What's your WORST OCD trigger?

Hey everyone,

I just joined and thought I'd start out with a survey, just to kind of get a lay of the land and get an idea of what everyone else struggles with.

I have 2 OCD triggers that really set me off lately.

The first one is anytime anyone who is unknown to me accidentally rubs up against me or touches me even slightly. Especially if it is skin to skin. I automatically feel "dirty" and it takes me a while to calm down. Any time I see a homeless person wandering around on the train, I immediately move to the next car. They are too unpredictable. I know it sounds bad, but one actually did kind of forcefully touch me before while on a crazy rant and it was skin to skin. When I got to my destination, I went to the bathroom and washed my upper arm (where she grabbed me) for 5 minutes and triple checked for the next 10 minutes to make sure I didn't have any cuts in that area. I proceeded to feel icky for the next 2 days.

Second is when I am faced with a door that is "pull" instead of push. GOD how I detest those doors. I usually wait for someone else to open the door by pretending to need to urgently look at my phone while I'm waiting, but in those instances where there's no one around, it takes me a good 5 seconds to work up the nerve. I prefer the handles over the knobs. At least with the handles, I can just push down on it and pull with my pinky finger, but with a knob, you've really got to grasp the whole thing. I love me some push bars, lol. I'm not always this bad, but lately, I've been struggling.

Thank God for hand sanitizer.

I'm looking forward to reading what everyone else has been struggling with lately and if anyone can empathize/offer some suggestions.

Cheers!

Men I find attractive because it makes me scared that I might not find them attractive but that I want to be them. So my Trans OCD gets triggered. Awful.

-- Mon Nov 30, 2015 4:01 am --

Men I find attractive because it makes me scared that I might not find them attractive but that I want to be them. So my Trans OCD gets triggered. Awful.

All of your OCD triggers are based from a fear or an obsession, that's all it is, every obsession and a trigger is a belief that you create attaching to the thoughts, what triggers harmful thoughts is when i have an argument with my brother, but ive overcome it.

Bright red lipstick. Even when it doesn't trigger my TOCD making me think of myself wearing it I'm still extremely uncomfortable around girls who wear it and girls who wear a lot of makeup because I'll fear I'll imagine myself wearing or act feminine around them. I read that Nikola Tesla also had severe OCD and women's jewelry triggered him (along with many other triggers including germs and touching like you and even touching other people's body hair) and made him really uncomfortable (women's jewelry was something I had a problem with at one point too). Only cool thing about having OCD is that you can relate to really fascinating and historically important people (I dressed up as Nikola Tesla in 6th grade for Halloween lol I guess I kind of forecasted my future with that)

Philly85 wrote:The first one is anytime anyone who is unknown to me accidentally rubs up against me or touches me even slightly. Especially if it is skin to skin. I automatically feel "dirty" and it takes me a while to calm down. Any time I see a homeless person wandering around on the train, I immediately move to the next car. They are too unpredictable. I know it sounds bad, but one actually did kind of forcefully touch me before while on a crazy rant and it was skin to skin. When I got to my destination, I went to the bathroom and washed my upper arm (where she grabbed me) for 5 minutes and triple checked for the next 10 minutes to make sure I didn't have any cuts in that area. I proceeded to feel icky for the next 2 days.

Yes. The subway is a minefield of OCD triggers for me too. Oddly, I don't avoid cars with homeless people unless they smell, but I do make a point to sit as far away from them as possible. I also NEVER sit on the end seats, even if it's the only one available, because that's where the homeless sit.

But for me, the biggest trigger is when someone coughs or sneezes on the train. Inside, I panic. I hold my breath. Sometimes I draw in my lips in case terms land on them. I wish I had the guts to wear a surgical mask like some of the Asian women do, but I can't bring myself to do it. I have pulled my shirt collar up over my nose and mouth on occasion, though.

I also never touch anything. Rather than hold onto the bar with my hand, I'll use part of my arm or my wrist. Failing that, I'll use a napkin or pull my shirt sleeve up over my hand if I have to.

When you get to the bathroom at your destination, is it at a private location? Funny that you are able to use it. I can't use even the cleanest bathroom in someones house without feeling uncomfortable. As for public bathrooms, forget it. I have trouble even walking by them. Major trigger.