help please

[doglover223]

hello soo I've been to crufts and my old seems to be getting worse I've been told its because im so tired of doing the challenges to get there anyone else experienced this also loads of thing in my house are now contaminated because if I touch something when I haven't yet washed my hands then again after I did the touch my clothes then my clothes touched the sofa they all get contaminated its stressing me the fuck out can anyone help please or reasure me that that's normal and that touching it is fine and I can go about my daily life please

[doglover223]

Ocd sorry for the spelling mistake

[Sallyskins]

I know how this feels, but resist the temptation to throw things out. For one thing, it's wasteful, and for another, of course they're not really contaminated.

There are germs anywhere you go. Most of them are either harmless or beneficial. And the problem with getting rid of all germs, is that you leave a space for the harmful ones to get in. Think of a building with squatters. These squatters are nice people - they take care of the place and clean up after themselves. They may actually do a bit of painting and decorating. Then someone decides to get tough on squatters and evicts them. Then the nasty ones move in, wrecking the place and leaving dirty needles and beer cans all over the place.

Does this make sense? Accept that there are going to be germs around you, including on you and inside you, and remember that they're harmless or actually helpful, and help keep the nasty germs away.

It's a hard journey dealing with OCD. And the more you feed the OCD by washing yourself and your belongings, the more that OCD demands of you.

But there is a lot you can do to help yourself. Get at least a little bit used to feeling dirty. I don't mean filthy dirty, just do the sort of normal hygienic things anyone else would and then accept that that is clean enough.

On feeling the urge to shower or put your still-clean clothes in the machine, wait. Try ten minutes or so, and let the feeling of being filthy surge and take you over. Then try to wait a little longer and wait for it to subside.

If it won't subside? It does. It takes a little practice, and often you will give in and want to wash, but the more you try this out, the easier it gets.

I know how exhausting having OCD is. It saps your energy and leaves you with hardly enough to function with. Feeling that you have to do yet another ritual, have another shower, wash things over again - it's all too much. I know!

Just managing to cut down the washing a little bit will make such a difference to your life and leave you time and energy for other, more worthwhile things.

[doglover223 in reply to Sallyskins]

thanks can I keep in touch your idea of the squatters is good thanks

[Sallyskins in reply to doglover223]

By all means keep in touch!

[LiveOutLove_22]

I struggle with the same thing. I have contamination OCD. I got diagnosed when I was 21-22 so in college. I am now 28 years old and just now started seeing a therapist and began my ERP journey. Although I have made immense progress in my journey, I'm still new to it. I struggle with it every day. I wake up and worry how I'm going to feel and I'f I get sick. But I'm starting to realize that germs and sickness is everywhere around us we can avoid it. My therapist and I have come up with a weekly schedule for me. Instead of quicking cold turkey the term that is used. Try to delay. For example I used to wash clothes every day now I wash two times a week. I am a huge cleaner and sanitizer. Instead of cleaning and santize my room with clorox wipes everyday i do it once a week. So although I still have a long way to go I'm realizng that germs and sickness is everywhere. But how I can react to it I get to control. Another thing my therapist recommended to me is the 80% rule. She told me what would 80% of the population do. Most people or the average person does not clorox their room everday or wash there clothes everday or lysol there furniture everyday so try to think of it like that. I know that it has really helped me. Hope it can help you, but know that I completely understand you and I'm rooting for you on your journey.