5
You're describing OCD.
OCD is treatable, so I'd work towards getting a formal diagnosis and begin treatment.
Same, dude. Gave myself surface germaphobia during a plague that turns out doesn't really transmit via surfaces. I've made lots of rituals over the years about the objects that I touch. Hand sanitizer everywhere, cell phone sanitizer, gloves, etc. Went a little too far for a while, now I'm also trying to crawl back into normalcy.
Biggest positive change I've made recently is this: if I'm not eating finger food, what the fuck does it matter if my hands are dirty? I've got my cell phone in my hand right now, I'm touching the TV remote, I've got a can of beer. Not freaking out. I'm gonna scrub my hands like a surgeon before I eat this bag of chips, but right now? Fine.
Still got some hangups about doorknobs and sink handles, but I'm miles better than I was a few years ago.
Hey, sounds like you really recognized how to balance a real need for sanitation with keeping sane in a world that is often indifferent.
This is just common sense in the end. I'm kind of grossed out that in Europe, people don't wash their hands before eating with their hands. Compared to the Middle East where the dustiest falafel shack has a sink with soap right by the entrance, I'd say it's a weird cultural quirk.
Same goes for the kitchen of the vast majority of people where I live. Why no soap by the sink? Some actually wash their hands with dish soap which is really bad for your skin, but most just use water only. I try to politely ask if I can gift them some soap when I visit. Helps keep me sane.
Your hands are made to interface with the world. They will get dirty, and that's fine. You just need to get the gunk off them before touching your face or vagina.
So sorry. Please see a therapist if you can afford it, this sounds like a big deal.
microbes are all on your skins, in your nose, intestines. most of them are beneficial, yea its a disorder to be that obsessed with it, probably some psyhological, clinical appointments might useful.
My spouse has this exact same thing, the thing that worked for them is OCD therapy.
OCD therapy is a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and occupational therapy (which despite the name is more just about strategies to use for practical things like going to the store, out to a cafe, etc)
It hasn’t been easy but they’ve been keeping at it and it’s really helped them in a way nothing else has.
There are very few problems so large that they can’t be solved, but that doesn’t mean the solutions aren’t big and scary themselves. It’s easy to say “go get therapy” but I know that the reality of doing so is difficult. I’ve seen it now first hand how hard it is, but it’s worth it.
The phone call to discuss whether or not they can help is free, NOCD
Take care of yourself, you deserve it.
this post was submitted on 24 Dec 2025
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