Have a horrible thought I’ve left bedroom fan on …

[scaredofgoingalong]

I usually sleep with a fan on beside my bed. I have a horrible thought I’ve left it on this morning. I work until 4pm, won’t be home until 5pm.

In theory I can call a relative and get them to check (my uncle holds a spare key to my house) but is that daft?

I have OCD and am currently trialling a period on a lower dose of medication to see if I can cope.

The fan doesn’t normally get overly hot. It’s just a desktop electric one. I’ve never left it on before except overnight. I turned out the bedside lamp so may well have done the fan too, but I left in a rush this morning, and I’m not in a position to turn back (I’m now 5 miles away on the bus).

I'd just leave it

If it's safe to leave overnight, it's safe to leave all day.

It will be fine.

This.

The weather is fairly cool too.

Modern electronics and domestic fuse systems are well-designed to protect themselves safely.

It's fine.

Op I get very anxious like this as well and there is a fabulous hack I learned on MN. Take a photo of everything you will later think you may have left on before you walk out the door. For me my worry areas are the iron, the electric blankets and the oven. It serves to cement in your brain it is off but also you can go back and check your photos when you get worried.

But I know how you feel.... the overwhelming anxiety and worst-case thinking.

You know realistically that if you can leave it on all night, it'll be fine during the day OP.

If you normally turn it off then you most probably did this morning.

I do this:often spend the whole day fretting and worrying that I've left the hob of the cooker on or not locked the door etc and I don't think I've ever come home and my fears have been justified.

It's a fan. It's not heated. It's absolutely fine. It's no different from having it on overnight.