Any form of OCD can be irritable and can cause a huge amount of stress. It's an obsessive-compulsive disorder that can dominate a person's life. Hand washing is something in particular that I struggle with myself and although others may not see it, I try to hide it at the best of times. If you lived with me you'd probably see me wash my hands at least 100 times a day and that's not an exaggeration either! They say it can affect you in your early adulthood 18-23 but I have always had this since I was little.
It's not something easy to talk about and it's really hard to explain to someone who doesn't understand why you do it. It's something you can't quite fully control unless you actually take time to recognise when you are doing it and why. With Covid 19 worries, I have myself become more and more anxious and have been topping up on the Dettol wipes, sanitizer, and washing my hands even more than what I call my usual and I'm probably not alone in this. People misunderstand that this is a real thing that affects a lot of people. It isn't something you can just switch off when you feel like it. It's more than that.
I have suffered from this for a very long time and although I have not been diagnosed with this by the doctor as I don't like going, my family do pick up on these little things. There are a few things out there to help take some sort of control. The first thing I would suggest is to try breathing exercises, it's something I'm trying at the moment and when I've washed my hands several times and walk away and still feel they are not clean I wait for a second and breath and think do I really need to wash them? It makes you more aware and changes your decision.
A second thing that can help is Cognitive behavioural therapy, one of my dear friends had recently suggested I use this - not for this particular reason but it does help with anxiety and other issues e.g. depression. CBT works to change your attitude and behaviour by focusing on thoughts and images and beliefs and consists of learning relaxation techniques to calm the mind. This is a really good method to implement.
OCD is a difficult subject and while it is 'close to home' I would like to make more people aware of it. The daily struggles to not touch certain objects or materials of things that others have done is very hard. I'm a very particular person and it affects my everyday life and social interactions a lot. Meditation is also good to help because you can imagine your highest self and how they would react to situations like this. It's a great way to really open up and imagine life without it and work on it at the same time.
I think the most important message to get out is that if you do suffer from OCD whether that be hand washing like me or something different, just know that you aren't alone and you can always speak to someone about it.
I think the most important message to get out is that if you do suffer from OCD whether that be hand washing like me or something different, just know that you aren't alone and you can always speak to someone about it.
All the best
T
T
xx
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