Contaminated handle need help!

[Phil10]

I have ocd and I have a fear a door handle is contaminated. What happened is my mum touched the wheelie bin then my front door. She use to unblock toilets and put them in the bin so I fear everyone is ruined. I was told by people use exposure and touch the handle and was also told use anti bacterial wipes. I did this and I worried more I worry my phone will transfer germs everywhere. Now when I wash my hands I seen awful and have a tingling feeling that they are dirty. I feel awful I have a stag night and wedding coming up and think everything is ruined can anybody give me any advice?

 

[RobbyH]

There are tons of germs everywhere - we simply can't avoid them BUT fortunately our body's immune system is usually strong enough to combat them plus the germs potency lessens the more they are exposed to temperatures, air, etc.

I am some what of a germaphobic but I just remind myself that my body can handle it and go on

 

[Phil10]

Yes but my urge is to replace the door and phone. I now worry blocked toilet germs have spread my hands feel dirty I am getting tingling feelings that they are not clean now as this event happened?

 

[RobbyH]

Buy some Clorox wipes and clean those areas

 

[Phil10]

Yes I tried wipes but it’s not helped I feel awful. The last time this happened the window fitter touched my wash basket when he installed new windows. The result was I moved house

 

[RobbyH]

Have you considered seeing a therapist about this?

 

[Phil10]

I had 8 sessions of Cbt between end of 2018 and upto February 2019 things got better but quickly got worse

 

[RobbyH]

Were you prescribed any medication(s)? If so, are you still on them?

 

[Phil10]

Im on beta blockers it reduces the anxiety and some bipolar meds but I don’t have anything else I take

 

[Brad66]

Have you heard of the book Brain Lock? It's a very informative book about changing the way your brain responses to OCD and helps you understand how to cope with it better.

 

[Mandyhiero]

I’m currently reading a book called Eat Dirt by Dr. Josh Axe. He talks about the importance of going out and getting your hands dirty, eating things that come from the earth and as close to natural as possible. It’s about leaky gut but I’ve learned so much more than just about that. We need to expose ourselves to germs sometimes. It’s a good thing. I know that’s easier said than done. Especially when we’re dealing with mental health, but it also talks about how the things we eat, clean with, bathe with, etc, can cause things like thyroid issues, mental health issues, auto immune diseases, and many, many other things. Again, I understand the things you are going through won’t be fixed by a book, I can totally sympathize with you. But it may be worth a read to help you realize that germs aren’t always a bad thing.

 

[Howlingvapor]

I’ve never personally experienced nor have I met someone that’s experienced the level of OCD over germs that you have expressed. That being said I do experience mild germaphobia now and then and while that’s no comparison to what you’re going through I can tell you that the less you think about it the better. Try emptying your mind and meditating. When I’m anxious and constantly thinking about germs I’m using my sleeves to touch door knobs and washing my hands until they crack and bleed, but when I empty my mind, ground myself in the present and take a breath I’ll sometimes even have to remind myself to wash my hands before dinner, that tingly feeling I get on my hands when I touch something dirty goes away and I realize it isn’t so bad.

The fear of germs you’re experiencing here could very well be linked to unrelated stressors. So try listening to some guided meditation tracks and empty your mind. I’m not going to tell you that germs are nothing to worry about because if your fears are anything like mine than reason or logic doesn’t matter, we fear things sometimes no matter how irrational and that’s ok, but we can’t let it control us.

Ask yourself if you hadn’t witnessed your mom touch the door handle would you have ever known the difference? Overthinking is ultimately what leads to fears like this. So try to find a neutral space and meditate or better yet find a way to distract yourself.


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