Hey new here

Tweener

New member
Hi, I'm new to the whole forums thing. My therapist said group stuff could be good and going online and such.

I work in food services as a waiter. And 3 years ago I used to be like everyone else. Come in wash my hands for 20 secs, go do my work.

Now I come in, spend 6-10 minutes washing my hands, and wear latex gloves for every part of my shift excluding when I'm serving food (1 hour of my 4 hour shift)

This may sound mean, but it's refreshing knowing other people are going through EXACTLY what I do.

In fact, I even busted my door handle off my car by checking it too much...

I even check my laundry machine to see if I put soap in it... except I lean over the machine for 2 minutes while its starting..

Anyway I look forward to sharing advice and such with people...
 

chris87

Well-known member
I can relate! I constantly redo tasks, count silly sequences, reread, etc. I wish I could stop doing these things, but I'm always bothered by the consequences that my mind creates.
 

afterforever

Active member
I can totally relate. After coming home after a day at school, I'm at the sink washing my hands for around 10-15 minutes, then I sanitize the hell out of them on top of that, then wear latex gloves to touch anything outside my "safe" zone (my room).
 

r00n

New member
afterforever said:
I can totally relate. After coming home after a day at school, I'm at the sink washing my hands for around 10-15 minutes, then I sanitize the hell out of them on top of that, then wear latex gloves to touch anything outside my "safe" zone (my room).

i used to be like that too when i was younger my room was my safe zone and i would wash my hands really well before going in there and once i was in there everything was ok...since i moved out i find my 'safe zone' is anywhere that is away from my parents house..ive noticed as your 'safe zone' gets smaller the more anxious you get...and its a scary thing...
 

Tweener

New member
I have a safe zone too. But it's much larger, for instance it comes down to roads, I have districts that I feel safe in, but I will not go downtown AT ALL anymore. I get the sweats and shakes and have to cross a certain road where I will feel safe.
 

Adoyle135

New member
Unless your therapist is a trained specialist for OCD you may want to consider looking into cognitive behaviorial therapy, which has proven to be effective for many patients with OCD.
 

Zak

Active member
Hey tweener! Glad to see you in the forums. I too am new and looking for advice/support from others, and also to help others when I can. I used to have an obsession with hand washing (literally until my hands bled; ouch!) but I'm proud to say I no longer have that problem, but my obsessions have seemed to migrate to other areas of my life, i.e. problems breathing obsessions, loud noises, which are definitely becoming harder to avoid if not impossible to avoid. Does anyone have any similar experience in this regard?
 

ohheybbyitscorixx

Well-known member
Hello! I am sure you will feel very welcomed here! It usually makes people feel a lot better knowing they aren't alone in doing these compulsions. Did anything stressful happen in your life between now and 3 years ago?
 
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