Worried about dirty wash basket OCD

[Phil10]

Worried about a dirty wash basket I have OCD

I always wash my hands after touching the wash basket I come in and out the shower and worry toilet water or bits of toilet paper get on the towels so they are dirty.

I'm getting new windows in and the guy touched my wash basket and put wood surrounds on the carpet near the basket.

I'm now worried as I know he wouldn't have washed his hands so now the windows are contaminated as he touched them.

Sadly i couldn't take the day off work so I had this issue had I been here it was avoidable.

I can't throw the windows away but I may need to keep washing my hands after touching them.

This the problem with people coming to my house now I'm stressed anybody help?

[PanicCured]

What is a wash basket? You mean where you put your clothes after you wear them?

What are you actually scared they are contaminated with, toilet water? But it is your own toilet water in your home, right? Do you have Giardia, or some type of parasite illness or something that is infectious? Even if you did, wouldn't you already have it? Bacteria you worried about? Those things exist everywhere and I don't think would survive long on a window. A virus?

All of this is moot though because if it is only you that used the toilet, what could you contaminate yourself with?

Think of all the door knobs you've opened in your life or cars you've been in, or anything you have touched, sat on, leaned up against anywhere and everywhere. You think they were sterile?

Don't you notice in public bathrooms people are always leaving without washing their hands? Yeah that drives me nuts too.

What if you were traveling in India, rural China or somewhere else in Asia where people use a hole in the ground with no sink nearby?

Do you eat at restaurants? Did you examine the cleanliness of the kitchens and made sure all the migrant workers cooking your food washed their hands clean and wore perfectly sterile gloves?

So as you can see, it helps to put things into perspective. I am not trying to cause you more anxiety, I'm trying to help by bringing a more realistic perspective.

[magicmarcus]

the funny thing about ocd is that we know its not rational yet we feel and think the way we do anyway... clearly phil is struggling and he knows that this isnt rational which is why he brings it up.

ocd is irrational and we know its irrational.

in my view ocd stems from our need to control our world... even if its something small like controlling a wash-basket or doorknobs or anything its about having control over our feelings and thoughts.

understanding where this comes from is the first key to getting better:

here are some videos i made that may help


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmXb-8x8Wl8



what helps me most is working on a new model of life that accepts the fact that most of our world cannot be controled and being ok with the uncertainty however frightening that is.

[magicmarcus]

here is the other video... it only let me put one


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM296IodGpw