I touched a garbage can at work, stored my lunch in the "contaminated" refrigerator, and ate a piece of candy handed to me by a coworker. All good stuff. Then I stopped at the grocery store on my way home. The clerk had a weird rash on her arms. She's handled my groceries in the past without it stressing me out, but today I was buying a gift for my dad for Father's Day, so the Responsibility/Harm side of my OCD emerged and I freaked a little. There was a fire in the apartment building across the street from the store, complete with five fire trucks, and I think that started me out a little on edge (everyone was fine, but there was a lot of smoke!)
Several hours later, the rash is still making me feel a little anxious, but I plan to give Dad the gift. Off to watch The OCD Project Episode 4 online.
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You are stronger than you think!
8 months ago
You are doing great. That level of discomfort during exposure means you are doing it right. Keep up the good work. My success has been using Ian Osborn's technique (his book is Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals). I focus on extinguishing one obsession and develop a hierarchy of exposures. I work through the hierarchy over time - sometimes weeks. Meanwhile, I let myself off the hook about some of the other obsessions. You describe a lot of exposures in a short period of time. No wonder you are stressed.
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