Hey you all,
to make a long story short, I'm diagnosed with OCD and have had it for as long as I remember. It takes up incredibly much of my time during the day, and even when engaging in some pleasurable activity, it's always there in the background, of course. I have a lot of symptoms that are very invalidating, but in this post it's about the intrusive images. I have certain intrusive images popping up in my head all the time, every day, and every time I see these pictures inside my head, I need to wash my hands or use hand sanitizer (which destroys my hands so they're always red and dry and cracking, which I find so embarrassing, so I'm always hiding my hands by wearing clothes with long sleeves). But of course, there are situations where I can’t wash my hands or use sanitizer.
So - I live in a dorm (I'm 20 years old) and yesterday we had this pub quiz at the bar (the dorm has its own bar so except for a few everyone who was in the bar is living in the dorm). It was a long evening/night and after the quiz people were dancing, playing table football/beer pong, fooling around, talking etc., you know, the things you do at a bar. I did so too with some people from my hallway, but playing table football and flip cup, I also met some other guys I haven't met before because they're living in other hallways of the dorm. I spotted one guy whom I thought was really cute, and we talked a bit, but I didn't expect a lot at first (he talked to other girls too). And there was another guy who seemed interested in me, and I couldn't really shake him off, so it was a bit hard to come closer to this guy I liked. When the bar was closing, those two guys, three boys from my dorm, and me, stood for a while outside smoking, talking etc., before eventually heading back to the hallway where I live to get to the kitchen where one of the boys from my hallway made scrambled eggs and bacon for us. This guy I liked was also in the kitchen, and I tried to show him my interest by looking at him often, seeking eye contact, and the times we made eye contact he got this amazingly attractive look in his eyes, hard to describe, but well, perfectly blue with a touch of desire and melancholy, which gave me some hope that he had an interest in me, too. After what seemed like ages this one clingy guy said goodbye to us and left, which was a bit of a relief for me since he seemed pretty dominant and not so subtle, e.g. he made loud comments about me having to go out with him the following day. But now that he was gone, it was only the boys from my hallway and this cute guy from the other hallway and me in the kitchen. I was pretty tired at that point of time (it was almost 5am and the quiz had started at 8pm). And this is where the real story begins: finally, Mr. handsome said my name out loud and asked if him and I should go down and share one of my cigarettes before he would go home. This was kind of what I had been waiting for, since it meant we could be alone for a while, and most importantly, it confirmed his interest in me. He said goodbye to the others, we walked down the stairs and outside, I lit up my cigarette and shared it with him. I stood close to him, and we talked a bit about things like studying, what this dorm is like etc., and after a while, he put his hand on my hip. (I can be pretty shy and insecure a lot of the time, a great big part of this insecurity is because of the OCD, so it really meant a lot to me that such a handsome and kind guy like him showed me this kind of interest. Because I would have actually considered him unattainable for a girl like me). I don't remember everything in detail, but at some point of time, there was a small pause where we looked at each other, and then I told him that I think he is really cute. He must have thought that I was about to say something with "but [...]", because he asked "was there a 'but?'", and I assured him that there was no such "but". And well, then it happened, he looked at my lips, tilted his head, I did the same and we kissed. It was more than just one kiss, a lot actually. When we finished, he asked me if I was okay, because he could tell that I was freezing a lot and so was he. So I said we should probably better get inside, but before we parted I said that I hoped to see him again, and he said he was sure I would since we're almost neighbours.
Now my problem is that as written earlier, I have these intrusive OCD images in my head most of my time awake, and they tend to pop up in my head during special moments which I want to enjoy, so of course I got an OCD image in my head while kissing him. It didn't distract me so much that I couldn't concentrate, but still it was there and I don't want these intrusive OCD images to ruin special moments in my life. So now I'm thinking and worrying about this all the time - I have thoughts like: “I tried all night to get his attention, ever since I first saw him, and finally, my wish comes true and we end up kissing - but then this OCD image ruins my VERY FIRST KISS WITH THIS GUY". (this is also why I decribed it all in detail so you can understand why it was so special to me). I think I'm worrying extra much because it felt so special, for example, it's actually the first time that I end up kissing with a guy at a party as a single, it seemed unbelievable that a guy this attractive would like me back and even get intimate with me, etc. etc... Whenever I think of this kiss now, I worry that this particular OCD image (which I hate so much) has ruined my first kiss with this guy. Even though I'm happy we kissed. But my thoughts keep going in circles. I hope I managed to explain this all so it can be understood.
Have you got any advice for me? How should I cope with these thoughts and worries? Any tips to stop worrying? Have some of you had similar experiences? Thanks in advance for those who take the time to read my post and reply, it means so much. Stay strong out there.