- Username
- Lil~Z
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Thanks guys, I thought I was going crazy. I’m gonna try to just ignore that feeling of washing them push through. It seems like if I touch something that I feel is dirty and feel the need to wash my hands, if I get distracted or wait like 5 min, I sometimes can’t remember what I was worried about and move on without washing. But then next obsession starts?
Hi there, I am sorry that you're struggling with this. I also am having trouble with hand washing now. From what I have been learning in therapy it's best to practice Exposure Response Prevention. Try to start with noticing when you feel the "impulse" to wash, notice the thoughts associated with the fear and resist performing the compulsion (hand washing). Stopping compulsions is the key to beating OCD. There is also such a thing as mental compulsions such as mentally reviewing a situation (it's a form of checking). You can do this! I need to follow this myself..
Thank you. I’m going to try this and hope I improve!
Thank you gardengoddess. I will try this for sure. I think i maybe slowly improving but still have much not progress to make.
Hi, I have this problem too. I managed to (sort of) get it under control by postponing washing my hands each time I had the compulsion. If my OCD was telling me to wash my hands, I would set a timer (usually for 20-30 minutes). When the timer was finished, I was allowed to wash my hands. Over time you can increase the time on the timer. When I started using this technique I could only postpone for one minute but it does get better if you persist with it although I do understand that it is difficult. I hope that makes sense. Good luck! ?
Lil Z, you are not going crazy. You can rest assured about that. Although I can definitely relate to the worry about "am I going crazy"? That worry alone can be apart of OCD, and increases anxiety. It sounds like you're building some great skills for yourself with your OCD! Great job keep it up! I understand what you are experiencing. The idea with exposure response prevention is not to ignore the feeling that results when we are facing an obsession (such as feeling the need to wash our hands in response to a fear -usually sparked by an intrusive thought). I think what you're doing is GREAT!! Going forward, I recommend allowing and accepting yourself to feel the feeling you are feeling such as anxiety, etc whatever the feeling is that arises from not washing your hands, sit with it. Allow it to be present without obeying what it is compelling you to do (wash hands). As you practice this over time, the compelling need to hand wash should dissipate. Go you!! The idea is to sit with the feeling, not push it away. Delaying the hand washing until the need disappears can help too!!
You're welcome, I hope it's helpful. I definitely understand how hard OCD is. I've just been learning about my OCD more recently and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface.
I’ve just started doing this worse than I ever have before and it’s caused my hands to be red and dry and painful. I haven’t found anything to help me at this point in time unfortunately, I just want you to know you aren’t alone I’m dealing with this. ♥️
I hope it goes well!
my ocd is controlling my life. I can’t stop washing my hands and I always think they have to be clean before I go anywhere or else my whole day will be ruined. I hate the thought of being unclean and I don’t want to spread germs. I wash my hands even when I don’t have to. Anyone have any advice please?
hi, I’m emily and I’ve been living with ocd for about 2 years now. I’ve always had contamination ocd and always feel like I have to wash my hands after I touch anything. I don’t know how to live life without my hands being clean. For instance, i could eat something and get my hands dirty and I wouldn’t like how they feel. Do u know how to not wash ur hands in this situation? I also just think about my hands throughout the whole day and I just want to live a normal life like a normal person but my ocd is in the way. How do I become normal again?
i have really bad contamination ocd and i can honestly get through my days without panic attacks but it always requires that i have hand sanitizer, wet wipes and access to wash my hands and be able to shower afterwards. i’m feeling like there’s no hope because i can get through the days okay and i try not to let other people know about it because i deal with it all privately but i’m afraid i’ll never be able to stop with all of the cleaning throughout the day. does anyone have tips to stop cleaning their hands or anywhere that may have gotten “dirty” or anything like that? thank you (:
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