That means you’re a Germaphobe. XD

My husband thinks I’m a germaphobe, but I’m not. Sure, I won’t sit at a dirty table, and for the most part, I will use my sleeve to open outside doors. But he mainly thinks I’m one because I dislike and get completely turned off when he digs up his nose and soon after wants to rub me. Yuck! Or coughs on his hand and touches me after, disgusting! I won’t eat after him or my children because the bite often contains saliva. I often don’t like to kiss using my tongue because it grosses me out. I think I’m normal. Yes, I want you to wash your hands before going into the ice bucket in the freezer. I do believe I have a tad bit of OCD, but not much. I won’t eat with forks and spoons outside restaurants unless I have alcohol pads to clean and a glass of water to wash them off in. And still, I won’t put my whole mouth on that fork or spoon, not even in my home. But especially not outside. I don’t even sit on my home toilet because others use it without completely wiping it down. I think I’m normal. Would anyone consider this germaphobic behavior?

You are not alone. Don’t beat yourself up. Fight it early on and realize it is mostly in our heads. The more skilled I got at avoidance, the worse things got. Eventually, it became a mental game where I had little logical thought. It’s all reflex.

I am in a similar situation. Not sure what a long-term solution is. However, short term, you may be able to convince yourself that it is better by doing something to it, like pouring bleach or boiling water. I’m told avoidance isn’t a long-term answer. Also, try not to let this overthinking progress win, as I have. Fight it early on.

I have this too. I forget, but I also hate wiping up the water around the sink. I wash my hands before and after I do anything, which adds a lot of time. It drives my husband nuts, so I told him he could leave notes out for me, but I got annoyed, probably because I have the urge to rewash my hands after I wipe around the sink. Vicious cycle. ADHD and OCD. Any hacks?

Germs won’t kill you. You can’t avoid germs, poop, pee, etc. If you try, your life will become terrible trying to dodge things because almost everything is contaminated, and you will start doing fewer things like staying in more and not enjoying life. Do ERP therapy. It’s the gold standard for helping overcome OCD. I’m currently doing it.

So I go to high school, and every time my friends and I go to the cafeteria to have lunch or just our normal breaks, I feel shivers down my spine when I have to imagine sitting at the table.

My friends always sit down, and I am disgusted by the thought of touching the chair/table with my bare skin, especially when I see dirt such a crums or any kind of food leftovers like ketchup on the table.

I can never bring myself to sit at the table unless I clean it myself, and even then, I can’t eat at peace, constantly thinking about the dirt that might touch my skin/clothes.
It’s the same with my bag. I HATE to lay it on the floor because of the same mentioned reasons, and I always make sure to place it either on someone else’s bag or on the table (I prefer to hang it up, though.)

Can someone help me and tell me what this could be? Because it REALLY messes me up.

Thank you.

Hi Paul, no, it ™s not just you. Hope you were able to cope with it in the meantime. We got the same issues and are still impatiently waiting for vac in the EU. It ™s so damn hard.

I have severe panic attacks, normally triggered from being blamed or yelled at. I have germophobia, pyrophobia, claustrophobia, fear of clowns, and getting sick. I don’t like sharing the bed either.