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Small Steps of Progress - We can do it!
I spent a day in the ER of a children's hospital and my husband 2 days, staying overnight.
Everything is ok, child is a -ok so thank god.
It took ALOT and I mean ALOT of mental strength to just wash our clothing that we wore once in cold water with vinegar (heard it had disinfecting properties) and then again in hot water with detergent and then in the dryer hottest cycle. Now that may seem like a lot to regular folk but to me it was bare minimum. Did I want to do more? Yes. Did I feel that the clothes I put on this morning fresh out of the dryer were still icky? Yes. Did I worry that I may not have used enough detergent and felt that I should re-wash? Yes. Vinegar apparently helps clothes rinse cleaner so I worried that perhaps there was still some left over after the first wash and it counter acted the detergent and it didn't clean well enough. I did check to see that there were suds, and then I went to watch TV and have no idea how many suds were left by the end of the wash cycle. But in spite of all of this I told myself: I washed with a cup of vinegar, Im sure there wasn't much left by the beginning of the next wash. I used much more soap then regular, there was definatetly enough. I washed in hot water, and put in the dryer on hot. This should be enough. And if it is not, I have to believe that any germs left on the clothing can not harm me or my family. I did have all of this awful thoughts and fears but I cannot let them win. I just cannot. I have to believe that I did the best I could do and that again everything is fine.
It is a small feat, but not succombing to the doubts and the fears gave me a very nice sense of accomplishment and a feeling that I can beat this OCD, I can win. It will does take a few small victory's at a time. But a win is a win and I will take it where I can get it.
Just wanted to share, and let other's know that we CAN do it. We DO own our thoughts and our actions, and we CAN get through this just fine.
Everything is ok, child is a -ok so thank god.
It took ALOT and I mean ALOT of mental strength to just wash our clothing that we wore once in cold water with vinegar (heard it had disinfecting properties) and then again in hot water with detergent and then in the dryer hottest cycle. Now that may seem like a lot to regular folk but to me it was bare minimum. Did I want to do more? Yes. Did I feel that the clothes I put on this morning fresh out of the dryer were still icky? Yes. Did I worry that I may not have used enough detergent and felt that I should re-wash? Yes. Vinegar apparently helps clothes rinse cleaner so I worried that perhaps there was still some left over after the first wash and it counter acted the detergent and it didn't clean well enough. I did check to see that there were suds, and then I went to watch TV and have no idea how many suds were left by the end of the wash cycle. But in spite of all of this I told myself: I washed with a cup of vinegar, Im sure there wasn't much left by the beginning of the next wash. I used much more soap then regular, there was definatetly enough. I washed in hot water, and put in the dryer on hot. This should be enough. And if it is not, I have to believe that any germs left on the clothing can not harm me or my family. I did have all of this awful thoughts and fears but I cannot let them win. I just cannot. I have to believe that I did the best I could do and that again everything is fine.
It is a small feat, but not succombing to the doubts and the fears gave me a very nice sense of accomplishment and a feeling that I can beat this OCD, I can win. It will does take a few small victory's at a time. But a win is a win and I will take it where I can get it.
Just wanted to share, and let other's know that we CAN do it. We DO own our thoughts and our actions, and we CAN get through this just fine.
I agree with both of you and keep up the great work.Small steps will do the job and lets all fight and kick this OCD right in the behind.OCD will not defeat me.That's what I say to myself.
Baby steps are the only way to go. If we take this on, full force and head on I think we will end up in a padded room.. lol ok maybe not that extreme but it is definately a condition that requires small steps.
We must take on every thought and every doubt on it's own and deal with it that way. We cannot confront them all at once, and why should we? I say any feat is a HUGE one when it comes to overcoming OCD.
Great advice to say facts that you know are true. Plus, if the painters were there in the fall, the blood is non infectious at this point. And it was exposed to sunlight which is great at killing bacteria and germs, not to mention the time that has passed since then. Say these facts. You know these facts to be true. Say them out loud until you truly and fully believe them. I know you can do this, and I know you will get through this. Neither you or you family members will catch anything from this. :)
We must take on every thought and every doubt on it's own and deal with it that way. We cannot confront them all at once, and why should we? I say any feat is a HUGE one when it comes to overcoming OCD.
Great advice to say facts that you know are true. Plus, if the painters were there in the fall, the blood is non infectious at this point. And it was exposed to sunlight which is great at killing bacteria and germs, not to mention the time that has passed since then. Say these facts. You know these facts to be true. Say them out loud until you truly and fully believe them. I know you can do this, and I know you will get through this. Neither you or you family members will catch anything from this. :)
Proud of you, lola...I've also been fighting with my paranoia about blood. I ordered new blinds, so I have been busy getting my windows clean. Lo and behold, my windows are dirty. While I was cleaning the inside window, I saw something a little different on the window. I was going so fast that I rubbed over it by accident, but nothing happened to it. That's when I looked at it, and decided it could be blood. In the fall we had some painters here, and one of them had a nosebleed. Poopoo.....scared the wits out of me. Well, it appears that this is on the outside of the window....but I'm still a little freaked. I just keep saying facts that I know are true. Dang, this is no fun, but baby steps for me too.Now I need to find someone to help clean the windows.....can't be my husband or family, because then I'll obsess that they caught something.
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