- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
i feel exactly the same way:(
- Date posted
- 6y
I also struggle with contamination ocd but I try to resist the urge of washing my hands by thinking about how I never used to wash my hands this much before all of this started, and nothing bad happened so why would it now - and I keep thinking about that and try to distract myself until the anxiety fades a bit. It’s hard and it doesn’t always work but it’s a great feeling that you get after you feel you have combatted a compulsion even if it’s just once . I hope this helps :)
- Date posted
- 6y
yeah i have tried to not wash my hands but i still don’t like how my hands feel and I just can’t move on with my daily life without washing them. It feels easier to just wash them and then not have to think about it the rest of the day rather than having them dirty and obsessing over it the rest of the day. @s0ph
- Date posted
- 6y
I know that feeling :( the only thing I could suggest is forcing yourself to do it, obviously you’re going to be incredibly anxious, but sometimes when I’m feeling less anxious than others, I almost play on the ocd, by like touching something when my hands feel dirty and then be kind of like oh well the germs are already out there now so there’s nothing I can do about it, if you get what I mean? :)
- Date posted
- 6y
what’s that @naeun
- Date posted
- 6y
no I have not done it, do u think I need it? @naeun
- Date posted
- 6y
I am 15 @naeun
- Date posted
- 6y
Hey @Emily25. Just want to let you know you’re not alone. I’m 15 as well and have had contamination OCD like yours for about 3 years. Also, normal is entirely overrated. Average won’t get you far (but I completely understand what you mean and what I said is extraordinary cheesy)
- Date posted
- 6y
I just don’t know how to not wash my hands after I eat something. I watch other people do it and wonder how. I hate the way my hands feel after I eat something and I guess it’s normal to not wash them. So what do I do? @sarai
- Date posted
- 6y
The only thing I can suggest is to just try to put up with the uncomfortable feeling for as long as possible, then try to grow on that time. If that’s 30 seconds, not a problem, because later you can do 1 minute. This is pretty much ERP. It feels a bit counterintuitive and painful, but it’s one of the few ways to practice being ‘normal ‘
- Date posted
- 6y
Normal doesn’t exist. See what the worst thing that’s going to happen would be if you didn’t use hand sanitizer and I’m sure you’ll be okay.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 21w
back in october i made my first post about my specific type of ocd, how it mixes in with my day to day and how i “deal” with it. i talked about the starting point, how it gradually got worse, and then how it was going just a few months ago. i always think it’s insane how much can change in just the course of a small to a large amount of time. right now, i honestly feel like garbage. to be quite sincere i really want to give up, i’m barely holding on by a thread. and if i cut that thread, i really doubt anyone would care. i’ve never considered myself to be a suicidal person, and i still don’t consider myself that right now. it just gets to a point where it’s just, a lot to deal with. i don’t really enjoy things a lot nowadays. sure i have good days like everyone does, like today, when i was just enjoying my day without worries. but then it all comes crawling back twice as bad the following days. i take online college so i’m usually just stuck at home most of the time. but, when i do decide to actually go out and leave my house, my ocd just explodes because i have this whole routine i need to do or else i feel like i’ll contaminate wherever i end up going. i’m not going to go really deep into my compulsions because it’s hard enough to live with them, much more having to type them all out in detail. but when i go out my compulsions go from wiping down all my stuff i’m going to use after showering, to washing my clothes/cleaning the washer + dryer. i also have separate things (or two of the same thing) i use specifically in my house, and items i use when going out. such as shampoo/body wash, deodorant, lotion, hair curler, etc. as if that’s not draining enough, i also feel the need to fast a couple days prior to any plan i make because i’ve forced myself to believe i need to feel empty in order to be clean. i’m not sure if that’s my past eating disorder talking, or my ocd, but my brain can’t help but think any food in my house is utterly and completely contaminated. i’m so tired of this feeling, feeling like nothing will ever be clean again. feeling like my ocd is trapped in my childhood home. feeling that wave of diseases rushing through my veins the moment i step foot into what’s supposed to be “home”. and i’m so scared of therapy because what if i do get healed, and then everything comes rushing back the second i step into my room. i’m planning on moving somewhere far from my current house in this next coming year, so sometimes i feel like just waiting it out. but it’s insufferable when going to hangout with someone. i miss my friends, my family, and my partner. it’s crazy to me that i’m dealing with all this at the young age of 18 but, i’m sure lots of people have it way worse. i just want to find a way out, any possible way. but i keep pushing myself deeper and deeper that when i finally find a way, it will no longer exist.
- Date posted
- 17w
Recently, I’ve been struggling a ton with what I eat/put into my body? I’m a first year college student with a few different health issues (including IBS), and lately it’s been hard for me to find food on campus that doesn’t upset my stomach. I also have pretty severe emetophobia, and feel extremely anxious when I feel sick. The ironic thing is that being anxious makes me feel even worse, so I end up sticking myself in an impossible loophole. My OCD has taken hold of these fears over the past few months, and it’s been such a struggle. Especially since people have been getting food poisoning from various dining halls on my campus lately. My OCD has gotten so bad that sometimes I’m too afraid to eat food other than what I buy myself. I feel so trapped. I don’t want my OCD to affect my physical health or prevent me from eating, bc I love eating!! It’s the fear of getting sick that’s the problem. And it’s even harder when everything is so unfamiliar. Just wondering if anyone could relate. Advice is appreciated!
- Date posted
- 16w
Hi, I’m new to this app and newly diagnosed. Question for you all, What things did you normalize and do without a second thought that when diagnosed, you realized was actually your OCD? Mine was how concerned with germs I am. I hold my breath when I open a door so the rush of wind doesn’t infect my lungs from whatever is in the room. I thought everyone was really careful and concerned like me. But Ive learned it’s not normal the lengths I go to. What was yours?
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