Handy

Well, if one gets urine on their hands it's no big deal. Absent a infection, urine is sterile. Besides whats inside you can't affect you if you get it on your skin. If one gets poo on the hand do they clean it off with toilet paper? No, they wash their hands That's what wipes are for. Like Dude Wipes. Cringe if you want but in my city we recycle toilet effluent & buy it back as drinking water mixed with the regular water.

Welcome. It's called false memory OCD.

Yes, the bed thing. I ask people how they feel in certain situations, so I know what I'm feeling.

You're not supposed to flush wipes. Trash bin. Toilet paper is very abrasive but baby wipes are soft & gentle.

It's not a good idea to throw stuff out. Your OCD will get stronger.

Pretty much the same for the other themes. You can search the forum for it. What brings you to the forum to ask about it?

We love you ecomum.

OCD & alcohol don't go together. Resist the urge as best you can.

Try a baby wipe, they won't tear & are wet already. If it's number 2, plan it so you can take a shower after. A baby wipe works great for that too

You can ask AI for how to.do things within a normal range. But I'm.sire you get up each day, get dressed, get on the net & post message on the OCD forum quite normally.

Great idea! It's like smiling.

Good. I see you have gotten up, gotten dressed & got on the net to post like you have before 700+ times, so you can do it tomorrow too.

People get a tolerance to drugs & they become ineffective. So they prescribe more & more. Another option is to just face OCD. It takes courage.

Sometimes it's just depression, not clinical depression. It's important to recognize this.

WThis is a fascinating observation that touches on the complex interplay between our conscious and subconscious minds, and how their relative awareness can lead to vastly different experiences of the same phenomena. Let's break down some of the reasons why this "dilemma" exists: 1. The Nature of the Subconscious: * Automaticity and Efficiency: The subconscious is a master of automation. It handles countless processes without us needing to be aware of them – breathing, blinking, habitual movements, and even complex learned behaviors like driving a car or playing a musical instrument. This frees up our conscious mind for more novel or demanding tasks. * Lack of Direct Access: We don't have direct, conscious access to the subconscious. Its workings are largely hidden from our immediate awareness. We might only see the results of subconscious processes (e.g., a sudden feeling of anxiety, a dream, a habitual action), but not the underlying mechanisms. * No Self-Judgment: The subconscious doesn't judge. It simply executes programs and patterns it has learned. If a subconscious behavior is maladaptive, it will continue to operate unless a conscious intervention occurs. 2. The Nature of the Conscious Mind: * Awareness and Reflection: The conscious mind is where we experience self-awareness, reflection, and judgment. We can observe our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and compare them against our values, goals, and social norms. * Attribution and Meaning-Making: When we are conscious of a behavior, we often try to understand why we're doing it. We seek to assign meaning and attribute causality. This can lead to self-criticism, guilt, shame, or frustration if the behavior is undesirable. * Control and Agency: The conscious mind is where we exert intentional control and feel a sense of agency. When we're aware of a behavior we dislike, we feel a responsibility to change it, and the inability to do so can be distressing. 3. Why Subconscious Behaviors Don't Cause Distress (Until They Become Conscious): * Lack of Perception: If you're not aware of a behavior, it simply is. There's no conscious filter to evaluate it as good or bad, helpful or harmful. Think of someone constantly tapping their foot subconsciously – they don't feel distress from it until someone points it out, or they become aware of it themselves and find it annoying. * Integration and Normality: Many subconscious behaviors are deeply integrated into our daily lives and are considered normal or even beneficial. Routines, habits, and automatic responses generally make life easier. * No Cognitive Dissonance: Distress often arises from cognitive dissonance – the mental discomfort experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values. If a behavior is subconscious, there's no conscious belief or value for it to contradict. 4. Why the Same Behaviors Cause Distress When Conscious: * Violation of Self-Concept: When we become conscious of a behavior that goes against our ideal self-image or our values, it can be deeply distressing. For example, subconsciously procrastinating might not bother you, but consciously realizing you're procrastinating when you have important deadlines can be agonizing. * Perceived Lack of Control: The conscious mind desires control. When we become aware of a behavior we dislike but feel powerless to change, it creates frustration and distress. This is often the case with anxiety symptoms (e.g., obsessive thoughts, panic attacks) that feel outside of conscious control. * Social Implications: Many behaviors have social implications. If a subconscious habit (e.g., interrupting people, fidgeting) becomes conscious, we might worry about how others perceive us, leading to social anxiety or embarrassment. * Amplification of Negative Loops: Once a negative behavior becomes conscious, we might ruminate on it, criticize ourselves, and amplify the distress. This can create a vicious cycle where the awareness of the behavior makes it harder to stop, further increasing distress. Examples: * Fidgeting: Subconsciously fidgeting (tapping, shaking leg) often goes unnoticed by the individual and causes no distress. But if someone points it out, or the person becomes conscious of it, they might feel embarrassed, self-conscious, and try to stop, leading to discomfort. * Emotional Eating: Subconsciously reaching for comfort food during stress might not cause immediate distress. But consciously realizing you're emotionally eating, especially if it conflicts with health goals, can lead to guilt, shame, and a feeling of being out of control. * Negative Self-Talk: Much of our negative self-talk operates subconsciously. We might not even realize how critical we are of ourselves. But when we become aware of these thoughts, they can be deeply painful and damaging to self-esteem. Addressing the Dilemma: The key to navigating this dilemma often lies in bringing subconscious patterns into conscious awareness in a non-judgmental way. Practices like mindfulness, therapy (especially cognitive-behavioral therapy or psychodynamic therapy), and self-observation can help us understand the roots of these behaviors. Once a behavior is brought to the conscious mind, we then have the opportunity to: * Choose a different response: We can consciously choose to act differently. * Process underlying emotions: The behavior might be a symptom of deeper, unaddressed emotions. * Reframe our perception: We can change how we think about the behavior and ourselves. Ultimately, the dilemma highlights the power and complexity of our mental architecture, and the profound impact that awareness (or lack thereof) has on our emotional well-being.