my ocd is about Covid. I’ve had all vaccines and am 65. I have had anxiety since the beginning of the pandemic. I’m afraid my anxiety and insomnia put me at a greater risk for infection. And any positive stories would by helpful! I have a husband and 2 adult children that I need to love and enjoy. But the Covid panic is so hard. I also am waking in the night. Getting 4-6 hour of sleep.
my mother passed during the pandemic not from covid.
My therapist says I need to embrace Covid and be willing to catch it and die. That is the way to recover. Do you agree?
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Hypo58
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I don't know that I'd say you need to be willing to catch it and die. But I think what's hard for those of us with OCD is living comfortably with uncertainty. So I would tell yourself repeatedly, "I may get Covid, I may not. It's impossible to know for sure." You've taken reasonable precautions and that's all you can do. I don't want to give you reassurance, but most people who get Covid-19 survive. I understand why this is triggering for you, though. Sending non-infectious hugs!
Sorry for your loss. Think about your mom, you just said in the middle of a pandemic your mom passed of non covid issues. I’m assuming mom was at least 80, she survived covid times but passed of something else. I believe the latest strain “seems” to be less severe and the Drs have a better understanding of it at this point. I think you should tell yourself that and live life enjoying your family so you don’t have regrets, go for it and pray( if you believe in God), I do. 🙏🏻
It's often the case that if a particular infection is doing the rounds, people with OCD will focus on it. This happened when the HIV/AIDS epidemic was at its height, and some people with OCD got themselves tested over and over, and found it hard to accept their tests were actually negative.
Although the therapist has got it pretty much right, don't go out of your way to get yourself infected. Take all the usual and normal precautions that other people take. Current infections from Coronavirus are not so virulent as they were and people are much less ill with it.
To lose your mother must be a hard blow. It's likely that you are still in the grip of grief, and that could be making your OCD worse - I lost my mother 13 years ago and I remember how it felt and how hard it can hit you. Grief is a process that can't be hurried along - it's important to go at your own pace and do it in your own way.
Take care of your health in the normal way, eating properly and exercising sensibly. But don't go overboard. Make a point of going out and about as much as possible - to the supermarket, to a cafe or restaurant or theatre, for a walk, on the bus or train - as people normally do and focus on what's around you rather than what you might (and it's just 'might') catch.
Difficult sleeping - I know how that feels! There is plenty of help on the Sleepio website - just google it. CBT can help with that as well as with OCD.
My anxiety is around giving someone covid. I am a massage therapist, super vaxxed and wear an n95 at work and have my clients mask. When the pandemic hit and we had to start self assessing every day I internalized that list and felt like every possible itch in my nose and throat may be covid I also have asthma with a predisposition towards pneumonia. I pcr tested over 30 times, convinced I may have it each time. I cancelled work multiple times and my work income decreased to 50%.
I lost one job due to my obvious obsessive behavior and reassurance seeking and checking.
I went into residential mental health treatment for 30 days and it really helped.
Effexor has also helped. I got covid in June as well as my ten year old and my husband. It was very relieving. It was no fun, but it did not go into my lungs.a few days of bad body aches, fever, fatigue and a heavy chest. Swollen sinuses and headaches after infection was over.and brain fog. Son and husband were fine.
I am back in residential again, bad cold and flu season sent me back into daily covid testing, panic attacks and high anxiety.
I got pneumonia in jan/ not covid. It was far worse than covid. But I am better now. 51 years old.
Have been here less than a week and starting to feel relaxed. Will be trying rtms.
I went to a public pool today first time without a mask. I felt ok.
Slowly but surely challenging my thinking. I know I will backslide again, but trying to be gentle with myself in the process.
Suggest challenging your anxiety in small ways that feel safe. This virus has changed, much milder. But the fear around it in my opinion and how crippling the fear of causing harm around it for me has been far more crippling then 5 days of acute illness.
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