 Colds, Germs, Sickness AHHHH!
This is my first time using this board so I'll start with hello. I'm 37 yr. old female. First, how severe of OCD does this sound to you, and do many have similar experiances, what are they like? My worst thing of all is colds, germs etc. At restaurants (and in public)first thing I do is access who may be sick, the I watch and agonize over there habits sneezing, coughing into thier hands, blowing nose without washing afterward, touching thier face, etc. People licking thier fingers, ahhhhhh! Then they're exchanging money afterwards, or using buffet table serving spoons, touching surfaces ugh! I have the clean my hands with antibacterial wipes whenever I touch money or anything in public, because it may have been touched by a sick person. If I get change I stick it in my pocket, clean my hands and won't touch it again for a day or so. I make my mate do the same (to the point of being very annoying) because they may get sick or touch something of mine. If they get a cold or whatever, I soap all the doorknobs, lightswitchs, handles at home, wash my hands whenever I feel I may have been "contaminated", maintain no contact. Keep "personal" silverware in the back of the drawer, I cannot stop thinking about it. I do these things all day long! It is not so bad when I am at home, and they are not ill altough if they cough, sniff or sneeze I think about it. When I was younger I was bulemic, thought about even absorbing oil through my fingertips. I can't stand crunching noises, people eating popcorn, chips with mouth open. I can't take people touching thier face sick or not. BLAH! This is really just the tip of the iceberg it seems. And I seem to need to over explain things, can you tell? Ha! I've never been clinically diagnosed but it is pretty obvious to me Anyhow, can you relate, people like me out there? Anything you do that helps? Also there will be an another post on this OCD protecting itself, seeming like a self preserving illness? Plus intelligence and strep. Thanks ahead of time.
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~tigerdream~
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~tigerdream~
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) I am a recovering "germ-freak" as I called myself. My obsession started when I had a baby and someone told me not to let her get sick as a newborn. I suddenly became aware of germs everywhere. I wouldn't let anyone touch her without washing their hands first, I bleached or boiled everything, public restroom suddenly became places of horror and stress. I also worried about people touching doorknobs, about shoes walking on bathroom floors and then into my house, etc. I also struggled (still do, to some extent) with the thought of food poisoning from chicken, etc..) I am getting better, slowly. It has helped to see my daughter (now almost 5) put really disgusting things in her mouth with no harm done. I also try to tell myself..it is better to get sick from germs than to be crazy or stressed all the time. Anyway, I know I don't have severe ocd, and haven't struggled with it all my life, but I can relate to some of the stress and anxiety (and strained marriage) of that type of thought process.
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