Exposure to Germs

Ok, I was doing some research on germs. I found several articles that said kids that were exposed to germs are healthier than those who were kept in super sanitary environments. Not that you want to be dirty, but maybe some of us OCD and germ fearing people can relax a bit. Check out the articles below:
Germs and Food
The dirt on germs

Yahoo Answers link

Hey guys,
this is a great post from Yahoo Answers to help calm your fears about germs like having a hamster pee on you. Enjoy!
Yahoo Answers Hamster Peed On Me!

GERMS!

Edited on December 20, 2009.
You know when you start feeling like you need to wash your hands everytime you touch ANYTHING, because of your OCD, and the fear the media has put on us of swine flu doesn't help; when you feel like that, remember our skin already has germs on it's surface all the time. Our mouth is one of the most germ ridden places on our bodies! We survive. One thing to try and remember with OCD, and believe me I know this is not easy, but wash your hands after you use the bathroom, before you eat, and after you touch anything that is a known disgusting thing. That would be obviously: poop, pee, dead animals, ect. You get the idea. If you over wash and kill every germ there is, your body won't be able to become immune to germs, as it will never come in contact with them, and then if it does come in contact with a germ you'd probably get VERY sick, because your body won't know how to handle it.

Here is a list of germs or things that carry diseases, or things we think might be germy. I will put the info I have found out about each thing right next to the word. Whether it be germy, disease ridden, completely harmless, ect. I will continue to update this list when I find more stuff out. So hopefully anytime you're freaking out whether something might hurt you or your child after you've come in contact with it, you can come here and check to see if it is listed, then your OCD can no longer taunt you if you're informed about the thing you're worrying about. :)

Bugs that do not carry disease:

Ladybugs
Ants-one of the cleanest bugs on earth-
Spiders
June Bugs
Moths
Butterflies
Millipedes
Worms


Bugs that do carry disease:
Ticks
Lice
Fleas
Flies- the worst thing you could get from a fly is also what you could get from a public restroom or doorknob. They do not carry any serious diseases.
Cockroaches- Although cockroaches carry disease organisms, they are not known to transmit disease to humans.
Roaches
Mosquitos-though think of how many times a person has been bitten by a mosquito and nothing happened. Our bodies are pretty amazing and strong!

Contact with animals and their waste that will NOT hurt you:
Hamsters
Gerbils
Guinea Pigs
Cats
Dogs
Hermit Crabs
Snails
Slugs

Contact with animals and their waste that has the potential to hurt you:
Wild Mice and Rats
Any poisonous animal of course.

OCD feeling of "not right"

Have you ever had this problem? I have. Sometimes I'll go to put on a shirt or socks or what have you, and all of a sudden my OCD says, 'you can't use that one, it's pink,' or you can't put that sock on your left foot, it goes on the right foot!' And then nothing feels right, and you don't know what to do, because you know all of that is rediculous, but you have that little doubt in the back of your mind that wonders if OCD could ever be right, and something bad would happen. Well OCD can never be right. No one anywhere has ever harmed another person by the color clothes they put on, or by which foot a particular sock went on. I have never heard of anything like that before, have you? I think it would be worldwide known if something like this had ever happened, because it'd be pretty rare. All of us would have heard about it some way. OCD is a constant self doubting, nagging, self destroying disease. Really it is a chemical/hormonal imbalance in the brain. So of course it's not your fault you even have it; and if you learn it's tricks you can use them to put out the OCD fire in your head and finally stop "living with" it either, because you can outsmart it. You may always have that chemical/hormonal imbalance, but there in lies the hope for the next day. You can learn how to live with a physical imbalance. People do it everyday. Diabetes is a chemical imbalance, so is PMS. All of us girls have had encounters with PMS, and yes you may actually feel like hurting someone or something, but you don't. It passes. It's just a thought or a feeling, and it passes. Easy as that. When you can apply that same logic to OCD, you feel a sense of relief, right? You don't feel as doomed, or trapped, because you realize it won't last, It's just a thought. Take a deep breath now, and everytime today when your OCD voice tells you to do something over again or someone will get hurt, tell it 'no that's not true, if it were we'd all be dead.' Isn't that the truth? If someone putting on clothes or socks the 'wrong way', or in 'wrong' colors, actually could harm someone else away from you, we'd all be doomed! It just doesn't happen.
OCD may be a nagging voice in your head, but that doesn't mean it is an accurate voice. It could be the voice of the stupidest being in the universe. It never tells us anything that makes us feel good, and most of the things it comes up with are just rediculous, so why do we listen? Fear. Fear is only in our minds though. We don't have to fear things if we find out what they really are. OCD is a liar, and a deceiver. You are a good person. Even with OCD, you're the same person in your heart no matter what your head might say.
Next post is going to be about germs and all of the things I have freaked out over, and then found out were not harmful to humans at all. I will list them for everyone, so hopefully you can find some relief in learning the truth.

Buy an OCD Journal

If anyone is interested, I am making the OCD Journal now and selling them. I include custom pages for immunization for people and things you love, so they can be immune to your OCD. I can include sections dedicated to whatever it is your struggling with at the moment with your OCD. Everyone has a different battle when it comes to OCD. My goal is to help people to overcome their struggles no matter what they might be. Email me if you're interested and I can customize them to your color likes, pictures, ect. Whatever makes you feel good, and more powerful.
Click the paypal button above to purchase a journal. This is the start of your success against OCD!

OCD Journal

Ok this one thing has helped me tremendously! A journal where you can confirm your true self feelings for future use when your mind goes on an OCD trip. I call it the OCD Journal. I use a pink notebook, because I don’t care for the color pink, and OCD torments me with it for some reason. I have lots of things in that book that have saved me many an obsession/compulsion nightmare attack. You can even have a list of people or things that you love, and that OCD regularly attacks, and title each person as being “immune” to your OCD. Meaning when the OCD kicks the dust in your eyes about someone/something you love, you can ignore it because it can’t get to that person or thing, because you’ve immunized them/it. That not only eases your mind, it shifts some of OCD’s power back over to you. You are in control here, not OCD. How’s that for a first? I have found this list to be very helpful!

Blocked Emotions

This is one syptom of OCD that kills me! I’m so tired of not being able to access feelings that I know are there somewhere inside of me. Then when I can’t instantly feel what I think I should(or know I do), good ole OCD kicks in and starts telling me that I must feel the opposite of whatever I really feel, because I can’t “feel” it at the moment. Sound familiar?
One thing I have come to learn in this process is that the times you are able to access real feelings, and you feel normal and happy–even though those moments may be far and few in between, try writing the “clear moment” down in a journal, date it, and even sign it if it makes it feel more concrete to you that it is a true reflection of how you feel in your heart about whatever OCD is taunting you about. Then whenever this ‘not being able to feel your feelings’ nightmare comes up, you can calm yourself quickly by referencing your note that you jotted down. If you’re anything like me though, OCD will try to pry into your thoughts even after you have confirmed your real feelings via the journal, and slashed the OCD myths along the way. Best thing you can do at this point, is just let the thoughts be there. Pay no attention, don’t react. I know it’s painful. Just let it be there, and try to focus on another activity. 10-20 minutes later if successful, you’ll realize your reasoning is much better from having not blocked the thought, but let it be there, while actively ignoring it.

One thing I strongly suggest in your journey to stoping your OCD behaviour, is to keep an OCD journal. Get a notebook, any kind you like, maybe a color or style that makes you happy; and then write down these affirmations to your true self inside this journal.