Is it too late?

[BigDave]

I keep going through the following in my head and I’m asking myself if this is OCD or futility. 

For the past couple of weeks, I have been obsessing over the cleanliness of my computer and TV screen. That means I’ve been wiping them over maybe as many as 6 times a day.

Now that I am forcing myself to stop, the thing through my head is that it is too late and I have damaged them. I can’t get this thought out of my head and it is making me panic. I know if I inspect them too much, I am going to find all kinds of flaws and I really don’t want to do that and make myself even more crazy of them. So I think the best thing to do is leave it.  But I’m conflicted. 

[taurean]

Leave it be Dave. It's an OCD gross exaggeration. 

And you must work on that urge to compulse. 

A laptop only needs occasional wipe of the screen with a computer screen wipe. Last time I did mine was a couple of months ago. 

The keyboard will get dusty and I use a little computer vac powered by USB to clean that. Did it today, not done it for a long time. 

That literally is the only essential cleaning needed. 

[BigDave]

1 minute ago, taurean said:

Leave it be Dave. It's an OCD gross exaggeration. 

And you must work on that urge to compulse. 

A laptop only needs occasional wipe of the screen with a computer screen wipe. Last time I did mine was a couple of months ago. 

The keyboard will get dusty and I use a little computer vac powered by USB to clean that. Did it today, not done it for a long time. 

That literally is the only essential cleaning needed. 

I am definitely going to leave it be but my fear is that it is too late. I am terrified of inspecting it deeply for what I might find and feel like an idiot for not being able to deal with it until it is too late. 

[taurean]

1 hour ago, BigDave said:

I am definitely going to leave it be but my fear is that it is too late. I am terrified of inspecting it deeply for what I might find and feel like an idiot for not being able to deal with it until it is too late. 

Don't inspect it. Don't feel like an idiot. All you would be doing is playing OCD's game and keeping a connection going to that fear. 

All that has happened here is that, because the OCD persuaded you, you have wasted time cleaning what needn't be cleaned. Nothing more. 

Ride the storm of guilt and fear, see it for simply what it is - an overreaction to an OCD falsehood. 

[PolarBear]

It might be too late for what? For your computer and TV to be in pristine shape? Oh well. Welcome to the world. Your devices won't be any different than anyone else's. I imagine they both work as advertised. You can still look at them and see things.

If I was you, I would agree with the thoughts that it's too late. Yup, they're not new and they're not pristine. Oh well.

Absolutely do not inspect them. Do not clean them. At all. And don't dwell on their state. Leave them alone. Use them for the purpose for which they were designed and get on with your day.

[dksea]

On 22/12/2018 at 16:24, BigDave said:

I keep going through the following in my head and I’m asking myself if this is OCD or futility. 

For the past couple of weeks, I have been obsessing over the cleanliness of my computer and TV screen. That means I’ve been wiping them over maybe as many as 6 times a day.

Now that I am forcing myself to stop, the thing through my head is that it is too late and I have damaged them. I can’t get this thought out of my head and it is making me panic. I know if I inspect them too much, I am going to find all kinds of flaws and I really don’t want to do that and make myself even more crazy of them. So I think the best thing to do is leave it.  But I’m conflicted. 

It’s literally impossible for things to be in a pristine state, the laws of physics that underpin the universe we live in guarantee that. Seeking for things to be in a perfect state is an impossible goal, utterly unachievable. Time to work on letting go of that impossible goal that OCD is pushing you towards.