I have 25 chairs in my house. Because of contamination OCD, I can only sit on 3. Does anybody relate to this sort of thing? d a i s y

Can you try a different chair for a minute?

^like Meg above, I happen to think that is an amazingly opportunity to use this for an exposure. Try it! I’m super excited for you :)

d-man that sounds like a really good plan! Tonight before my shower I’m going to try and sit in a contaminated chair for 1 minute :) hopefully I’ll be able to perform an “ultimate boss” ritual in no time! I’m really scared but I know I’ve got the support of this community and I know you guys know exactly what this fear is like. Being able to talk is a complete game changer!! Thanks for the advice Maxie! I use antibacterial spray and hand sanitizer to clean contaminated objects! Thank you guys so much! I hope I can help you like you’ve helped me :) d a i s y

Hi d-man! I completely agree :)) I tried sitting on a contaminated surface last night and had to change my clothes straight away because I was so anxious. I’m going to try again this morning with a chair that’s less petrifying. I’ll let you know how it goes! Thanks so much for you support! :) d a i s y

You’re so wonderful! I’m so excited to say tonight I managed to put on some pants that I thought were contaminated from a chair. I’ve told myself I’m allowed to cleanse in a few minutes. I didn’t have the best experience with a contaminated t-shirt however, I had to change it and sanitise straight away. I’m happy with the little progress I’ve made though. Any step forward is a good one. Thank you so much for your help and encouragement! Is there anything I could help you with? Thanks again d-man :) d a i s y

I have the same thing but i tend to avoid chairs and will only sit on a specific couch on a specific side because noone sits there

Me too! I have a section of the couch that no one else is allowed to touch. d a i s y

Wow, that’s a lot of chairs.

Aw thank you Meg and d-man for thinking of me. This truely is an incredible community. I’m worried when I sit on a contaminated chair that I’ll be contaminated for the rest of the day and unable to touch any “safe” objects without contaminating them. Then I panic I will no longer have any safe places. This is so hard but I’m definitely thinking about it! Thank you so much for your kindness and thoughtfulness. d a i s y

I’m so excited :) Aw I hope you’re feeling better soon! I’m always here to help! Let me know how :) Thanks again d-man, you’re so fantastic. d a i s y

Yeah, I can relate. I am limited too as far as where I can sit. OCD is a bizarre disorder, no doubt!

I can relate! contamination ocd is so strong

A piece of advice I’d give u so that you dont panic and dont have to avoid maybe social situations, is using anti bacterial wipes or sprays, it’s definitely not a solution but personally it helps me not panic so much about it!

You could possibly break down the exposure into steps. If let’s say you can ‘restart’ the contamination by doing certain things like showering, you could first start by sitting in a contaminated chair for x minutes, then taking a shower. Then lengthen that time with each exposure, challenging yourself but not overly so. You can set the exposure of sitting in a contaminated chair and then in a safe chair as an ‘ultimate boss’ exposure, and reward yourself when you eventually work your way up to that level of exposure!

Research also shows that holding yourself accountable really helps drive results, so if you don’t mind, you could update us on how you’re going with it :) no pressure!

Sounds great! Keep breaking down the steps till it’s manageable... even 15 or 30 second progressions matter! Hang in there :)

Oh boy, that’s awesome! Yes you’ve got a clear path of progression. Now it’s breathing easy and taking it gradually. Super happy for you :) I’m not sure. A little in the doldrums, but that’s life isn’t it!

It sure is! I’m sitting on one of my “safe” chairs as we speak haha. Oh well, we’re gonna get through this. d a i s y