I am a male and to be honest I think I have always had OCD on and off all my life maybe because my lovely mum was very regimental in her ways with me as a young child.
I have always had to move items into straight lines or at an angle depending on the situation and measuring things to be accurate and central when fixing stuff around the house !but in later years it’s more polishing we recently moved to a new build house and it’s got very bad in that if someone uses a chrome door handle or tap I feel that I must get my polishing mitt and rub it to remove all finger prints ! Also if we use the sink ! Me included I need to dry and polish it completely ! Do badicly if we have showers I must be the last one in so I can spend st Kraft 30-40 min drying and cleaning the shower Taps glass etc I think it actually feels like a relief when it’s done but I do realise I have a problem as do my partner and my step daughters who badicly go along with it to stop me stressing out ! I am now wondering what help I could get with this and where that help will come from ?
It must take up a lot of my life to be honest and I am still working full time at the age of 62 so it’s tiring
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Mission100
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3 Replies
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hi mission,i would hot blam your mum,ocd runs in famileys look back on your fimiley
to find somone with similer things.your 62,im 75 in later years its affected me,in doing
unsosial things,i like you have allway had trates of ocd things have to be I just right places
if I do things its got to be perfect,this by the way to my employers,i was a engineer.had
beniforts they allway gave me difficult jobs that no one else could do,collecting things
a night mare,if I like something ill by another even if I don't need it,and so on mission.
No I don’t really blame my old mum it’s just think she was a little OCD herself back in my early years ! I likevyou have always done my job meticulously ( motor vehicle technician) and being self employed since 1984 I suppose it’s served me well !
My customers appreciate my eye for detail I think !
However the polishing thing is really a bit of a hard life and would love to feel more relaxed in our new home but find it so difficult
Having OCD often means doing things that are time consuming and exhausting. The relief one feels afterwards often comes after an exhausting ritual. And as you have found out, other members of the family are drawn into your rituals.
There is a lot of help available. For a start, go to your doctor and explain, and ask for a referral to a Community Mental Health Team. Medication can also be helpful, usually in the form of an SSRI antidepressant, and this is best used in conjunction with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. It can be uncomfortable, because it involves not doing your rituals, cleaning, straightening etc and just leaving them until the stressful feelings go down.
It's often the case that what is normal behaviour, such as a wish to have things straight and neat and clean becomes OCD. It is OCD when it causes you and those around you distress and when it interferes with your day to day life.
Have a read of these. It's possible to make a start on your own therapy.
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