Okay... hello I've had diagnosed OCD for like... 3 or 4 years now I'm getting better But the thing that annoys me is how dry the skin on my hands is, due to an excess amount of washing with soap, and it's really getting to me, especially as I now have a boyfriend - he understands it all though... But I'm still becoming really self-conscious about it How can I relieve this dry skin? :S Then thing is... my OCD is still present... so I just get the urge to wash my hands after putting on moisturising cream... so... I'm confused =S Any advice? <3 :help:
Well, my advice for you is that you should try and find the things that cause your OCD. I have had severe OCD since i was young, mostly about food, and i found in order to overcome your issues you need to find the source of the fear. Hope this is helpful.
I've no idea how to go about doing that :S It just feels like... things are dirty, and I have to clean my hands often... I'm confused :'(
Try to think in a logical state the next time you feel the urge to wash your hands. If you can ignore the urge at least once then you can gradually increase it to the point you only do it when necessary. Did you know that the mouth is generally considered the dirtiest part of the body? So unless you wash your mouth just as much I think you can tone down the hand washing a bit. Whether you like it or not bacteria is absolutely everywhere. Did you know there are types of bacteria that can live on your skin, causing no apparent symptoms, yet can cause something as serious as sepsis if they enter the bloodstream? Guess what; they aren't found on your hands. Sure the hands can harbor some dangerous bacteria if you've been touching highly infectious objects, but those types of objects aren't found in every day life. Not trying to make your symptoms worse, just trying to apply a logical ideology to follow once the impulses kick in. I have a minor form of OCD, so I understand what it's like, performing various rituals in order to satisfy the fear of something happening. What is the absolute worst that can happen if you don't wash your hands very frequently? Try to not do it as frequently for a few weeks, and once you see nothing changes the impulses can fade away. At the absolute worst you might be able to pick up something like the flu, however flu is usually caught airborne, as sneezing and coughing is the easiest way to transmit it. Hope some of this helped, good luck!
Alright. Here's the thing. I have some OCD of my own. Luckily mine don't have to do with my skin or I'd be in bad shape, considering I have pretty bad dry skin. And now that the colder season is here, my life is going to be hell because of it. Every year my hands chap so badly, even the skin around my knuckles, the top of my hands, the sides...it cracks. It's unsightly and painful. And because I have a tendency to constantly wash my hands...it only worsens the condition. So here are a few things I do to help with the dry skin problem. Some of them might sound weird and unpleasant, but hear me out. 1 - Try switching up between washing with water and soap to using antibacterial hand soap. You're still killing germs this way, but with some advantages. There's no drying your hands with abrasive material. You can get mini bottles to store in your car, at your desk, in your coat pocket. Nifty when you might want to wash, but for some reason can't get to a sink. 2 - As I mentioned before, you should be careful with the way you dry your hands. If you're washing your hands out of the house at a place that has a blow dryer, use this. Rough towels, be they paper or linen, can be abrasive, irritating the dry skin on your hands. 3 - You want to get a heavy duty, hand creme specifically designed to fit your needs. So obviously something with moisture intensive treatment. I always try to look for something that has a lot of lanolin in it as well. Unscented is usually the way to go as well. And you can get mini bottles the same as you can for the antibacterial hand soap. I won't bother listing off brand names, but if you have a specific question on my thoughts and opinions of them, just ask. 4 - Now for a weird one. At night when you go to sleep, lotion up your hands and then put socks or gloves on over them. This will help seal in that moisture as you sleep so that the lotion can do its job and work on repairing and protecting your damaged/dry skin. 5 - Make sure to wear gloves out in cold weather so that you're not agitating your skin. Skin gets chapped. And if it's already dry to begin with....it makes it that much easier. 6 - Don't stress over it. I tend to focus on mine and it just makes it worse. Just try to make sure you're doing all you can to take care of your skin and you'll be okay. (*hug*)
Thank-you to you both, you've been very helpful I shall give those things a try, Romi, thanks <3 (*hug*)
Only thing is... the glove/sock at night thing.... my body would just be annoyed at the gloves being unclean and wouldn't want them touching against my pillow or anything... what could be done about that? :S
What you can do is go out and buy gloves specifically for nightwear. I know they're available at certain stores. You'll just have to have a look around, maybe ask someone. They'd be in the health and beauty area, I'm sure. I'm pretty sure they have gloves with built in moisturizers as well, made with material that is specifically meant to hold in the moisture. If you have gloves that you wear solely at night for the purpose of healing your skin, then the germs shouldn't be so much of an issue. Keep them in a safe place, somewhere you're comfortable with. Put them on right before bed and take them off right after waking. That way you always know what they have and haven't come in contact with. :] You can do the same thing with socks as well. I know that personally I can 't stand wearing my out-of-the-house socks in my bed even when they're clean. I have socks set aside for different things.
That's a good idea actually, maybe I could keep them under the pillow with my PJs, then they'll just feel like nightwear.... you're a genius, thanks, you've been so helpful <3
