Pandemic

[Heart2031]

Is anyone else experiencing severe anxiety and paranoia related to covid? When covid first happened I found my self being cautious, but it didn’t stop me from going out ( in a safe manner). Now it’s as if I have it in my head that each time I leave the house I somehow contracted covid. Either because I didn’t sanitize my hands well enough, my mask wasn’t on tight enough or because I didn’t clean my phone when I came home from the grocery store and now I gave it to all my friends and family and they will contract.. It’s gotten to the point where it’s affecting my relationships as I can’t even get out of my head enough to see my friends since I always believe I have covid. I can’t even trust my own symptoms I always find a way to make my self believe I have it even when I know I truly don’t. And social distancing used to make me feel secure but now that doesn’t even give me a piece of mind. Anyone else going through anything similar? Please any advice or help would be so appreciated...

[MothFir]

My OCD hasn't latched onto COVID (yet) but I know a lot of people struggle with it.

I think your best approach would start with deciding what are reasonable precautions versus what are OCD fears. It sounds like you used to have a reasonably safe, non-obsessive system for going out. If you need to double-check, you could read the latest official guidelines for proper hand sanitizing, mask-wearing, distancing, etc. But do NOT do this compulsively -- just check once and then use that as a baseline for what is responsible behavior.

Once you know what a safe, non-obsessive person should do, try to resist OCD's demands that you do a lot of extra stuff or worry constantly that you have messed up in some small way. Remember that OCD's rules and the anxiety that comes when you disobey them feel as real as genuine rules and anxiety. That's why it's important to rationally decide what's really necessary before you go out -- you can't rely on your feelings when you get there. When OCD shows up and makes you feel like you are spreading COVID because your mask is too loose (when it's not), or you didn't sanitize your hands enough (when you did), or you're infecting everyone (when you're not), you'll have to remember that you're following the correct, official guidelines, and that your feelings of guilt and contamination are fake. In the end, if you ignore the fears and accept the anxiety that results, you will notice that the anxiety lessens and the fears have less power over you. (This is the basis of ERP therapy, which you should read up on if you're not familiar with it.)

You will also have to accept that you can't be 100% certain that you are not going to become infected or infect someone. You may follow all the official guidelines as best as humanly possible and it still turns out to be not enough. I don't say that to make you worry more, but part of living with OCD is accepting that there is always a chance our fears could come true -- we can't control everything. However, you can learn to live with some risk, just as we all live with slight risk when we get on airplanes, ride in cars or buses, eat food we could potentially choke on, or swim in water that's over our heads. Just use your rational self to decide what risks you are willing to take, and don't let OCD convince you that a small risk is actually a certain guarantee of doom.

[Heart2031 in reply to MothFir]

Thank you so much. I appreciate your advice a lot.

[Tikirob]

I worried about Covid initially but it still had to compete with my other OCD fears.

[Hidden]

Hi Heart2031, You are describing what I am going through EXACTLY. So you are definitely not alone. Thank you for sharing your experience. The past 6 weeks I have developed a chronic sore throat and despite two negative COVID tests, I am still petrified to contaminate others. I was even too scared to go see my doctor about it in case I contaminated her. (Or picked up something there.) So you are definitely not alone. But it's reached a point where I HAVE to get my life back so I am going to do an online OCD course. I also read Shala Nicely's website, blog and book and am feeling inspired and motivated and ready to get my life back. She is amazing. She has many links to excellent resources also. Perhaps you can also find some motivation and excellent advice from her site.

I also found this page comforting: iocdf.org/covid19/covid-19-...

Good luck. I take comfort in knowing that it turns out this is a treatable condition, and that we will come out stronger and with new life skills when we get through it. Hang in there. We can do this!!!

[grayson12]

Many people feel that way and they do not have OCD. I am a diabetic and my Dr. told me to stay away from Gyms, Bars and Restuarants. This is always an uncertainty. However if you have an N95 Mask you filter 95% of the air. Wash your hands and distance. This is all you can do. If you follow these guidlines you

should have very good protection. Take the chance to go out but follow this information.

Good Luck

[VirginiaGal]

Definitely. I've always been very germ-aware anyway--sanitizer always with me. But the Covid-stress has gotten more worse than better. I try to reason with myself--what is logical and prudent and what is illogical. That helps. Talking to friends about it helps, too.