- Date posted
- 49w ago
Hello, I hope everyone's doing well
How do you guys deal with emotional contamination?
How do you guys deal with emotional contamination?
I don't know how to explain it, but Everytime I study when Im uncomfortable or if someone that I dont like or that I think I have uncomfortable thoughts about (Like I dont like that person or I dont like the way I thought about that person?) touches my books I just want to rebuy them. That happened maybe like twiceOr maybe someone that I think I had a bad past with which may sound not sensible but it happens... I reassured myself said first past this year and order new ones in the summer. Or recently something happend and I still havent touched the stuff that has something to do with it. I avoided touching them. I feel like my stuff gets contaminated by my thoughts. Its not severe but I wanted to share
@sepsomeone yes! I get this so much like if I think it relates to a bad thing that happened I will avoid that object
@ambermayx Im so sorry that you can relate, but Im glad that we aren't alone in this, we will get through it!
@sepsomeone We will it can be so hard
@ambermayx For sure
You should sit with uncomfortable feelings, but you shouldn't suddenly do this. If you can, use therapy. If not, you should learn about not engaging with your mind. They are just thoughts. Learn to be an observer, and then allow your feelings to come up and let them go later. Do the opposite of your OCD. You can educate yourself and then start ERP. If you're still not ready, you can use a wet cloth and a little soap, or even just a clean and dry cloth, to clean the book that they touched. Later, tell yourself that it's okay, whatever feelings you have about them, and let the emotions go. Doesn't need to buy a new book and shouldn't at least give you a little resistance in front of your OCD, but not buying again or throwing out.Remember, you have to break the cycle of OCD; otherwise, it will become harder and create new rules. Cleaning is only temporary relief.
Thank you very much, I actually used to take thetaphy but I left now I go to my phsychiatrist once a month. Im taking medicines and I hope they will help too. I know thoughts doesnt have to be the reality but something I just cant help but overthink it. Ill try my best. I was diagnosed with ocd maybe a year ago or not sure. That is true its a temporary relief... Ill seek for more advices by explaining my situation more detailed to my therapist. Thank you for your message I appreciate it
@sepsomeone You're welcome. I have contamination OCD too. Also, try meditation; it is very helpful. If you are a fan of reading books "Letting Go" by Dr. David Hawkins is great. Also, "From Stuck to Unstuck" by Matt Codde is for OCD. It is also important for your therapist to be a specialist. Wish you success on your journey
@Anonymous here Ill make sure to check them out, and Ill try meditation. Thank you and I wish you the best with your journey as well, we will succeed :)
@sepsomeone Thanks. Yes, we have to believe in ourselves, have hope, and never give up.
@Anonymous here Exactly ❤️
I even feel like my stuff are emotionally contaminated from what I avoided mentioning,
I have contamination OCD that causes me to excessively wash my hands/clean items with disinfectant wipes. I know I just need to start with small exposures but how do I do that without spiraling? I tried a while back by just touching the outside of my dishwasher and not washing my hands after and it led to me being unable to even exist in my house. I basically lived on my couch for three weeks as it was the only 'safe' space that I had not touched with my dirty hands. I had to take a week off work to clean my house to make it somewhat liveable. I still haven't got round to cleaning everything though so things like my kitchen are still no-go zones that I don't enter. I just don't know how to start ERP without it making everything worse. Any advice would be appreciated. I am not seeing a therapist at the moment due to financial constraints.
So, I know my capacity to get fixated on things. And it's normally something that's relatively remote but, my latest issue is really getting to me and I was wondering if people have any advice. I'm avoiding getting too into specifics, as I don't want this to get reassurance-y but, in essence.. I came to the realisation recently that people who I'd been "friends" (feels like the wrong term now) when I was younger were not very nice people, and normalized a lot of very unpleasant behaviour towards other members of the group. They really normalized it, sold themselves as figures of authority, as older and more responsible and grown-up than others, and looking back, they acted horribly. And coming to this realisation, that I'd been manipulated into just accepting their behaviour has just... broken me. My OCD has latched onto it and I can't stop feeling irreversibly tainted by it. I've talked to others about it, and they've reassured me, told me it's not a big deal and that I hold myself to too high a standard, but none of that sticks. I feel better for a bit, then think 'Maybe when you told them you were skewing it to make yourself look better' or 'Did you leave out a crucial detail'. I keep ruminating over and over, trying to remember exactly how everything played out, trying to figure out if I fed into the behaviour, if I did something bad myself (because y'know, I feel like I was accepting of it at the time, so what does it say about my own values?). I know I need to stop doing all this if I want to improve, but then some part of me keeps saying 'So, you're just going to let yourself off the hook then?' Normally, I can rationalize my own fears to some degree, assure myself something won't happen, but the realness of the situation, and the fact I only came to understand the reality of it because the thought had been bothering me means it feels so much more all-encompassing. I know confessing in itself is a compulsion, but I keep feeling that if I'm not I'm somehow concealing what I 'really am' from others around me, and any positive interactions are me deceiving them in some way. I feel like I can't enjoy anything in life right now, and a good part of me feels I should not enjoy it ever again. If anybody has any advice on it, I'm all ears. Or even hearing if you relate to these feelings, I might appreciate the solidarity at least.
Recently, I’ve been struggling a ton with what I eat/put into my body? I’m a first year college student with a few different health issues (including IBS), and lately it’s been hard for me to find food on campus that doesn’t upset my stomach. I also have pretty severe emetophobia, and feel extremely anxious when I feel sick. The ironic thing is that being anxious makes me feel even worse, so I end up sticking myself in an impossible loophole. My OCD has taken hold of these fears over the past few months, and it’s been such a struggle. Especially since people have been getting food poisoning from various dining halls on my campus lately. My OCD has gotten so bad that sometimes I’m too afraid to eat food other than what I buy myself. I feel so trapped. I don’t want my OCD to affect my physical health or prevent me from eating, bc I love eating!! It’s the fear of getting sick that’s the problem. And it’s even harder when everything is so unfamiliar. Just wondering if anyone could relate. Advice is appreciated!
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