- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
I completely understand. I do the same thing ?. It’s so frustrating!
- Date posted
- 5y
First, that’s awesome you went ahead and got dressed and got into bed, etc., despite feeling very uncomfortable. Well done. Second, I think your husband is “normal” (doesn’t havencontamination issues), right? It sounds like he doesn’t wash his hands after touching things in your house. It’s likely he could be a good role model for what normal looks like, maybe? Whatcha think? Again, that was brave of you to get into bed when you still felt dirty. I understand the need for bed to be “clean zone.”
- Date posted
- 5y
Thank you! No, my husband does not have contamination ocd but has been such a huge supporter of my journey. Even little things like that are tough, but it's all part of it
- Date posted
- 5y
Totally relate to this. And good job in doing an exposure
- Date posted
- 5y
Thank you! Funny how they happen when you least expect it sometimes
- Date posted
- 5y
@ans87 Right? Doing exposures has been really challenging for me through the pandemic because of so much uncertainty. But it’s so important for us to try and keep our eyes on the prize. (Easier said that some...) You’re not alone. And seeing your post reminds me that I’m not alone either.
- Date posted
- 5y
@sara235 I completely agree about the pandemic. I've been so anxious about exposures because my dad is severely immunocompromised and even something as simple as the common cold could be devastating for him. So it definitely adds an extra level of anxiety. You're so right...the key is to keep moving forward. Even little victories are still victories and equates to progress in the right direction. This has been the hardest thing I've ever had to work through but this has been a really supportive community and I'm glad to have the opportunity to interact with encouraging people such as yourself who know exactly what I'm going through.
- Date posted
- 5y
In my mind, I handled the item (a package of soap) after being in my car touching the dirty steering wheel and so its covered in germs from money and other people
- Date posted
- 5y
I mean everyone’s OCD is different and there are so many ways it can present in self. And while ocd is much more debilitating than just washing hands after touching things, it can definitely be a symptom. For most people, their contamination ocd had been going on wayyyy before covid happened. So basically, ppl with ocd have a scary intrusive thought and their ocd tells them “if they don’t wash their hands or clean that down or do this ritual...so and so will happen.” Often times it’s more serious than just germs. It’s usually like “if I don’t clean this, my daughter will touch it and get sick and die” “if I don’t wash my hands enough than I’ll contaminate an older person” “I have to do this or something terrible will happen” or at least that’s what it feels like for me and of what I’ve heard from other ppl. I definitely don’t wanna discredit what you’re feeling, I just wanted to explain it more because I’ve seen a lot of people during this pandemic become more hyper aware of germs and jump quickly to thinking it’s OCD.
- Date posted
- 5y
My OCD is much more than this. This is just one particular instance. Believe me, I'd be grateful if a little extra handwashing was my biggest concern. I've been having my life ruined by ocd for 3 years now and I'm desperately trying and failing to overcome this.
- Date posted
- 5y
I am fully aware of what my ocd is and what it entails. Try 4 hour showers and still not feeling clean, or only using the bathroom once a day, or not having pants with a zipper that works because I'm convinced I'll contract a disease from clothes shopping, or eating only one meal a day when my husband gets home from work and makes it because handling groceries sends me into a washing and cleaning spiral that lasts hours.
- Date posted
- 5y
Also a lot of contamination OCD isn’t just germs. It often shows up as a fear of people places and things. Like I can’t let somebody who I don’t like, touch some thing of mine. I have to throw it out. Or like I can’t have certain furniture in my room because it’s contaminated with a bad thought or memory. Stuff like that.
- Date posted
- 5y
That should say “easier said than done”. Dang autocorrect
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
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 🥲🥲💔
- Date posted
- 19w
I’m so scared. Part of me feels ok and part of me feels like I need to clean everything off. Basically my sweater had a stain on it from food it was newly washed but I decided to throw it in the wash again. While throwing it in the laundry basket I noticed a specific type of clothing that scares me. I quickly put the sweater on top of the used laundry and left. My phone was in the living room and I’m pretty constantly scared it will get contaminated by laundry I’m not sure why but that fear started randomly. Anyway I had to walk past the living room to wash my hands in the kitchen because someone had to use the bathroom badly and was waiting for me to just throw my laundry in to go to the bathroom. Anyway I’m scared I went near my phone or contaminated it with my hands. I can’t remember the details fully either but I just remember walking straight to the kitchen but I don’t know. I’m really scared and I want to clean everything like my phone and everything it was near. The thing is my fear is real because used laundry is so gross. What do I do? When throwing clean laundry in a basket should you wash your hands? Do most people? Even if the article of clothing isn’t dirty? Because maybe my hands accidentally went near the actual gross laundry I don’t know
- Date posted
- 17w
contamination ocd has really been messing with me the last couple of days. usually i only struggle when i can connect something to possibly throwing up, but this time it doesn’t matter. so earlier, i took a shower and i also use a wash cloth to wash my body. after i showered i cleaned up my dirty clothes and towels. then when i came back to grab my phone, there was a soap speck on my phone so without thinking i just wiped it on the back of my crewneck i was wearing. well that then spiraled into me thinking what if the soap was from my dirty wash cloth. i know most of you are probably thinking it’s clean since you use soap to clean ur body. well i clean every inch of my body, including my bottom so that’s where my anxiety is gravitating towards. this sounds so ridiculous saying it out loud, but i just have so much anxiety over it. i tried my hardest not to change but i did. at first i just changed my crewneck, but then i had to change my shorts cause my crewneck touches my shorts. but then i changed my shorts. and now i feel like my shirt is contaminated cause i was wearing it with my other shorts before changing. moral of the story, i just have so much anxiety over it and i feel like i shouldn’t because it’s really not a big deal. and i don’t want to change again because that seems ridiculous to me. plus now i’m connecting the contamination to my bed since i was laying on my bed before i changed. i hate life, this sucks.
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond