Things we touch every day, and always have!

[wannabefreeParticipant]

Hi everyone… I suffer from contamination ocd, as many of you will know. I’ve been on these forums for more than ten years…

We often talk about CBT, and how good it can be. I had to wait a year for my first group of sessions, and at that time, I didn’t have many books about it. Well, Part of CBT is challenging our fears, resisting the anxiety till it dies down. Which it always does, but sometimes not very quickly!  As part of the challenging, we look at ‘evidence’ that we’ll be okay.

I want to share with you all, evidence, that we can combat the Ocd, on a daily basis, for as long as it takes…

Today, it’s TV remote controls…  In the 1980’s, it wasn’t what remote control, but how many you had, and which one operated what? We’d have at least four. And we relied on the manufacturers logo or name, to pair it up with the appropriate piece of equipment. And then the batteries! Different sizes!  Even today, we pass the remote control to whoever is watching the telly. It goes round the room. In 1950 we didn’t have remote controls!! We had to stand up and walk to the far corner of the room, and twiddle knobs. That’s where the saying ‘Turn on, and Turn off’ came from!! So, anyway. I’m watching something on the telly, then my wife wants to see the programme guide, to see what is on later… I pass her the remote control. We continue to watch TV. She goes to bed earlier than me, so passes me the remote control. I flick through the channels a few times, maybe watch a recording… Eventually, I switch it all off, with the remote control.  Who uses the remote control in your house? Mum, Dad, Brother, Sister? It is something we have done all our lives. Without thinking…  Did you ever wash your hands before turning on the telly? Honestly?

Did we ever clean them?   Wash them, Antibac them… Up until the Covid situation, We didn’t, did we? Did it make us ill all the time? Not really… As children, we fought over who had the remote control… It was a way of being in control of the TV. And we haven’t always had zillions of TV channels.  On Satellite TV,  there are channels for most sports, Detective dramas, some from many years ago. You can even type in your secret number and download a film, right when you want to watch it. We need to keep to Covid regulations today.  But in the past… Ordinary germs that have been around us all our lives, can still be there… In small quantities, due to our modern living. My CBT therapist used to go to pop festivals… At that time we hardly knew what antibac gel was… Car boot sales… Where are you going to wash your hands before you have a burger?  The burger will only be in a piece of paper… They don’t get shut down do they? The trader has a Food hygiene certificate. But we just eat the things… What is on your fingers? We don’t know… We will have handled all the stuff on the autojumble, the antique stuff we’ve seen on the telly programmes… All the teapots… And yet, we eat burgers, ice creams, and even buy food… Have you ever been ill going to a car boot sale? Me neither… And I’ve bought some wonderful stuff secondhand.  I’ve brought it in the house… Then, without pausing, switched on the telly with the remote control, When I’ve found the right one that is… This is powerful evidence that we can use in our ordinary day to day living. Everyday, I picture my CBT therapist telling me this stuff. And he was definitely right. Cos our own evidence backs it up. And always has done.

In the Covid situation, it is indeed important that we follow the rules… We are using science to make the best we can, of a pretty awful situation. Hopefully, things will look different real soon…

But away from the Covid for a moment, Just remember the family around the telly, and that vital remote control…    More later. Next instalment, The humble telephone! God bless you for reading.

Wannabe

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