- Date posted
- 7y
- Date posted
- 7y
Can you try a different chair for a minute?
- Date posted
- 7y
^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 :)
- Date posted
- 7y
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
- Date posted
- 7y
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
- Date posted
- 7y
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
- Date posted
- 7y
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
- Date posted
- 7y
Me too! I have a section of the couch that no one else is allowed to touch. d a i s y
- Date posted
- 7y
Wow, that’s a lot of chairs.
- Date posted
- 7y
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
- Date posted
- 7y
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
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 7y
Yeah, I can relate. I am limited too as far as where I can sit. OCD is a bizarre disorder, no doubt!
- Date posted
- 7y
I can relate! contamination ocd is so strong
- Date posted
- 7y
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!
- Date posted
- 7y
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!
- Date posted
- 7y
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!
- Date posted
- 7y
Sounds great! Keep breaking down the steps till it’s manageable... even 15 or 30 second progressions matter! Hang in there :)
- Date posted
- 7y
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!
- Date posted
- 7y
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
Related posts
- Date posted
- 21w
I wanted to come on here and explain my OCD because I always feel so out of place since my OCD works a little differently than everyone else’s. If someone can relate to this, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I’ve always felt so alone with not knowing what this feeling is and why it affects me so much. Okay so ever since I was a toddler, Ive had a fear of change I can’t control. when the weather changes I’d have anxiety attacks, and a cloudy day would make me feel like i’m not myself. I don’t recognize my surroundings and I would cry and close my eyes until I’m back to normal. When it was still bright out at 8pm in the summer, as a kid, we’d go to bed at 8:30. But I’d tell my dad that I couldn’t go to bed. Not because of the sun, but because I wasn’t used to it. I vividly remember how different my room would feel when the sun was setting at 9pm. I hated it to the point where it’d make me anxious and scared. As I’ve grown, I’ve understood what causes me to feel so out of place when it’s a rainy day. My routine has always been the same for the most part: I wake up, I run to the store to get a monster, I clean/watch tv/work/hangout with friends, and then at night (which is crucial), I’m in bed around 10pm & I burn incense and watch tv for a bit until i’m ready to sleep. When things get in the way of that schedule, I go in panic mode. It’s almost like derealization when something is off in my normal routine. Like I feel like I’m in a different home, a different timeline, a dream almost. Since i’m older, It takes more for me to feel this way, but when I was younger, just watching a movie in my room would set me off because I’ve never watched a movie as a part of my routine. I know this is all over the place but I always wonder if everyone feels this way, but my OCD just intensifies it. It’s such a big part of my life, this sort of anxiety. And I don’t know how to get rid of it. I want to have my friends stay the night, but I can’t have people overnight in my room because it’ll change the whole “vibe” of the room. Something unfamiliar happening in my room is a nightmare for me. Another thing: I enjoy rearranging my room quite often and I figure that’s because It’s change I can control. But I always dread the night after it’s changed and I have to force myself into getting used to how it feels and being used to the way things are. But it really takes a toll on me; sometimes I end up crying because of it. ALSO! This affects relationships as well. If I’m in a relationship, I have to let in someone who has never been apart of my routine and my schedule before and that’s terrifying and almost impossible to get past. I know if I just let myself get used to the new feeling of having someone APART of my routine/schedule I can get used to it, but it’s harddd. Lastly, going overnight to people’s houses isn’t awful for me, because It doesn’t affect what’s mine. Does that make sense? Since I’m not in my room, my house, my backyard, etc, there’s nothing to change. Only the fact that i’m in a different place which used to be an issue, but my body/mind has accepted that I will go to different places and i’m very optimistic so i’m not one to just live in a bubble for the rest of my life. I would love to travel, but I don’t know how I could when I fear so much change. I leave for college soon and i’m DREADING the change because I know a whole different room is going to have me stressing 😭😭. If anyone understands this feeling even just by a little, I greatly appreciate if you leave a comment or even if u don’t relate, advice would be helpful:) Thank you!
- Date posted
- 20w
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.
- Date posted
- 20w
i haven’t left my house in a whole month because of contamination OCD and it’s extremely isolating i don’t know what to do anymore i just want to be able to be happy again i feel so alone i just wish i never had this at all sometimes i just think to myself and say why me why me
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