Pandemic Relapse / Contamination OCD

[Jerry]

Hello all,

I struggled with OCD for years but was able to get it to a manageable level. However, this pandemic plus being a caregiver for a sick parent was the perfect storm that caused me to relapse.

One of types of OCD I deal with is contamination OCD. Before this pandemic, part of the exposure therapy thought process was that the things you touch won't really have a negative impact on you or your family members in the end. But now with this new COVID world, some of the things you touch can in fact have a very negative impact on you and your loved ones. 

The trigger for me here is that I really don't want my parent to become ill with this virus so I do all that I can to stop that from happening (ie. I wash my hands upwards of 20 times per day) I'm seeking counseling/therapy as we speak.

Does anyone have any tips on how I can go about tackling this new normal? Any tips/tricks would be greatly appreciated.

[Angst]

I suffer from regular bouts of eczema which has been exacerbated by additional hand washing. For example when I visited the dentist last week I had to use hand cleaner a number of times before putting on gloves and after taking them off. I also have to use hand cleaner visiting certain shops.  I do not have contamination OCD. I do not know whether this is recommended, I wear cotton lined rubber gloves  when dealing with things outside such as bins and afterwards thoroughly wash the gloves with soap and water while wearing them. Inside I use E45  and ZeroAQS emollient cream as cleaner after using the toilet and before preparing food. So I have the notion of a safe zone once inside my home.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Angst

[Slowcoach]

Yeah it's so hard! I don't really have contamination OCD but I was being at what what I'd call the far end of normal cautious. I think I'd say follow the government guidelines. Can you see where they end and your obsession starts? It's about doing what is reasonable to keep others safe. I think you could check up, without it being reassurance, as long as you don't keep checking. Just see what they recommend and stick to that.