- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
NO STOP COMPULSION!! antibacterial etc is most worse.. You must resist to compulsion no feet them!
- Date posted
- 6y
Sorry Zilen, I’m not a professional, that is just how I deal with mine. I prefer to use methods like this than filling my body with a bunch of medications. It is still important to know more about how bacteria works, in my opinion, because it gives me a more rational argument against my COCD. Of course a professional would have better suggestions in coping mentally, but it is not always immediate and little things like this help me get through bad days.
- Date posted
- 6y
I had this compulsion no anymore help me a book and my psychologist.. You must stand with anxiety no compulsions
- Date posted
- 6y
Thanks both. To clarify I’m not looking for compulsion tips, I’m looking for ways to be able to deal with the contamination uncertainty without over sanitizing. Some examples were letting the thoughts pass, focusing energy elsewhere etc.
- Date posted
- 6y
Yes, of course psychological treatment is the best way to go, and I wasn’t saying my suggestions were a direct solution. I was just trying to share some things that help me cut down on shower time, which is what the original post was asking about. In no way did I ever mean these things to be a permanent solution, but it does make it easier for me while going through treatment. In no way am I professional and I struggle with this also, so I understand what you are saying. However, the OP does not need to take my suggestions into account if they do not believe it would be helpful for them. In my opinion, this is not something that should be continued as a long term solution. But, it is much better to do this on bad days than to break down and cry in the shower scrubbing my skin raw, wishing it all would stop. That was the only point I was trying to make and not everyone can get rid of compulsions as soon or as easily as you might have, or they may compound with other compulsions. For me, my COCD is a significant trigger for my HOCD which can be very dangerous.
- Date posted
- 6y
You must think that OCD is worse from any bactirial, dirty etc.. And if you stand with anxiety in a few weeks it gone
- Date posted
- 6y
Good luck
- Date posted
- 6y
I always carry disinfectant wipes on me so I don’t have to touch doorknobs and stuff like that. They have smaller packages for on the go but you can also take some from a bigger container and keep them in a ziplock bag so they don’t dry out. I also carry a bottle of hand sanitizer for when I have to touch things I don’t want to. They have quite a few antibacterial body washes ranging from dial to hibiclens, which is a medical grade product. There is also an anti bacterial shampoo called Anti-B which could be really helpful for you as well. The important thing to remember with contamination ocd, for me atleast, is that germs/bacteria can be killed with good soap and warm water. It doesn’t need to be an excessive amount of water either, it is the temperature and rinse that kills it off. Another thing you could do is rinse with rubbing alcohol or something like that in the shower before you turn the water on but that can dry your skin out significantly and can be expensive, although I’m sure it is comparable to the water bill if I were to do the math. I would highly recommend investing in more anti bacterial and anti microbial products. another thing that always helps me is wearing long sleeves/pants when I can. Even if it is hot outside I will wear a maxi skirt or tights on my legs or a light cardigan/shawl over my arms to prevent me from bumping directly into other people/things in public. Hope this helps you out a little!
- Date posted
- 6y
Also Lark, sorry for getting so off track, I just wanted to make my intentions clear. Have you tried relaxation techniques such as mindfulness and meditation? When I am really in a bad spot it can be hard to meditate on my own and clear all my thoughts so I use guided meditations on Spotify, there are tons if you just search ‘guided meditations’. If you don’t have Spotify there are tons on YouTube as well and some of them are visually aided which can be very helpful. A lot of Buddhist sites have other mindfulness techniques of many different types that can be very helpful including stretching, yoga, drawing/coloring, etc. I use this for almost everything from my ocd, and panic attacks to insomnia or even when I am mad at someone or stressed about work/bills whatever. It is a great reset during the day as they have ones that are as short as ten minutes or as long as an hour or so. I think of it as a little mini nap to kind of reboot my brain, so to speak. You should also look into using mandalas to meditate, especially if you obsess over balance/symmetry like I do, this is another Buddhist technique. Although I am not religious, and in no way am I trying to force a religion on to you, the principles of Buddhism focus around self awareness, mindfulness and finding peace in yourself. And who doesn’t want that after fighting a battle in your own brain every day?
- Date posted
- 6y
I have hocd too. And wash feet it.. Break a cycle
- Date posted
- 5y
I need help ugh
Related posts
- Date posted
- 21w
(long read ahead, sorry lol) I’ve struggled with ocd for as far back as I can remember. I find that it gets worse with stress, and recently I’ve really been struggling with the contamination aspect of my ocd. I’m worried about it becoming unmanageable and negatively affecting my relationship with my partner. I’ve been living with my boyfriend since January (got kicked out of my house a week after I turned 18, it’s for the better though my house is toxic as hell) and I love living with him, but him and his family aren’t as concerned with cleaning as I am used to. My boyfriend and I have been together going on 2 years and there’s been many times throughout our relationship that his struggle with depression severely impacted his ability to keep up with cleaning his room. This is something I completely understand because I’ve struggled with it too so i’ve often helped him clean, and since i’ve moved in he’s done so much better at keeping up with cleaning (especially because he knows about my issues with clutter, mess, germs, etc.) He is really good at being accommodating towards my needs (not overly so, i’m aware that recovering includes accepting being uncomfortable), but it’s so hard for me to differentiate between what is the normal standard for cleanliness and hygiene and what’s excessive and unhealthy. I get so stressed out every single day over the thought of how dirty everything is. He has 3 cats that mainly stay in his room (he has a catio attached to his window/side of the house) and dogs which stay on the opposite side of the house and backyard, so there is fur everywhere constantly (i’m also allergic to cats but it’s not severe). I can’t stop thinking about how they are getting germs from their litter box all over everything. They also used to piss under his bed and in his closet when his room used to be a mess and it’s soaked into the floor so no matter what it stinks. It’s so hard to bring myself to walk around the house without slippers because my feet will get visibly dirty and my socks would get covered in hair. I always think about how my boyfriend sometimes walks on the rugs in the bathroom in shoes and all the germs that spreads. There’s so many more things but this is already getting long and I am shaking just thinking about how unclean everything is. I want to deep clean the entire house myself so I can get it to where It’s not like psychological torture everyday and it’s easier to maintain but I have been so busy I don’t have the time. I am worried about my boyfriend thinking I don’t like living with him or that I think that’s he’s dirty but i don’t. We have had several conversations about this and he’s reassured me that he knows none of my obsessive thoughts are personal but I still feel so bad about it. I would like to get therapy to help work through this but currently that is not an option for me. I know things will get better once I get through the main things in my life that are causing a lot of stress and therefore making my ocd flair up, but I need advice on what to do in the mean time. I keep having moments where all I can do is shake and cry and clean and I feel bad for my poor boyfriend who can only sit next to me and try to comfort me or help me clean. I also don’t want to make him worried that nothing he does is enough for me (i’ve also already talked to him about this and told him about how I can never even be clean enough for myself and that I don’t think he’s dirty). There’s been many times where I want to tell him to do things that I think might be my own unhealthy compulsions (ex. not wearing shoes in the house or in our room, not getting into bed with socks on, making sure to completely dry off before getting out the shower, put makeup and jewelry back where they belong right after using them, etc.) but i can’t tell if they’re reasonable or not and i try to not tell him unless it’s something that severely distresses me. I’m aware that everything is going to have germs no matter what and have been using NER’s to help manage my thought spirals/rumination. I know that I shouldn’t keep doing compulsions because it just offers temporary relief and makes the problem worse because nothing will ever be enough. I just feeling so overwhelmed and hopeless and exhausted and want some feedback.
- Date posted
- 18w
sorry this is super long i just wanna know if anyone else has been thru something similar bc i feel super alone 🩷 i have super bad contamination ocd. it was bad already but my house was like my safe space until a few months ago someone brought something into my house that i considered ‘contaminated’. and so then i felt like that part of the house was contaminated, then it spread to everything outside my room (since family is moving around touching stuff) and then somehow i got convinced everything in my room except my bed is contaminated and i need to wash my hands after touching it. in my mind its like the contamination just infinitely spreads to things after the tiniest bit of touch. idek what im afraid of anymore or even what the original thing was but i can’t let it go. when i have to wash off contamination i have to wash at least 4 times or until it feels right, or sometimes take rlly long showers and wipe down all my stuff. i even throw away food and clothes or just whole items sometimes because they feel so contaminated i don’t want them in my space. i can’t be super near people or have anyone touch me, and i also can’t bring anything new into my room since it had to go through the entry of my house which feels contaminated. i feel like all i do is lay in bed and then wash my hands and do compulsions so i can go eat or do other stuff around the house. also i never go out because i’m bc people outside make me feel dirty, and i hate thinking about how many people have touched stuff in stores or in public and stuff. so im just in my room worrying all day. i feel so trapped and the contamination/avoiding it is all i think about anymore i barely have time for anything else and im never present when i talk to people because im worrying about if i accidentally got contaminated. im starting erp next week and knowing that im going to have to expose myself to things is really freaking me out. does anyone else have this kind of ocd ? im exhaustedddd 🥲🥲💔
- Date posted
- 17w
This is a repost, only because the last post had no responses lol. Please if you have any advice share. I’ve been trying hard to sit with the feeling of anxiety. Actually that’s the problem, recently I’ve been trying to sit with the thought (and I’m able to for a few hours or until the next morning) and then my anxiety comes back so strong and it’s like I need to clean everything off. I see images of gross laundry getting on everything or my hand and then I need to clean everything off to un contaminate it. Sometimes the thought happens later at night so I just sleep through and the next morning I will wake up with intense anxiety about contamination. That happened yesterday and I had to clean everything off and since then I’ve been traumatized so I’ve been doing compulsions like avoiding the bathroom and being around people so I know I couldn’t have done anything wrong. Actually recently my biggest compulsion has been recording every time I get up to go eat, etc so that I know I couldn’t have done anything. Any advice or help???
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