- Username
- Rosie38
- Date posted
- 4y ago
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- Username
- FathomableFathomable
- Date posted
- 4y ago
That's not basic hygiene. We dry hands after washing them on the teatowels then use those to dry counters, dishes etc on a daily basis.
- Username
- EstridEstrid
- Date posted
- 4y ago
You have a hard timeš¢ You know your "basic infection control" isn't the same as your partners. And I would probably manage as your partner, although I have OCD...because I haven't the same theme as you. I try to let my husband make the decisions when we diagree, because I know he has a sound mind and even uf my OCD screams I have to learn to live my life more "normal"- try to accept your horribel feelings and your frustration and think about what is most important to you. More freedom and a healthy relationship to your partner or letting the OCD rules win? I know how hard it is, be kind to yourself and try to break your rigud rules.
- Username
- Rosie38Rosie38
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Thank you. I do have a hard time working out what is normal and what is ocd
- Username
- EstridEstrid
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Its ok, I too have. We can try to to trust people without OCD and follow guidelines in our country. Hang in thereš»
- Username
- Rosie38Rosie38
- Date posted
- 4y ago
My partner is away to the shops and I am having a head time trusting her to stay safe and sanitised, and trusting her to sanitise the stuff she brings ftom the shop. But I know I have to just let it go and trust her or our relationship won't survive. In my mind I'm Trying to say to myself she will do it right and if she doesn't it will be her fault of we f er covid 19. I'm ashamed of these thoughts and I know they aren't healthy and they are making me angry. I just know she isn't the most careful as she has already gotten a cold and how that would of happend of she had been following guidelines on masks and hand sanitation I do not know.
- Username
- EstridEstrid
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Place a hand on your heart and be kind to yourself, this is hard, dont be ashamed, you have'nt asked for this disorder. Do your best to stick to your planšŖ and be sure OCD will always bring to mind why you shouldnt trust your partner. Let go of that discussion in your head. Sending you strength.
- Username
- Rosie38Rosie38
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I see cross contamination points everywhere and my partner doesn't think its a risk. Its making me feel physically sick thinking about all the things I'm my mind she does wrong. I'm supposed to be working from home today and I can't concentrate I'm so wound up
- Username
- FathomableFathomable
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I'd imagine your partner knows it's a risk and also knows that that risk is usually miniscule- both of getting covid and of having serious health issues from it. I've had it and I was just under the weather for a couple of weeks with a cough, I understand that's not the case with everyone but it still is the case for the majority of people. I actually think your irritation/anger and lack of trust are rational responses to the irrational ideas from OCD and that it's not your duty to be ashamed about them, only to acknowledge that you feel that way. There's no such thing as an unacceptable feeling. The reality is that yes she almost certainly doesn't follow the guidelines perfectly all the time, because that's a tall order for anyone, and yes she probably also doesn't always follow your OCD's extra rules about things like sanitising groceries because that feels like a huge amount of stress and effort to attempt to negate a small risk- which is also why governments don't have it as a guideline and you mostly see it being suggested by literal sanitizer companies. The thing about trust is that your partner is in a situation where to refuse to follow your rules would cause arguments and create distress for you, but following them is also a considerable burden. To respond to that situation by only following your rules when you are around to police it, is actually quite a reasonable response. Trust is fundamental in a healthy relationship, yes, but trust and autonomy have to go hand in hand- and your OCD is not a healthy part of the relationship because it tries to take away her autonomy. If she doesn't see telling you "no" as an option because of the way you respond to that, she's really stuck between a rock and a hard place. Based on her reactions of ignoring you, it sounds like she's not feeling good about the idea of being stripped of her right to her own decisions, and it's not really fair to put someone in a position where they can't actually say no, and then make it their problem when they don't do what you wanted. It's helpful to draw a distinction here- it's fine for you to feel angry and frustrated about it when she doesn't follow your rules, but not okay to then be aggressive/guilt-trip-y and try to enforce the rules or control your partner. We can only set boundaries on what behaviour we are willing to accept, not control others' behaviour, EVEN when we have OCD. Your decisions to try to control her behaviour are even more damaging to the trust in your relationship than her not doing what she's told when she's agreed to.
- Username
- Rosie38Rosie38
- Date posted
- 4y ago
@Scoggy Also I'm calming down a bit now so thank you again for the sensible words I really appreciate it
- Username
- EstridEstrid
- Date posted
- 4y ago
@Scoggy Great wordsš
- Username
- Rosie38Rosie38
- Date posted
- 4y ago
You are so so right akd talk complete sense and I need to hear it. I just am totally floored by all this at the minute I really am and I hate myself for it and I hate that I'm making mum y partner uncomfortable in her own home when this virus has made me uncomfortable in my onw home or anywhere else for that matter. I quite low today and that's worrying for my partner too. I flip flop from being accepting of the uncertainty to them being really angry with her. And it's not fair I know that. I think the extreme fear for me comes because we were shiekding for 4 months due to the fact that I'm immunosuppressed, on heany duty medication which suppresses my immune system do to an autoimmune disease and I'm asthmatic . Also my partner is over 50 and over weight and her sister is recovering from chemo therapy so I just have that extra worry I think.
- Username
- Rosie38Rosie38
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Sorry for typos, I meant my partner, not mum
- Username
- catattakcatattak
- Date posted
- 4y ago
That is really scary as someone who also has big fears around covid. Scoggy really made sense but I struggle with that idea and would understand if you do too. I've never known anyone to wash counters with the same towels you dry your hands with. I grew up in an italian household and on a farm. If we cleared the table to make pasta or pizza, we wiped with paper towel or napkin after disinfectant so that's entirely new to me. I mention farm to say we were all around germs all the time and generally didnt care and we still didn't use hand towels for that. However, we did use hand towels to dry dishes which is something my ocd would hate now. So I suppose that shows where ocd kind of nit picks some of those things. Things I did regularly pre ocd (dry dishes with hand towels) would now be unacceptable with my ocd. So these guys seem pretty reasonable about it all. Something I will do with my hubby when it's all too much for me and I am nagging is just let him know I'm getting overwhelmed, go over the guidelines together for my own sanity, tell him I'm going to trust him here, and then leave the room and not watch him do anything. When I leave and don't see it, I cant nit pick and my brain has nothing to nit pick at. And at the same time I have to trust him because he's the only other person in the house and unless I want to take over the task of grand master maid-disinfecter, I need to let him do some of the house work. I'm really sorry you are going through this. I truly know it is not an easy thing to do with this pandemic.
Related posts
- Username
- g432
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Does anybody else feel like their mom just doesnt understand the extent to which u are suffering with ocd and it makes u so upset. Like i told my mom i was cleaning bc nobody else in the house does. She got so upset and said she always cleans. She meant like vacumming and dishes and stuff, but i meant disinfecting bc i have contamination ocd. But she didnt underatmd me and started saying how she always cleans but im just sleeping in too late to see. She was really upset w me. Then i said that she is thinking the worst of me the while time. Then she said that im the one being so judgy.. what?? Like does she even understand this occupies my life. I literally have dreams about it, my whole life revolves around it. Its the only thing i think about.
- Username
- TrashPanda
- Date posted
- 4y ago
Hey, this is my first time posting and to be honest my first time really openly talking about my ocd so Iām just going to talk into the void and see if it helps. Iām having a really hard time right now and Iāve seen that for a lot of people here that NOCD has a good community of people. Thereās a lot overall to unpack but right now the thing Iām really struggling with is contamination (particularly focused around death and what objects might have come into contact with people who have died, basically.. my wifeās grandmother just passed and Iām having a really awful time. My mother passed a few years ago, which caused me to get really sick and this is the first death Iāve dealt with since and with everything coming into the house that belonged to her (she died in her house.) I keep feeling worse and worse. (This plus covid has been.. awesome.) Multiple showers, hand washing, changing clothes.. I feel really frustrated with myself and completely ashamed because Iām obviously not being a good enough partner. My wife has been there.. sheās trying, sheāll shower or wash her hands if I ask but not without getting furious with me first, she acts as if Iām lying if I say she touched something that really bothers me. She takes it very personally and tells me that I donāt trust her enough (if Iām Anxious and need something repeated.) tonight I got called crazy and honestly I just feel like an ass of a person.
- Username
- m2
- Date posted
- 3y ago
Does anyone have any advice for someone with contamination OCD that is living with a partner without OCD? (Especially given that that partner intentionally or unintentionally sometimes /often says things that make me feel worse/down). I could really use any advice anyone has right now. Things are starting to feel hopeless and I donāt know whether it makes sense to continue with the relationship or if thatās just a temporary feeling in light of what Iām going through. I just feel so alone and misunderstood.
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