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How do I challenge this thought?


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Hello,

I have several OCD 'themes'. One of them (and I know it sounds odd) is about responsibility for my Golden Retriever and constantly worrying that she will come to harm by eating something sharp or toxic. Because of this she only stays in two rooms in our house (the living room in the day and a bedroom at night; she does also get taken for walks and into the garden on a lead).

We have a gate blocking her from getting into the kitchen and a fireguard to block her from getting into the hallway/upstairs. Just now I was on Netflix in the living room and a member of my family walked through and left both gates open. I didn't notice so carried on watching a programme (for about 5-10 minutes). I suddenly noticed that I had not closed the gates and panicked- I am now unsure whether the reason that I suddenly noticed what had happened was because the dog was walking around the living room and if that's the case then maybe she went in the kitchen or I might have imagined the whole thing and she might have been lying down the whole time? I have absolutely no recollection because my attention was elsewhere.

My fear is that my dog got into the kitchen. That she then ate stuff from the floor (our kitchen/utility room area is messy with some socks strewn on the floor and moldy crumbs etc. plus other dropped items that I cannot pick up due to my contamination fears- I'm also particularly concerned there could be sterilizing tablets) and might now die because of it.

How do I deal with/manage/challenge this thought?

My plan so far is to attempt to distract myself and then just plan to be more careful next time. What would be a better way to deal with this?

 

 

Edited by BelAnna
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3 hours ago, BelAnna said:

My plan so far is to attempt to distract myself and then just plan to be more careful next time. What would be a better way to deal with this?

Half way to a good plan. :) Distraction until you stop thinking about it is good, but there's no need to be more careful or more vigilant next time. Telling yourself that you should be will only reinforce your belief that the risk is higher than it is, when in reality it's lower than you already think.

Perhaps a better second half of a plan might be to think of ways to enjoy your pet without the restrictions your OCD puts on that. :) 

Have you ever (just for fun/interest) put yourself in your dog's head and tried to see it from her point of view? Do you think she ever gets frustrated by the boundaries you put around her, or anxious because she picks up on your anxiety for her safety? I'm not saying you shouldn't keep her safe, but children can suffer from parents being too overprotective (however well-meant) and I was just wondering if dogs too benefit from a little relaxing of the rules sometimes? :unsure: Shouldn't having a lovely pet like a Golden Retriever be all about fun and games?

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I agree with Snowbear. While it’s good to be concerned about your pets well being, I think the bigger issue here is the level of risk you seem to think your pet is at. I can say as someone whose family has owned multiple dogs, that they can live long, happy, healthy lives without that level of oversight and restriction. Your concern comes from a good place but it would be helpful to your recovery to work on the C in CBT here, to work on rethinking how you respond to these thoughts/worries about risk. 

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