- 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
- 23w
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
- 22w
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???
- Date posted
- 20w
Does anyone have any tips that helped them? Mine is due to a specific person and I work with them so it’s been really difficult. I’ve started ERP which has been reaaalllllly challenging and I would love to hear from anyone else that has gone through any type of contamination ocd and how they have overcome or are fighting their way through it. Thank you!l
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