I'm a germophobe. Is anyone else?

[Smart_Guy]

I kick doors to open them, push buttons with my finger joints, open switches with my elbow, carry a vinyl glove with me to use in public bathrooms, scrub my hands when I wash them, scrub my finger against whatever I think good enough to clean them when I do finger print attendance, NEVER drink or eat after anyone, run away from foods touched by others.... my life sucks!

Can anyone relate? Ladies are welcome to relate first

 

[Deidre]

hahaha yesssss! I am totally.

 

[Smart_Guy]

Now I don't feel alone anymore

 

[psychoslice]

Hi Smart Guy, is any of these negative situations because of your religious beliefs, I'm sorry if I have asked the wrong question.

 

[Valjean]

When at work, in hospital, I do as you do -- except my gloves are nitrile or latex, not vinyl. At home, though, all bets are off. I figure I'm already colonised with whatever germs are present.

 

[LuisDantas]

I am at a loss attempting to guess what brought this thread into being.

 

[Valjean]

That's because you probably have a subclinical brain infection, causing confusion.
Did you forget your gloves?

 

[LuisDantas]

Oh, sorry. I misread the title of the thread. Never mind me.

 

[Deeje]

You are not just a germophobe Smart Guy.....you have OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the irrational fear of whatever is the object of your phobia.
Germs are a very common one. But you do more damage to your skin through excessive washing than germs ever could.

Irrational means that it goes way over and above what is considered normal behavior. I have several friends who suffer from various OCD phobias.

One man I know has to disinfect everything before bed every night....the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom and himself...his wife must shower before bed and he must shower every time he uses the bathroom. He is a prisoner of his own fears but wont seek treatment for it. His wife is going nuts because he is up till all hours cleaning and wont let her go to bed unless he's disinfected everything they touch. The germs he fears are not making anyone else sick but that doesn't seem to matter.....his phobia rules his life and is ruining it. Thank goodness they have no children...imagine what he would do with a dirty diaper!!

Other people can't touch the cracks on the sidewalk.....some have to check the stove and other appliances several times before leaving home and often have to go back several times to make sure the electricity is turned off on every appliance, even though they might have done 10 times already!

I feel so sad for those who suffer with this very common illness. You can get treatment for it....ask your GP to refer you. Don't just put up with it. Life is too short to give it over to a treatable illness.

 

[Sirona]

I misread the title: I'm a germanophobe.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I never eat or drink after anyone either (except for my close family and two cousins). Also, I usually wash my hands after touching money and sometimes use my bathrobe belt to turn the doorknob after taking a shower. I like remaining squeaky-clean like that after showering.

 

[Smart_Guy]

Hi Smart Guy, is any of these negative situations because of your religious beliefs, I'm sorry if I have asked the wrong question.

Hey there, no worries

Nope, my religious beliefs has nothing to do with it. It is true tho that they seriously consider cleanliness.

When at work, in hospital, I do as you do -- except my gloves are nitrile or latex, not vinyl. At home, though, all bets are off. I figure I'm already colonised with whatever germs are present.

I guess any kind of gloves work for me, but vinyl are the cheapest with the feel I like that I can get. I do have the same problem at home, but in a less gravity.

I am at a loss attempting to guess what brought this thread into being.

I wonder what you misread it for

You are not just a germophobe Smart Guy.....you have OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the irrational fear of whatever is the object of your phobia.
Germs are a very common one. But you do more damage to your skin through excessive washing than germs ever could.

Irrational means that it goes way over and above what is considered normal behavior. I have several friends who suffer from various OCD phobias.

One man I know has to disinfect everything before bed every night....the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom and himself...his wife must shower before bed and he must shower every time he uses the bathroom. He is a prisoner of his own fears but wont seek treatment for it. His wife is going nuts because he is up till all hours cleaning and wont let her go to bed unless he's disinfected everything they touch. The germs he fears are not making anyone else sick but that doesn't seem to matter.....his phobia rules his life and is ruining it. Thank goodness they have no children...imagine what he would do with a dirty diaper!!

Other people can't touch the cracks on the sidewalk.....some have to check the stove and other appliances several times before leaving home and often have to go back several times to make sure the electricity is turned off on every appliance, even though they might have done 10 times already!

I feel so sad for those who suffer with this very common illness. You can get treatment for it....ask your GP to refer you. Don't just put up with it. Life is too short to give it over to a treatable illness.

I... couldn't explain it better! I lock my car with the remote central interlock, like, 3-4 times to make sure, and come back to it sometimes to confirm it again and again, and the same thing with the locking doors. That's crazy! But for food and water I do have it specifically because of cleanliness feelings. Sometimes I feel that someone speaking spit on me, or rather spray spit on e , and I start having that weird taste in my mouth and throat that ruins my day. It does give me discomfort alright, but I'm actually managing with it. I don't seem to bother with stuff around me unless I know I'm gonna get in direct contact with it and at that exact moment, so I guess I'm okay.

I misread the title: I'm a germanophobe.

What's that? Fear of Germans?

I never eat or drink after anyone either (except for my close family and two cousins). Also, I usually wash my hands after touching money and sometimes use my bathrobe belt to turn the doorknob after taking a shower. I like remaining squeaky-clean like that after showering.

I can't even eat or drink after my own family. They know this and explain things to me when they pass stuff to me, things like "yo, no one touched this part"

When I wash up, even when I perform ablution for prayer, I scrub like crazy. Just washing my hands takes as long as others take a leak and wash up after it combined!

 

[Jumi]

Yes, I do the same as you and I wear gloves when I take out the trash.

 

[LuisDantas]

What that? Fear of Germans?

That is what I misread at first. I was left wondering if it was some sort of satire for a while there.

 

[allfoak]

This is a condition that often affects spiritually advanced or highly intellectual people.
It is simply a manifestation of an inward condition.

When one is making an effort to be clean in thought and deed (to clean the inside) our sensitivity to our surroundings is heightened.
These germs have always been there, we are just hypersensitive to them now because we are so aware of our own inner condition.
Those walking around in a trance unaware of what is happening inside of them, go blissfully through life without knowledge of the causes of most things that happen in their lives.
Those that know themselves know what it is that lurks in hidden places as well as right in front of their eyes.

This is easily fixed when one realizes the cause.
When one is concerned about keeping the inside of one's self clean we can develop an unhealthy obsession with our outer environment knowing how dirty it can be.

Our heightened sensitivity to germs should cause us to be more cautious but not obsessed.
Germs are here to stay because they are necessary, it is up to us to stay healthy and stay out of unhealthy environments if possible.

 

[Smart_Guy]

This is a condition that often affects spiritually advanced or highly intellectual people.
It is simply a manifestation of an inward condition.

When one is making an effort to be clean in thought and deed (to clean the inside) our sensitivity to our surroundings is heightened.
These germs have always been there, we are just hypersensitive to them now because we are so aware of our own inner condition.
Those walking around in a trance unaware of what is happening inside of them, go blissfully through life without knowledge of the causes of most things that happen in their lives.
Those that know themselves know what it is that lurks in hidden places as well as right in front of their eyes.

This is easily fixed when one realizes the cause.
When one is concerned about keeping the inside of one's self clean we develop an unhealthy obsession with our outer environment knowing how dirty it can be.

Our heightened sensitivity to germs should cause us to be more cautious but not obsessed.
Germs are here to stay because they are necessary, it is up to us to stay healthy and stay out of unhealthy environments if possible.

Deep

 

[Valjean]

You do sound like you have a mild obsessive-compulsive disorder, as Deeje mentioned.

Myself, I have a mild misophonia, which is a strong aversion for certain sounds (think fingernails on a chalkboard). With me it involves eating noises, making it unpleasant to eat with other people without background noise to drown out all the chewing and crunching.

 

[Deeje]

You are not just a germophobe Smart Guy.....you have OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the irrational fear of whatever is the object of your phobia.
Germs are a very common one. But you do more damage to your skin through excessive washing than germs ever could.

Irrational means that it goes way over and above what is considered normal behavior. I have several friends who suffer from various OCD phobias.

One man I know has to disinfect everything before bed every night....the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom and himself...his wife must shower before bed and he must shower every time he uses the bathroom. He is a prisoner of his own fears but wont seek treatment for it. His wife is going nuts because he is up till all hours cleaning and wont let her go to bed unless he's disinfected everything they touch. The germs he fears are not making anyone else sick but that doesn't seem to matter.....his phobia rules his life and is ruining it. Thank goodness they have no children...imagine what he would do with a dirty diaper!!

Other people can't touch the cracks on the sidewalk.....some have to check the stove and other appliances several times before leaving home and often have to go back several times to make sure the electricity is turned off on every appliance, even though they might have done 10 times already!

I feel so sad for those who suffer with this very common illness. You can get treatment for it....ask your GP to refer you. Don't just put up with it. Life is too short to give it over to a treatable illness.

I... couldn't explain it better! I lock my car with the remote central interlock, like, 3-4 times to make sure, and come back to it sometimes to confirm it again and again, and the same thing with the locking doors. That's crazy! But for food and water I do have it specifically because of cleanliness feelings. Sometimes I feel that someone speaking spit on me, or rather spray spit on e , and I start having that weird taste in my mouth and throat that ruins my day. It does give me discomfort alright, but I'm actually managing with it. I don't seem to bother with stuff around me unless I know I'm gonna get in direct contact with it and at that exact moment, so I guess I'm okay.

It has a habit of escalating as you get used to one level, sometimes it will take you to the next and you just adjust because it has become a routine.....until one day you realize your life is not yours anymore. It makes sufferer appear to be a bit of a lunatic to those who don't understand it. Many people just can't comprehend the strength of the compulsion and how upsetting it is not to be able to carry it out for some reason. I saw a man completely paralyzed once because the sidewalk was cracked in all directions and he couldn't move without stepping on one. He was just stuck there.

The trouble with germs is that with all the ads on TV for germ killers and the fear tactics used to promote them, some people can develop an irrational and crippling fear of them. The truth is, we are bacterially operated both inside and out. The good bacteria on our skin actually protects us from the bad guys. And the good bacteria in our gut protects us too. Antibiotics and anti-bacterial products are actually doing us harm by removing a vital part of our immune defense.

The bad germs are those we need protection from, but if we eliminate the good ones along the way, we make ourselves more susceptible to infections.
God designed us well but we are not living in his world just yet. Taking precautions is good but going overboard is not beneficial in the long run. Our immune systems are built up by being exposed to viruses and bacteria. We have so many allergic children these days because they have no immunity to anything. Their parents are so paranoid about germs that never expose them to the very things that will build their immunity and protect them.

 

[Thief]

I kick doors to open them, push buttons with my finger joints, open switches with my elbow, carry a vinyl glove with me to use in public bathrooms, scrub my hands when I wash them, scrub my finger against whatever I think good enough to clean them when I do finger print attendance, NEVER drink or eat after anyone, run away from foods touched by others.... my life sucks!

Can anyone relate? Ladies are welcome to relate first

it may interest you to know....
there is a war going on right now.....on your face....
good bacteria going at it with bad stuff

when you wipe your skin you clear the battle field.
you are then at the mercy of coincidence.....
then next exposure has the advantage.

it might take awhile for the good stuff to regain a foot hold.

and I've seen a documentary about the micro world....
it seems your pillow case and your toilet seat having something in common.

 

[tjgillies]

I kick doors to open them, push buttons with my finger joints, open switches with my elbow, carry a vinyl glove with me to use in public bathrooms, scrub my hands when I wash them, scrub my finger against whatever I think good enough to clean them when I do finger print attendance, NEVER drink or eat after anyone, run away from foods touched by others.... my life sucks!

Can anyone relate? Ladies are welcome to relate first

I'm not afraid of germs I just think it's gross to touch icky things. I'm constantly washing my hands trying to get the gunk of life off. We live in a messy world.