I was doing so well, I started medication, and I was in this dual housing program for treatment and everything was going okay. That was until I ended up getting SA’D by a man there and none of the staff cared or did anything despite me doing everything possible and gathering all of this evidence and all the people there either didn't care or bullied me relentlessly as they laughed with my abuser. It was so painful and I felt so alone. I think what triggered my spiral was that it was very similar to the reactions of my past assaults and thus my OCD came spiralling alongside my C-PTSD symptoms and I feel like it is worse then before. I left that place but its still absolutely terrible and I feel so hopeless and hurt. Not only did this man hurt me like I have been in the past he brought back the very thing that caused me so many years of suffering. It makes me sick. I don't want to think these thoughts or feel these horrible urges and sensations. I feel so disgusting and broken.
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