@@RayneRain77 Yes it can. I keep struggling as well. Remember that progress isn’t always a straight line. You might be able to cut down your time for a day, and the next maybe not, then the next two maybe are shorter, etc. Keep trying and staying strong, it is tough but let me know how erp and therapy goes!
@@reese6235 I can definitely see what you mean. I’m very blessed that I am only 17 and still live with my parents but my long showers are probably causing the bill to go up.
I used to take 20-25 mins in shower but now I take 1 to 1 and a ½ hours.I'm so stressed about it.I'm trying hard not to make it worse but it drains out all my energy.It's affecting my daily life, my studies and also my family.Thanks for the video. At least, I'm feeling better after knowing that I'm not the only one who keeps washing over and over again.
mine is being terrified of being in the bathroom, and touching the faucet, the shampoo, my loofah, my hair touching the walls. i dispose a loofah each time i do shower, and hold my shampoo on ziplock bags, i have went months without showering, it’s so disgusting and shameful, literally fucking pathetic. sending lots of love to all of you struggling.
I'm a bit compulsive, over washing. Showers taking 1-2 hours. It's too much of a chore. Add in depression and it's very easy to not want to do it... just lay down, I'll shower in the morning... or maybe tomorrow night.... It does feel good when I'm finally clean again, but I really put it off a lot.
YES I'm the same way. If I do bathe the whole ritual takes 3 hours and it makes me so tired because I have chronic illness, and for me I have a weird thing where I must wait 4 days to shave again and showering without shaving makes me have meltdowns 🤣 it's so tiring you just wanna skip it
Saaamee I didn’t even realize it was bc of my ocd until this video it was so helpful and helpful to hear others struggling with the same 😭 I’m currently lying down watching youtube vids to motivate myself to go shower - or is it excuse? 😆 im gonna try not to do everything in my “shower routine” it always gets too much and then I just feel like it’s too much work and then decide not to do it in the end. And I always add other stuff that needs to be cleaned too. My mind will spot all the dirty things it’s like when I’m clean being dirty becomes traumatic. But I’m gonna try to only do a smaller list of things and only those things! Wish me luck.
Thank you for this video! I’ve never seen a therapist before, but if I would, hopefully it would be someone like you! My showers are 3 hours long. It is mentally, physically & emotionally draining!! I get up at 4 to be at work for 11:30. I’ve spent more time getting ready than the hours I actually work. I would give anything to make it go away…
My two worst times of day, morning bathroom, and evening shower, it's like there is no set ends, just repeating a pattern until I can finally break free
trick with showering is picking a song which is long enough for your shower. Mine is 5 minutes. I play the song and have to be finished by the end of the song. I focus on the song instead of achieving the feeling "I feel just right now".
I hate germs.. and i hate chemicals..and i hate soap, bad combination. my mother had this eczema on her hands alot when i was a child, i saw that growing up, she told me plants, soap, and other stuff made it much worse, she tried to avoid touching stuff and using parafumes and soap. When i finaly got my own garden same stuff happend to me, not because i could not touch the plants but because i was out in dry air working with my hands, it ruined the skin, i got big soars on my hands with infections, and i noticed soap made it worse. So i stopped to shower with soap and that was terrible as i did not feel i got clean enough, and startet to shower 2-3 times everyday. I only use soap 1 time a month and when i do that i hate it, i have to shower my shower so soap dont build up and "hide" anywhere.. I slowly begin to see the soap everywhere, when stores i shopped in cleaned their floors, i tought residue of it was everywhere, so i began to where gloves, and i use about 50-100 pr of gloves everyday now (before it was about 200 but it gotten better) at the same time, my eczema disapared and i found out it was not soap i could not handle, and it really wasnt the typical eczema either, the gloves prevetend moisture from leaving my hands, and my skin was therefore protected from drying. I could put lotions on my hands but i haaate that with a passion. So gloves does it for me. Now i only use gloves to prevent me drying out, not because im scared of touching the soap from groceries and stuff like that. It is all slowly getting better, and until recently i was a heavy cannabis user, smoked everyday for 20 years and let me tell you this... that dont make it any better at all.. after i stopped smoking everyday at least 50% of my ocd is gone. And i can now work with it alot better, i try to challenge it, i talk to it like it was a demon sometimes (i dont believes in spirits or demons btw). I dont se it as a side of me, i se it as a alien thing in me that has to get out ASAP. Much of my ocd is based on trauma and sad experiences... when i began to get soars on my hands i saw a girl that always told me how much she loved my hands.. i realized i would never touch her with hands that was beginning to look like my hands.. they wasnt attractive in that state at all and that ruined me mentally for a while. I said stop now, i refuse to let the ocd evolve, i ridicule it when new stuff pops up and tosh it aside quickly like a glowing piece of coal. I wont let this build up indside of me anymore, and i got so long now.. you can do the same trust me, you just have to believe in this, i did all this without medication and without a psychiatrist so you can do it to. this "demon" wil take your life if you dont put up a fight, dont trust your own feelings, be humble towards the truth because we might be on the wrong track (us with ocd) Im lucky that i have limited warm water, i can only shower for 10 minuttes max, then the water gets cold. believe it or not that is a lifesaver also. i was also afraid of parasiets (tapeworms) for a while.. avoided bird droppings like they was mines etc. I slowly started to accept that i cant avoid what im afraid of, that does not mean i will get tapeworms, but it is a impossible mission to avoid soap from your sorroundings for the rest of your life... you cant.. you have to accept it, and accept your fears about it is only fantasies.
Thank you so much for doing a video about this... I can relate a lot because I have certain rules in the shower I have to do... I have to touch & check different things & sometimes I do try to avoid taking a shower. It really sucks but Im definitely going to try this method. I know that it want be easy but I'm going to keep trying & im not going to give up. I love your videos... they're always very helpful. Thanks Natasha 🙂
I have an ocd diagnosis and have much difficulty showering or bathing. I hate being wet, I hate stray, wet hairs touching me, I hate stepping out of the shower and onto the bathroom mat (even if freshly washed). It’s such a sensory overload and I don’t like things clinging to me when I’m wet (hairs, fuzz, etc). I check my body for stray hairs in and outside of the shower.
I can't even touch walls, faucets, and I had to get the tub resurfaced, but I'm up past the time I should be asleep for an early morning of work, putting off my shower.
Same here........ literally complete 3 and half hour i spend in shower and after that left with no energy also regret and unsatisfaction🤦 plus there is so much going on like cleaning thing again again or keep brushing,washing or wiping them......like sofa, bed, utensils,hands, curtains, platform, floor,any kind of things and also wall of my house 🤦 really immense time and energy consuming 😡 i create hell in my life because of this and having a feeling of suicide because I am tired now because it is uncontrolable for me .i know life without ocd is heaven
Hi there, I am going through the same since many years. Did anything help you ? I tried several therapies ,medications nothing helped . I hate living like this. I am exhausted 😓
Doom isn’t certain for you. No matter how many dead ends you keep finding something will work. I promise you. I am not even yet seeing an OCD specialist, but with the sheer amount of resources we have in this world, there is no way you of all people are doomed! You are not a lost cause within this disorder. You may feel an inevitable endless pattern of feeling controlled by OCD, but you have the capability of overcoming this, no matter how you may feel. Feelings are not fact, I believe in you! Please trust yourself to get through this, believe in the day, and the days, and the life you will have once you no longer feel controlled. Imagine it, and feel it, and know that it was never an impossibility! That life is waiting for you, hang in there.
What if you can't stand touching the walls, the curtain, the floor? What if the water pooling in the tub is so overwhelming you hyperventilate because you're so grossed out you could puke or pass out? How do I get over these things??? I can't take a bath! I can't get into hot tubs or pools. Contaminated water is horrifying to me!
Do you mean the shower is filling up with water instead of draining? Just means it is clogged with hair and soap. Get some caustic soda down the plughole or a brand of unblocker that is sposed to be good, should work no prob. I have to routinely pour crap down my plug hole coz I soap for days.
My OCD brain would answer this question like that you need to clean you bathroom walls and the curtain and the rest of those contaminated items from your list before putting yourself in there for a shower. But then I know that I'd avoid showering for a long time because of how much bathroom items need cleaning beforehand. I'm feeling trapped by this.
@@voloshanca wow that makes totally sense. I’ve had an aversion to shower at my new home and the drain gets clogged easily and ugh it’s giving me shivers thinking about it. The best shower I have had here was right after I cleaned everything
Oh right that thing too! I have an idea of having music or somebody talking to me while I shower so I wouldn't get distracted by and fly away into my thoughts, but then I think: what if that will become another compulsion? The line between a solution and a compulsion is so freaking thin! Does somebody know if that's a right approach?
I suspect myself to have ocd because i dunno why i have to spend an entire hour in the shower all i know is that i have to count how many times i scrubbed my forearms and etc and im afraid that i might miss out a spot on my body and the soap left on that spot may irratite my skin
I've taken two showers in less than 5 mins because I messed my ritual up lol. I touched the floor after getting out the shower and felt dirty, I HAD to take another shower. I couldn't stop thinking about the germs on my foot.
Personally I don’t like to think about ways I can expand my OCD, forming new thoughts because of the new ways I try to cope with the OCD further, rather than challenge it.
R@@ljones2087 But that is another way of avoidance rather than dealing with your phobia? Your feet are meant to touch a floor. At the beginning of evolution we lived in primitive conditions with no shoes, no soap and no protection of any sort as is available to us today yet guess what, mankind did not die out from a lack of wearing shoes and they continued to evolve. There are literally billions of people around the world who put their feet on the floor when getting out of the shower, every single day, and no one died as a result of their feet touching the floor. I am slaying this as someone who has suffered with cleanliness OCD all their life, but then let common sense and the realization of what is reasonable behavior, finally kick in to re-program my thinking.
I started showering every other day so I could get to work on time half the time, and then she said avoiding showering to avoid taking too long... is *another compulsion.* It was at this moment that I realized my issue was bigger than I thought. My showers are 3 or 4 hours long... they physically exhuast me. I can even fall asleep in the bath tub with the water running.
Thank you for making this video. My shower problem has to do with being wet, anxiety about not cleaning the shower, takes energy, interrupts by activities. How do I fix that? Now if Im dirty, I will shower. If I dont feel like Im dirty enough, I wont. I prefer wet wipes.
Professional help and correct feedback I’m afraid is the only way to go when it comes to proper treatment. Exposure therapy is very important, but most importantly, the willingness of getting through it. No one can be helped if they don’t want to be helped, and if they aren’t truly ready for the process before getting to their end desire. There could be OCD support groups close to you, the last one I went to was in a psychiatry clinic. Those can definitely help you and make help feel more accessible, and help feel possible
For years I’ve had an intense fear of vomit, my OCD keeps a close eye on my stomach, my body temp, even my saliva to just keep checking and making sure that I won’t throw up, and only eating things that I would be okay with throwing up (cookies, crackers, bread, fruits… Ive been trying to expand my palate lately), and always making sure that I have antiemetics around. This isn’t what started the phobia, but when I was about nine, I went on vacation and got a stomach bug, so I was throwing up away from home and could barely do anything. I’m going on vacation again for about a week, and it’s making me very nervous that I’ll get another stomach bug. I wash my hands before eating, which has usually kept me from getting sick, but my OCD constantly reminds me about vomiting and how I have to keep checking. I’m so nervous about this trip, I haven’t even packed or anything because I just don’t want to think about it.
@@anthonyhartman5425 it was amazing! thanks for asking! My anxiety level rose a few times, like when I was about to leave the the airport, but overall it was a very pleasant trip. I am so glad that I went. Now, the next time I’m really worried about my anxiety getting worse over something, I’ll have a good example of when things actually turned out fine ☺️
@@foldedchip7551 Awesome! Yes, that is a great example to use. That technique of using a time when you had anxiety but you battled through it is pretty good, and it works too. Congrats and keep going! I’m here if you ever want to talk!
Clothing feels extra scratchy. Does anyone else noticed having clothes feel extra rough if you get dressed right after, even if dried off? I usually feel best in my towel robe for about about a half hour or wear extra soft clothes. My showers are long. I am clumsy and have bad experiences with shaving, sometimes almost slipping. So I tend not to rush in the shower. Eczema and long hair doesn't help. I hate to alone with my thoughts but listening to RUclips etc solves that.
I can’t wait for the day that I no longer focus on it, and as a result, the sensitivity dies down. I stopped feeling hopeless when it comes to OCD. I’m not in treatment, but I was forced to live in environment that only triggered me. I got triggered by every nook and cranny within me and it lead me to a very dark point. But honestly speaking when I came out of that point, I only found myself feeling better towards my OCD. That feeling of vulnerability and exposure made the smallest of issues feel like they towered over me like nothing I’ve ever felt. But I prefer the total exposure over the total comfort I had previously, where the amount of relief I had from completing compulsions, used to be so much greater than the relief I have now. The relief that now is from having genuine control if something my OCD deems ‘horrifyingly disgusting’ happens. The relief stopped very abruptly around a year ago when I was forced to move. It honestly with some of the worst months of my life, and I’ve had some very hard months out of trauma, but the ones that were a result of OCD were still some of the worst. Goes to show just how debilitating of a disorder this is. Yet I still prefer the exposure, and the peace that comes after the victory of getting through it. My OCD only got better because of brutal exposure. The two second relief that comes from a compulsion is so much less than from that peace I got 😴
I also have eczema, I would keep cutting my hair out of how gross long wet hair would feel on my back and how it was lengthen showers 🤣 but you’re right about the towel robe after a shower, feeling the most comfortable. Hope your symptoms have improved! But as you know, it’s just the hyper focus that OCD will insinuate, so it will give you this almost magical, feel of something feeling dirtier than it actually is. The magical thinking is almost comforting, because it never guarantees that something is true dirty, it leaves the possibility open of cleanliness. Reinforcing positive thinking really helped my OCD. truly.
If I believe I don’t have the time to do everything I have to do in the shower or I do not have the energy or stamina to do it all - I don’t shower at all. Sucks.
I found out that I had a hard time showering for reasons which are more to do with the feeling of standing up for a period of time to wash. The first time I used an accessible shower with a fold down seat and low level hand held hose, I realised I felt comfortable showering for the first time because i felt safe. Hadnt realised how unsafe I felt before, even when I thought I was coping. I do also think I had issues with seeing myself naked which in my case was related to my beinf autistic (maybe also obsessive personality).
What do you do If you tried to cut down your cleaning time, and you did but after a few days your time becomes long again when it comes to cleaning. Then you're not satisfied again or you're not satisfied again to your new time which is shorter and you settle for the longer time of cleaning again
I think you will get an uncomfortable feeling after cutting down your shower time for a few days. It is a hard challenge but I know you can overcome it. Just keep trying to cut down the time and continue to shower in the time you are aiming for. Sometimes you might shower for a little longer, sometimes you might give in to cleaning for a longer period of time, but don’t let that discourage you. We are not perfect. Try to remember that you might have showers where it takes you longer, but progress might be short showers for some days and then you might take a longer shower. But then keep trying to take shorter showers. It’s tough, but just keep trying your best! How have you been since your comment?
@@anthonyhartman5425 oh. Thank you! I still haven't achieved my goal yet but things have been getting better. I showered for a shorter time but it still takes a long time though, hehe. Thank you for asking
@@kiringalvadores2860 of course! I took a shower earlier today and it took around an hour. I’m just going to keep trying though and I know you will too! Congrats on moving towards your goal of a shorter time though!
My son needs to wash his hands before he showers the washes his hands after showering. His showers take 20 minutes easily. He got it down to 4 minutes for a short-time but has returned to giving in to OCD 😞
@@NiaMSnow Ik it’s so hard to not do but I go through this also my hand washing use to be so bad you just need to tell yourself everything is going to be okay it’s hard but I’m here we got this
@@harrysmith8329 it was difficult indeed but we had a timer challenge. It made him feel like he won that battle making a new "record" ! Bur, it only last about a month, then he slowly started to decline and he's back up to 10-15 minute showers :( OCD pays attention all the time it seems. Relentless.
Does anyone have a hard time either skipping shaving their legs after showering? I can't stand fhe feeling of unshaved legs after showering & wearing pants. If I don't shower, the pants don't bother me as much even though not shaved.
Have you tried shaving your legs first and then showering after a few minutes/ hours later? I do that once a week to avoid a longer shower all in one, hope that helps
i struggled with this heavily when i was 15. i didnt shower much because i felt like i didnt deserve to be clean and healthy because it would lead me into being a bad person if i treated myself kindly.
I literally take 7/8 showers when my aniexty gets sooo bad n it calms me… mines stems from being sexually assaulted when I was 16 … I’m 29 now n it’s very tiring and exhausting
I have the cure that helped me Find a christian orthodox church and go there as often as you can As a first step try to confess to a priest, in the end he will give you the Holy Eucharisty wich is like a pill and cure for the bad things in life, adictions or .. Helps..also try to.pray with your own words to Jesus. Helped me alot.
@@NiaMSnow Hi Nia! I noticed with one of your comments you said that you’re able to shower in 5 minutes. Do you use the Navy Shower routine? Or can you please share your tips with me 😢 I am tired and exhausted..and was recently called a weirdo by my family. I have been struggling for years. Idk what to do. Would love to connect with you if possible! Thank you so much!
I can’t do this anymore 😔 I haven’t showered in weeks, I keep delaying because it’s just so hard. Then I have to let my family members wash, then wait 2 days and then the cycle repeats. I’m really struggling because of how long I wash my hands. It takes 2 hours + in the shower and another 2 hours when I get out. It’s so awful and I’m so tired and my family is tired too. What can I do? I used to shower everyday 😔 I used to love it!
What if it feels like the shower is the source of contamination? It takes a bit of mental energy to step into the shower without thinking it's "dirty."
Recognize magical thinking when you feel it, and with magical, thinking there is always always the possibility that what you may be hearing and believing is not an irrefutable fact. There is comfort in that or you can learn to find comfort in that. Reinforcing as much positive thinking as you can helps me a lot. The more you train your subconscious mind in handling a situation where your anxiety is freaking out, the more capable you will feel in your ability to not let emotions control you. Just before watching this video I had a situation hapen that is pretty severe when it comes to what triggers my OCD. And I feel fine. A year ago it probably would’ve crumbled me. Just six months ago I probably would’ve crumbled even further than that. But I came out the other end of magical thinking, and realized that I am clean. And logically speaking I know I am clean. And these thoughts are just thoughts. This hypersensitivity and hyper focus towards ‘dirt’ is not fact, and it is not worth the most valuable resource people have, which is time. Try to see if there was an OCD support group near you, you can find them and psychiatrist clinics, I’m not sure if you have insurance, but you can call them and ask if you do. There are plenty of OCD support groups online as well that are free if you want to speak of your problems. You are not alone in the slightest, there are millions of people out there who have even more severe OCD than you do. Take as much comfort as you can in that. There is a life waiting for you in which you do not suffer from this. It is 100% possible, it is a guaranteed life if you pursue the belief that you will get through it. Sending you strength.
And write down whatever OCD thoughts you have, and try to write and explain how it is illogical. Divide them into categories, thoughts that have to do with this or that. write as many as you can don’t. You will get to a point where you will only observe OCD thoughts and not FEEL the need or necessity to react in order to feel stable. Focus on that end desire and it will be impossible to not get it. When people in life desire success so greatly they will inevitably get it. When people in life focus all their energy in problem-solving, positivity, their own strength, there’s subconscious mind will learn very quickly what to replay in your head in your lowest moments. You will be surprised at how greatly your life will improve if you train your subconscious mind to be filled to the brim with positivity. A lot of people don’t realize just how vital it is to train your subconscious mind to say what you need to hear when you need to hear it. Believe in your capabilities to oversee this. This is not going to be your life forever, you will not suffer forever. Positivity positivity positivity!! And do draw the line between positivity and toxic positivity. You are allowed to feel frustrated and upset. But do not go to the point where you beat yourself down. Feel your emotions, never for one second bottle things up.
❤I have the cure that helped me Find a christian orthodox church and go there as often as you can As a first step try to confess to a priest, in the end he will give you the Holy Eucharisty wich is like a pill and cure for the bad things in life, adictions or .. Helps..also try to.pray with your own words to Jesus. And seek terapy if you can afford, I cant, so this helped me, now im 50 procents better. Put a cronometer, this helped me too Helped me alot.❤
the worst part of ocd for me isnt the compulsions, but missing over half my day doing these things
My showers are genuinely the most time consuming and exhausting part of my day.
Hey, I can somewhat relate. How have you been?
my water bills are exhausting
@Anthony Hartman I have been struggling 😭 I’m completely exhausted, but hoping erp will help.
@@RayneRain77 Yes it can. I keep struggling as well. Remember that progress isn’t always a straight line. You might be able to cut down your time for a day, and the next maybe not, then the next two maybe are shorter, etc. Keep trying and staying strong, it is tough but let me know how erp and therapy goes!
@@reese6235 I can definitely see what you mean. I’m very blessed that I am only 17 and still live with my parents but my long showers are probably causing the bill to go up.
I used to take 20-25 mins in shower but now I take 1 to 1 and a ½ hours.I'm so stressed about it.I'm trying hard not to make it worse but it drains out all my energy.It's affecting my daily life, my studies and also my family.Thanks for the video. At least, I'm feeling better after knowing that I'm not the only one who keeps washing over and over again.
mine is being terrified of being in the bathroom, and touching the faucet, the shampoo, my loofah, my hair touching the walls. i dispose a loofah each time i do shower, and hold my shampoo on ziplock bags, i have went months without showering, it’s so disgusting and shameful, literally fucking pathetic. sending lots of love to all of you struggling.
Holy moly I do this too!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey, how have you been doing?
@@NiaMSnow Hey, how have you been doing?
I suffer this as well...
Me too, sending you all love and positivity.
I'm a bit compulsive, over washing. Showers taking 1-2 hours. It's too much of a chore. Add in depression and it's very easy to not want to do it... just lay down, I'll shower in the morning... or maybe tomorrow night....
It does feel good when I'm finally clean again, but I really put it off a lot.
YES I'm the same way. If I do bathe the whole ritual takes 3 hours and it makes me so tired because I have chronic illness, and for me I have a weird thing where I must wait 4 days to shave again and showering without shaving makes me have meltdowns 🤣 it's so tiring you just wanna skip it
Saaamee I didn’t even realize it was bc of my ocd until this video it was so helpful and helpful to hear others struggling with the same 😭 I’m currently lying down watching youtube vids to motivate myself to go shower - or is it excuse? 😆 im gonna try not to do everything in my “shower routine” it always gets too much and then I just feel like it’s too much work and then decide not to do it in the end. And I always add other stuff that needs to be cleaned too. My mind will spot all the dirty things it’s like when I’m clean being dirty becomes traumatic. But I’m gonna try to only do a smaller list of things and only those things! Wish me luck.
Yep I can relate to all of you guys.
Thank you for this video! I’ve never seen a therapist before, but if I would, hopefully it would be someone like you! My showers are 3 hours long. It is mentally, physically & emotionally draining!! I get up at 4 to be at work for 11:30. I’ve spent more time getting ready than the hours I actually work. I would give anything to make it go away…
First it was 2 hours
Know usually 4 hours
Sometimes 6 hours
I can't take it anymore
I’m currently going through the same thing. It takes me hours to even make it out of the house. Sending love and support ❤️
@@haniDopeman I’m so so sorry you’re going through this. It’s exhausting!!! Sending love and support ❤️
Hey. How has it been since you commented?
@@haniDopeman how have you been doing since your comment? There is help and you will get through it!
My two worst times of day, morning bathroom, and evening shower, it's like there is no set ends, just repeating a pattern until I can finally break free
trick with showering is picking a song which is long enough for your shower. Mine is 5 minutes. I play the song and have to be finished by the end of the song. I focus on the song instead of achieving the feeling "I feel just right now".
Thank you for this I will be trying it!
Good idea will give it a try.
My sister is mentally handicapped and has severe OCD. I never knew that over bathing or not bathing was a common theme.
I always feel dirty no matter how many times i shower
Feels like there's something heavy on my skin
Me too! I knew it wasn't just me
Same here
Did you go thru sexual assault?
I hate germs.. and i hate chemicals..and i hate soap, bad combination. my mother had this eczema on her hands alot when i was a child, i saw that growing up, she told me plants, soap, and other stuff made it much worse, she tried to avoid touching stuff and using parafumes and soap. When i finaly got my own garden same stuff happend to me, not because i could not touch the plants but because i was out in dry air working with my hands, it ruined the skin, i got big soars on my hands with infections, and i noticed soap made it worse. So i stopped to shower with soap and that was terrible as i did not feel i got clean enough, and startet to shower 2-3 times everyday. I only use soap 1 time a month and when i do that i hate it, i have to shower my shower so soap dont build up and "hide" anywhere.. I slowly begin to see the soap everywhere, when stores i shopped in cleaned their floors, i tought residue of it was everywhere, so i began to where gloves, and i use about 50-100 pr of gloves everyday now (before it was about 200 but it gotten better) at the same time, my eczema disapared and i found out it was not soap i could not handle, and it really wasnt the typical eczema either, the gloves prevetend moisture from leaving my hands, and my skin was therefore protected from drying. I could put lotions on my hands but i haaate that with a passion. So gloves does it for me. Now i only use gloves to prevent me drying out, not because im scared of touching the soap from groceries and stuff like that. It is all slowly getting better, and until recently i was a heavy cannabis user, smoked everyday for 20 years and let me tell you this... that dont make it any better at all.. after i stopped smoking everyday at least 50% of my ocd is gone. And i can now work with it alot better, i try to challenge it, i talk to it like it was a demon sometimes (i dont believes in spirits or demons btw). I dont se it as a side of me, i se it as a alien thing in me that has to get out ASAP. Much of my ocd is based on
trauma and sad experiences... when i began to get soars on my hands i saw a girl that always told me how much she loved my hands.. i realized i would never touch her with hands that was beginning to look like my hands.. they wasnt attractive in that state at all and that ruined me mentally for a while. I said stop now, i refuse to let the ocd evolve, i ridicule it when new stuff pops up and tosh it aside quickly like a glowing piece of coal. I wont let this build up indside of me anymore, and i got so long now.. you can do the same trust me, you just have to believe in this, i did all this without medication and without a psychiatrist so you can do it to. this "demon" wil take your life if you dont put up a fight, dont trust your own feelings, be humble towards the truth because we might be on the wrong track (us with ocd)
Im lucky that i have limited warm water, i can only shower for 10 minuttes max, then the water gets cold. believe it or not that is a lifesaver also.
i was also afraid of parasiets (tapeworms) for a while.. avoided bird droppings like they was mines etc. I slowly started to accept that i cant avoid what im afraid of, that does not mean i will get tapeworms, but it is a impossible mission to avoid soap from your sorroundings for the rest of your life... you cant.. you have to accept it, and accept your fears about it is only fantasies.
Thank you so much for doing a video about this... I can relate a lot because I have certain rules in the shower I have to do... I have to touch & check different things & sometimes I do try to avoid taking a shower. It really sucks but Im definitely going to try this method. I know that it want be easy but I'm going to keep trying & im not going to give up. I love your videos... they're always very helpful. Thanks Natasha 🙂
I have an ocd diagnosis and have much difficulty showering or bathing. I hate being wet, I hate stray, wet hairs touching me, I hate stepping out of the shower and onto the bathroom mat (even if freshly washed). It’s such a sensory overload and I don’t like things clinging to me when I’m wet (hairs, fuzz, etc). I check my body for stray hairs in and outside of the shower.
me too. I also despise applying lotion to my body 😢
I can't even touch walls, faucets, and I had to get the tub resurfaced, but I'm up past the time I should be asleep for an early morning of work, putting off my shower.
Very anxious and stressed in the shower Susan
Same here........ literally complete 3 and half hour i spend in shower and after that left with no energy also regret and unsatisfaction🤦 plus there is so much going on like cleaning thing again again or keep brushing,washing or wiping them......like sofa, bed, utensils,hands, curtains, platform, floor,any kind of things and also wall of my house 🤦 really immense time and energy consuming 😡 i create hell in my life because of this and having a feeling of suicide because I am tired now because it is uncontrolable for me .i know life without ocd is heaven
Hi there, I am going through the same since many years. Did anything help you ? I tried several therapies ,medications nothing helped . I hate living like this. I am exhausted 😓
Doom isn’t certain for you. No matter how many dead ends you keep finding something will work. I promise you. I am not even yet seeing an OCD specialist, but with the sheer amount of resources we have in this world, there is no way you of all people are doomed! You are not a lost cause within this disorder. You may feel an inevitable endless pattern of feeling controlled by OCD, but you have the capability of overcoming this, no matter how you may feel. Feelings are not fact, I believe in you! Please trust yourself to get through this, believe in the day, and the days, and the life you will have once you no longer feel controlled. Imagine it, and feel it, and know that it was never an impossibility! That life is waiting for you, hang in there.
I can relate.
What if you can't stand touching the walls, the curtain, the floor?
What if the water pooling in the tub is so overwhelming you hyperventilate because you're so grossed out you could puke or pass out?
How do I get over these things???
I can't take a bath! I can't get into hot tubs or pools.
Contaminated water is horrifying to me!
Right.
Do you mean the shower is filling up with water instead of draining? Just means it is clogged with hair and soap. Get some caustic soda down the plughole or a brand of unblocker that is sposed to be good, should work no prob. I have to routinely pour crap down my plug hole coz I soap for days.
My OCD brain would answer this question like that you need to clean you bathroom walls and the curtain and the rest of those contaminated items from your list before putting yourself in there for a shower. But then I know that I'd avoid showering for a long time because of how much bathroom items need cleaning beforehand. I'm feeling trapped by this.
@@voloshanca exactly. That's totally my dilemma.
@@voloshanca wow that makes totally sense. I’ve had an aversion to shower at my new home and the drain gets clogged easily and ugh it’s giving me shivers thinking about it. The best shower I have had here was right after I cleaned everything
Mine is a fear of being alone with my scary thoughts.
Oh right that thing too! I have an idea of having music or somebody talking to me while I shower so I wouldn't get distracted by and fly away into my thoughts, but then I think: what if that will become another compulsion? The line between a solution and a compulsion is so freaking thin! Does somebody know if that's a right approach?
Yes RUclips relaxing spa tunes its the best. I put my phone in a zip lock to keep it germ free volume all the way up
Me too
I suspect myself to have ocd because i dunno why i have to spend an entire hour in the shower all i know is that i have to count how many times i scrubbed my forearms and etc and im afraid that i might miss out a spot on my body and the soap left on that spot may irratite my skin
I've taken two showers in less than 5 mins because I messed my ritual up lol. I touched the floor after getting out the shower and felt dirty, I HAD to take another shower. I couldn't stop thinking about the germs on my foot.
try pool shoes? I step onto a duck board than into sliders, no floor touching.
@@ljones2087 I'll give that a try
bathroom slippers
Personally I don’t like to think about ways I can expand my OCD, forming new thoughts because of the new ways I try to cope with the OCD further, rather than challenge it.
R@@ljones2087 But that is another way of avoidance rather than dealing with your phobia? Your feet are meant to touch a floor. At the beginning of evolution we lived in primitive conditions with no shoes, no soap and no protection of any sort as is available to us today yet guess what, mankind did not die out from a lack of wearing shoes and they continued to evolve. There are literally billions of people around the world who put their feet on the floor when getting out of the shower, every single day, and no one died as a result of their feet touching the floor. I am slaying this as someone who has suffered with cleanliness OCD all their life, but then let common sense and the realization of what is reasonable behavior, finally kick in to re-program my thinking.
I started showering every other day so I could get to work on time half the time, and then she said avoiding showering to avoid taking too long... is *another compulsion.* It was at this moment that I realized my issue was bigger than I thought.
My showers are 3 or 4 hours long... they physically exhuast me. I can even fall asleep in the bath tub with the water running.
@robertwilsoniii2048 omg same. Has anything worked for you since you posted this comment? I would love to know 🙏🏾
Thank you for making this video. My shower problem has to do with being wet, anxiety about not cleaning the shower, takes energy, interrupts by activities. How do I fix that? Now if Im dirty, I will shower. If I dont feel like Im dirty enough, I wont. I prefer wet wipes.
Professional help and correct feedback I’m afraid is the only way to go when it comes to proper treatment. Exposure therapy is very important, but most importantly, the willingness of getting through it. No one can be helped if they don’t want to be helped, and if they aren’t truly ready for the process before getting to their end desire. There could be OCD support groups close to you, the last one I went to was in a psychiatry clinic. Those can definitely help you and make help feel more accessible, and help feel possible
For years I’ve had an intense fear of vomit, my OCD keeps a close eye on my stomach, my body temp, even my saliva to just keep checking and making sure that I won’t throw up, and only eating things that I would be okay with throwing up (cookies, crackers, bread, fruits… Ive been trying to expand my palate lately), and always making sure that I have antiemetics around.
This isn’t what started the phobia, but when I was about nine, I went on vacation and got a stomach bug, so I was throwing up away from home and could barely do anything. I’m going on vacation again for about a week, and it’s making me very nervous that I’ll get another stomach bug. I wash my hands before eating, which has usually kept me from getting sick, but my OCD constantly reminds me about vomiting and how I have to keep checking. I’m so nervous about this trip, I haven’t even packed or anything because I just don’t want to think about it.
Hey. How was the trip? How have you been doing?
@@anthonyhartman5425 it was amazing! thanks for asking! My anxiety level rose a few times, like when I was about to leave the the airport, but overall it was a very pleasant trip. I am so glad that I went. Now, the next time I’m really worried about my anxiety getting worse over something, I’ll have a good example of when things actually turned out fine ☺️
@@foldedchip7551 Awesome! Yes, that is a great example to use. That technique of using a time when you had anxiety but you battled through it is pretty good, and it works too. Congrats and keep going! I’m here if you ever want to talk!
Clothing feels extra scratchy. Does anyone else noticed having clothes feel extra rough if you get dressed right after, even if dried off? I usually feel best in my towel robe for about about a half hour or wear extra soft clothes. My showers are long. I am clumsy and have bad experiences with shaving, sometimes almost slipping. So I tend not to rush in the shower. Eczema and long hair doesn't help. I hate to alone with my thoughts but listening to RUclips etc solves that.
I can’t wait for the day that I no longer focus on it, and as a result, the sensitivity dies down. I stopped feeling hopeless when it comes to OCD. I’m not in treatment, but I was forced to live in environment that only triggered me. I got triggered by every nook and cranny within me and it lead me to a very dark point. But honestly speaking when I came out of that point, I only found myself feeling better towards my OCD. That feeling of vulnerability and exposure made the smallest of issues feel like they towered over me like nothing I’ve ever felt. But I prefer the total exposure over the total comfort I had previously, where the amount of relief I had from completing compulsions, used to be so much greater than the relief I have now. The relief that now is from having genuine control if something my OCD deems ‘horrifyingly disgusting’ happens. The relief stopped very abruptly around a year ago when I was forced to move. It honestly with some of the worst months of my life, and I’ve had some very hard months out of trauma, but the ones that were a result of OCD were still some of the worst. Goes to show just how debilitating of a disorder this is. Yet I still prefer the exposure, and the peace that comes after the victory of getting through it. My OCD only got better because of brutal exposure. The two second relief that comes from a compulsion is so much less than from that peace I got 😴
I also have eczema, I would keep cutting my hair out of how gross long wet hair would feel on my back and how it was lengthen showers 🤣 but you’re right about the towel robe after a shower, feeling the most comfortable. Hope your symptoms have improved! But as you know, it’s just the hyper focus that OCD will insinuate, so it will give you this almost magical, feel of something feeling dirtier than it actually is. The magical thinking is almost comforting, because it never guarantees that something is true dirty, it leaves the possibility open of cleanliness. Reinforcing positive thinking really helped my OCD. truly.
If I believe I don’t have the time to do everything I have to do in the shower or I do not have the energy or stamina to do it all - I don’t shower at all. Sucks.
It's been really difficult...thank you for this
I found out that I had a hard time showering for reasons which are more to do with the feeling of standing up for a period of time to wash.
The first time I used an accessible shower with a fold down seat and low level hand held hose, I realised I felt comfortable showering for the first time because i felt safe. Hadnt realised how unsafe I felt before, even when I thought I was coping.
I do also think I had issues with seeing myself naked which in my case was related to my beinf autistic (maybe also obsessive personality).
What do you do If you tried to cut down your cleaning time, and you did but after a few days your time becomes long again when it comes to cleaning.
Then you're not satisfied again or you're not satisfied again to your new time which is shorter and you settle for the longer time of cleaning again
I think you will get an uncomfortable feeling after cutting down your shower time for a few days. It is a hard challenge but I know you can overcome it. Just keep trying to cut down the time and continue to shower in the time you are aiming for. Sometimes you might shower for a little longer, sometimes you might give in to cleaning for a longer period of time, but don’t let that discourage you. We are not perfect. Try to remember that you might have showers where it takes you longer, but progress might be short showers for some days and then you might take a longer shower. But then keep trying to take shorter showers. It’s tough, but just keep trying your best! How have you been since your comment?
@@anthonyhartman5425 oh.
Thank you!
I still haven't achieved my goal yet but things have been getting better.
I showered for a shorter time but it still takes a long time though, hehe.
Thank you for asking
@@kiringalvadores2860 of course! I took a shower earlier today and it took around an hour. I’m just going to keep trying though and I know you will too! Congrats on moving towards your goal of a shorter time though!
@@anthonyhartman5425 thank you!.
You too! And God bless
@@kiringalvadores2860 God bless you too!
So helpful! Thank you!
My son needs to wash his hands before he showers the washes his hands after showering. His showers take 20 minutes easily. He got it down to 4 minutes for a short-time but has returned to giving in to OCD 😞
I wash my hands for an hour before getting in the shower which is another 3 hours..he’s doing great!
How did he bring it down??
I do that every day! I wash my hands then shower and then shower again and then when I get out of the shower I wash my hands again!!!!!!!!
@@NiaMSnow Ik it’s so hard to not do but I go through this also my hand washing use to be so bad you just need to tell yourself everything is going to be okay it’s hard but I’m here we got this
@@harrysmith8329 it was difficult indeed but we had a timer challenge. It made him feel like he won that battle making a new "record" ! Bur, it only last about a month, then he slowly started to decline and he's back up to 10-15 minute showers :( OCD pays attention all the time it seems. Relentless.
Does anyone have a hard time either skipping shaving their legs after showering? I can't stand fhe feeling of unshaved legs after showering & wearing pants. If I don't shower, the pants don't bother me as much even though not shaved.
Have you tried shaving your legs first and then showering after a few minutes/ hours later? I do that once a week to avoid a longer shower all in one, hope that helps
i struggled with this heavily when i was 15. i didnt shower much because i felt like i didnt deserve to be clean and healthy because it would lead me into being a bad person if i treated myself kindly.
Thank you!
I literally take 7/8 showers when my aniexty gets sooo bad n it calms me… mines stems from being sexually assaulted when I was 16 … I’m 29 now n it’s very tiring and exhausting
I'm very sorry for you . Did the abuser at least get to jail ?
I have the cure that helped me
Find a christian orthodox church and go there as often as you can
As a first step try to confess to a priest, in the end he will give you the Holy Eucharisty wich is like a pill and cure for the bad things in life, adictions or ..
Helps..also try to.pray with your own words to Jesus.
Helped me alot.
Hi man do you give one on one sessions online? Ty v much
PLEASE reply to your comments!!!!! 😭
She won't lol
@@NiaMSnow Hi Nia! I noticed with one of your comments you said that you’re able to shower in 5 minutes. Do you use the Navy Shower routine? Or can you please share your tips with me 😢 I am tired and exhausted..and was recently called a weirdo by my family. I have been struggling for years. Idk what to do. Would love to connect with you if possible! Thank you so much!
I can’t do this anymore 😔 I haven’t showered in weeks, I keep delaying because it’s just so hard. Then I have to let my family members wash, then wait 2 days and then the cycle repeats. I’m really struggling because of how long I wash my hands. It takes 2 hours + in the shower and another 2 hours when I get out. It’s so awful and I’m so tired and my family is tired too. What can I do? I used to shower everyday 😔 I used to love it!
the best video i've seen on this.
I have pocd and i am scared to shower
Such good information.
What if it feels like the shower is the source of contamination? It takes a bit of mental energy to step into the shower without thinking it's "dirty."
Recognize magical thinking when you feel it, and with magical, thinking there is always always the possibility that what you may be hearing and believing is not an irrefutable fact. There is comfort in that or you can learn to find comfort in that. Reinforcing as much positive thinking as you can helps me a lot. The more you train your subconscious mind in handling a situation where your anxiety is freaking out, the more capable you will feel in your ability to not let emotions control you. Just before watching this video I had a situation hapen that is pretty severe when it comes to what triggers my OCD. And I feel fine. A year ago it probably would’ve crumbled me. Just six months ago I probably would’ve crumbled even further than that. But I came out the other end of magical thinking, and realized that I am clean. And logically speaking I know I am clean. And these thoughts are just thoughts. This hypersensitivity and hyper focus towards ‘dirt’ is not fact, and it is not worth the most valuable resource people have, which is time. Try to see if there was an OCD support group near you, you can find them and psychiatrist clinics, I’m not sure if you have insurance, but you can call them and ask if you do. There are plenty of OCD support groups online as well that are free if you want to speak of your problems. You are not alone in the slightest, there are millions of people out there who have even more severe OCD than you do. Take as much comfort as you can in that. There is a life waiting for you in which you do not suffer from this. It is 100% possible, it is a guaranteed life if you pursue the belief that you will get through it. Sending you strength.
And write down whatever OCD thoughts you have, and try to write and explain how it is illogical. Divide them into categories, thoughts that have to do with this or that. write as many as you can don’t. You will get to a point where you will only observe OCD thoughts and not FEEL the need or necessity to react in order to feel stable. Focus on that end desire and it will be impossible to not get it. When people in life desire success so greatly they will inevitably get it. When people in life focus all their energy in problem-solving, positivity, their own strength, there’s subconscious mind will learn very quickly what to replay in your head in your lowest moments. You will be surprised at how greatly your life will improve if you train your subconscious mind to be filled to the brim with positivity. A lot of people don’t realize just how vital it is to train your subconscious mind to say what you need to hear when you need to hear it. Believe in your capabilities to oversee this. This is not going to be your life forever, you will not suffer forever. Positivity positivity positivity!! And do draw the line between positivity and toxic positivity. You are allowed to feel frustrated and upset. But do not go to the point where you beat yourself down. Feel your emotions, never for one second bottle things up.
I have to wash everything four times or for 4 minutes and I can only take 44 minutes when it gets bad
good advice
i hate this so much. 2;30 to 3;30 hours in shower.
DH88 I thought I was the only one who takes 2-3 hour showers
@@Okayorca0326 i thought the same till i looked at some comments on this video
@@Okayorca0326 No i am also taking 3 or 4 hrs for shower
@@adithyansasi9187 Hi I use to have to take showers so long I’d be stuck repeating tasks how have you been doing any better
@@Okayorca0326 I use to take long showers also keep working on not doing what your compulsions want you to
I like to have a sponge bath and shower
Yes
I gave up on toilet paper I just wash my ass after haha 😂
❤I have the cure that helped me
Find a christian orthodox church and go there as often as you can
As a first step try to confess to a priest, in the end he will give you the Holy Eucharisty wich is like a pill and cure for the bad things in life, adictions or ..
Helps..also try to.pray with your own words to Jesus.
And seek terapy if you can afford, I cant, so this helped me, now im 50 procents better.
Put a cronometer, this helped me too
Helped me alot.❤
Thank you!