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I'm back again hiv related, I need help on exposure techniques.


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Okay so, I've  tried to come up with a plan to help me, I clearly don't know the facts about hiv transmission. I pick the skin on my hands, and I work in retail so I always have open cuts. So if I come across a bodily fluid I freak out. I'm scared of bodily flueds because of contamination. 

Earlier today, the girls toilets where I worked had blood on the handle (disgusting) it was dry but obviously I'm still panicking. I only noticed on my second trip into the toilets. I used my jacket to open  the door, but did I touch it before I don't know. So know I'm obsessing about that 'what if I touched the blood when it was wet' . I can handle intrusive thoughts about harming people and other things. But my health, I feel like I can't manage.

How do we overcome anxiety about health. 

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Hi Snowflake,

I have the same sort of ocd issues so can well relate.

Are you working with a therapist at all?  I think it would depend on where you are at with your therapy at what approach you would take.

I had a similar kind of exposure myself yesterday, where it was an accidental exposure to one of my bigger fears. Basically the approach I am taking is attempting to limit the amount of compulsions I do (obviously the ideal would be to do zero, but I'm just not there yet) and then to move on with my days, allowing the anxiety/fear/contamination feeling exist without fighting the feeling.

Remember the more compulsions you do, the worse the obsession/fear gets.

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On 20/05/2019 at 13:57, leif said:

Remember the more compulsions you do, the worse the obsession/fear gets

Yes, I found that out the hard way. Well I'm taking a huge step right now. I've just ordered a curry I took it out of the bag with tissues so it didn't go all over my hands. I look at the tissue and  there's something  red and raisedon it. All I can think is, it's blood. It's took me 20 minutes to have a fork full. I'm still struggling, I want to throw it in the bin. 

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And no, I'm not in therapy. Most days I have the odd episode and can usually manage. The past few weeks has been obsessions after obsessions. I think it's s because I'm more stressed at the moment. I'm not on medication, I didn't make a difference and I don't agree with it anyway. Im still struggling to eat my food. 

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Guest OCDhavenobrain

You are controlled by it, letting it have the power. You can put yourself in the position of power.

Edited by OCDhavenobrain
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It’s important to use common sense first. 

Common sense clearly states HIV virus is air fragile so once exposed to air it becomes inactive. I’m sure glad for that limit. So we apply common sense first & then decide a plan of action. 

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On 20/05/2019 at 20:37, Snowflake said:

I pick the skin on my hands

Aside from the other thoughts you are struggling with this sounds like a compulsion/bad habit.  It would probably be a good idea to work on reducing this as well.

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18 hours ago, Snowflake said:

Yes, I found that out the hard way. Well I'm taking a huge step right now. I've just ordered a curry I took it out of the bag with tissues so it didn't go all over my hands. I look at the tissue and  there's something  red and raisedon it. All I can think is, it's blood. It's took me 20 minutes to have a fork full. I'm still struggling, I want to throw it in the bin. 

Yes can well relate to that. I've gone through stretches where every red thing I think is blood and I get turned off. Had lots of trouble getting food into me for a bit. Good for you for eating the food with the fear there. I found when I could get through the first few times with the fear present, I stopped seeing red/blood everywhere. How did you make out yesterday?

17 hours ago, Snowflake said:

The past few weeks has been obsessions after obsessions. I think it's s because I'm more stressed at the moment

Yes I have had those weeks too. They're so hard when you feel continually bombarded by the intrusive thoughts. Is there anything you can do for the stress in your life in other areas  outside of the OCD? 

 

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Yes, you can exercise to use up that energy. It produces serotonin. 

Stress raises cortisol so you want to exercise to raise serotonin so you feel better. In AM your cortisol or stress hormone is high & serotonin is low. Get out of bed & do some exercise to get this reversed.

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Hi

Do you have one of the popular books on dealing with OCD? Some of the theoretical parts can be a bit “dry” (but useful nonetheless) but they also cover how to put together self directed exposure and response prevention (ERP) plans. Also, they usually refer to other sufferers and you’ll see how other people with similar OCD managed exposure.

Neil

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