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Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Hi, I have just joined. I have a few mental illnesses, but am especially interested in hearing if there are any diagnosed germophobes or people with hoarding disorder on these forums?

I don't know any germophobes in real life, and would be interested to know how any of you pre-Corona germophobes are doing. Can you find enough sanitiser? If not, what are you using instead? Has your germophobia gone sky-high in this pandemic? Do you find it less or more lonely now that nearly everyone is a self-confessed germophobe?

My germophobia is quite bad - I can't have anyone in my house, and need lots of sanitiser when I go out. E.g. I use it after leaving my house and before I get in the car; again before I touch the steering wheel, again after touching my purse, again before putting my seat belt on, etc. I am struggling to find enough sanitiser. If I run out, I was thinking about diluting some disinfectant and putting it into an old water bottle to take out with me. I had one really bad panic lasting 3 days that was debilitating, due to COVID-19, but after that thankfully my germophobia came back down to normal levels. I guess normal levels are not that great but at least I am used to them!

I am strangely finding it more lonely as a diagnosed germophobe now, and would really like to meet some other germophobes online and hear how you're going. At least I had a friend tell me that I was in a stronger position than him, during this health crisis, as he had trouble remembering to wash his hands, whereas I wash them a hundred times a day already!

6458 replies

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In response to: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?


@Rosemary4 wrote:
I've gotta clean up today, probably take all week with resting back in between... somewhat domestically challenged here lol :face_with_rolling_eyes:

I can emapthise with your painful back and being domestically challenged, @Rosemary4 😞 Good luck...

And yes, I used to watch that Hoarders show...very scary!

In response to: Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Well done for making some progress on your sorting out and decluttering, @HenryX 🙂

In response to: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?


@Pippyl wrote:

@NatureLover You sound exactly like me it's so odd! I always thought OCD is like worrying something will happen if you don't do compulsion, for me it isn't so, it's the fact that if I don't clean it, it spreads everywhere and that's my fear, the uncertainty and having so much cleaning to do.

Yes, the thought of contamination is terrifying isn't it, @Pippyl ! 😮

And all the cleaning and disinfecting can be overwhelming...I often can't face it, so stuff builds up in the house waiting to be disinfected.

I think it's good you recognise that you've made progress working on your childhood trauma. 👍

In response to: Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Keep at it guys 👍

In response to: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Hi @Anastasia

It’s so lovely to hear from you - hello and hugs to you too

I’m so sorry to hear about everything that’s happening for you and just from what you’ve described, it sounds as though you’re carrying an incredibly heavy emotional load

The battle between our head and our heart is never easy and finding ourselves being pushed and pulled in so many different directions can be exhausting within itself! As such, I can really appreciate how you’ve reached a place where you feel overwhelmed and emotionally depleted

There have definitely been times in my life when I’ve felt completely overwhelmed by the avalanche of responsibilities hurtling towards me and as such, finding a way forward often felt impossible! As a result, there were numerous times when all I wanted to do was hide underneath my doona until the worse was over and a sense of calm had been restored!

Just from the little bit that you shared, meeting with staff from the NDIS sounds as though it can be an extremely stressful and frustrating experience and as such, I just ever so gently wondered how the review went for your boy?

Oh Anastasia I’m so deeply sorry to hear that your dad is undergoing chemotherapy and my heart goes out to you and your family at such a difficult time

Please know that I’m thinking of you and sending you some very gentle and caring hugs

Take care of yourself,

ShiningStar

In response to: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Hi @Anastasia

It’s so lovely to hear from you

I just wanted to reach out to say thank you so much for your beautiful message

I was incredibly touched by your words and I just wanted you to know how much your message meant to me

Take kind and gentle care of yourself,

ShiningStar

In response to: Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

@NatureLover 🌳☀️🍒☕💚

In response to: Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

This made me think of you, Mother Nature at her best 🙏🌳💚☀️

@NatureLover

In response to: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Hi @NatureLover i'm frightened of food shortages due to this COVID-19 pandemic. So I've started buying tons of nonperishable food like tins of stuff and other packaged goods, and now have moved onto buying rice. I'm so frightened that this pandemic is going to cause a massive food shortage in future so I'm going to stock up my whole apartment with a crap load of different foods like chips, lollies, baked beans etc. i've had doctors and psychologists tell me in the past that we aren't going to get a food shortage but I'm still scared and I'm not going to stop buying heaps of food every fortnight. I also buy heaps of electronic books even though I haven't read most of them yet, but I like books so much anyway, it doesn't bother me to keep buying them.
My new support network is trying to help me budget my money but this means I will have to buy less nonperishable food and less books and this sucks! Even a psychiatrist told me last week to be careful when I do shopping. I said yes okay because I don't want to get lectured about my shopping habits. I also have this thing with keeping myself as clean as possible even though I'm already clean. I even tell the doctors when I'm with them that I'll keep my environment clean even though the doctors always tell me not to be worried when I need to have a rest and I'm unwell, but I insist on keeping myself and my environment clean even though there is already staff to clean out the space that I'm occupying. I just can't leave a medical clinic or hospital setting until I'm sure that my area is clean even though I have to be told several times not to be worried about it. I'm just a clean freak I think.
I will be getting a lot more mental health services under the NDIS this year and I may have to be told numerous times not to be too anxious about my shopping habits or my stack of electronic books, but I want people to understand that I want to be able to read forever without running out of books, otherwise I get really bored and I also want people to understand that being dirty is horrible. I can't stand being super dirty. It's okay temporarily if I go out for a walk or go for a swim or something, but I ultimately have to be clean all the time. And so does the environments I occupy. I don't like body odour either, I get worried that when I smell my own stink, other people can smell me as well. I honestly think I stink the whole place out even though everybody I interact with, claims that I don't stink at all. Oh well, I need control over my life somehow. And I don't like being unhygienic. And I don't want to run out of food and stuff due to food shortages. And I don't want any environmental issues due to bad hygiene or anything like that, to make me sick. And I don't want other people coughing and sneezing all over me either especially when I go out. I hate hearing other people cough and sneeze, I don't want to catch their dirty illnesses.
Sorry for the long post I just needed to vent. and thank you for making this thread!

In response to: Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

Re: Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

I do like that hopeful and determined plant @Anastasia - thank you 🙂

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