Reply To: The last ten years of contamination and checking ocd. And where I seem to be now

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Hi everyone… In our lungs, as we breathe, there are delicate structures called Alveoli. They connect the outside air to our bloodstream, in a process called ‘Gaseous exchange’, where molecules of carbon dioxide are exchanged with molecules of oxygen. We breathe in fresh air, we exhale carbon dioxide, amongst other things. It is a continual process.

Could we likewise say that, When we hold another persons’ hand, we are performing ‘Germeous exchange’?  After all, we will, quite naturally, take up some of the ‘Normal flora’ of the skin of the other person, whilst simultaneously giving them some of ours… This has always happened. For centuries, right up until Covid stopped us, it was normal to shake hands in greeting. And yet, not everyone uses those ‘Jet engine’ hand dryers in loos… I would suggest that most people actually probably don’t. And yet we have no pandemic of food poisoning…  Let’s be honest with ourselves, When was the last time you had tummy-ache?  I simply don’t remember, it was that long ago. In fact, I actually used some ‘Cold relief’ tablets a few days ago, for the first time in months… And fast food restaurants are doing a roaring trade at present. Finger food’ as I like to call it.

So, maybe we actually strengthen each other… And that’s a good thing, Right?

Certain amounts of ‘contamination’, or should I say ‘Bontamination’, are beneficial, and, some may say, an essential part of living in a less than perfect world. Even the air is polluted, and yet, people living in cities somehow cope with it. When we see a glorious sunset, the colours are largely due to atmospheric pollution, that has been there for quite a few generations at least…

Let’s take a few gentle risks… Let’s defy the germs a little… That is what CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) helps us to do. With guidance from a professional, and done in a structured way. It took me two courses of twelve plus sessions to get me on the road to recovery… My first task, was to go into a supermarket, and pick up a baking size potato… Handle it, then place it back on the display. Then, and without cleaning my hands in any way, pick up an apple, place it back on the display.  For the first few times, I would need to buy the apple, so that only I would suffer and become ill. I never was ill of course. Nowadays, if I really wanted to, I could very likely handle the potato, and then handle all the apples, bread, cheese, all without worrying, because I now know from my own experience, that that would be going rather to extremes… And yet, everyone who buys loose, baking size potato’s (Delicious with butter) will then go on to handle everything else into their trolley or basket, that the checkout operator will handle, between customers, and so on… And yet, people don’t get ill, do they? And supermarkets always have that nice smell of bread cooking… Nothing to do with bread sales of course, but simply to make us feel hungry so buy more than what we went in for…

I’ve been known to come out of a supermarket with full bags, but having completely forgotten the one specific item I’d gone in for! But that’s just me…

Tomorrow, I will need to buy some milk… For as long as I can remember, Before the bottle goes in a bag, I always have checked that the blue or green plastic screwcap is on tight…

More later…

God bless you for reading…

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