Are we all living this way or have I gone mad?!

[stardrops007]

Okay, so I'm not sure if I've just lost touch with normality here or if actually I'm living the "new normal"

Today was the first time in months that I met indoors with a friend (I know )

It was in the centre so I had to pay for parking, I found myself using a wipe to touch the parking meter.
Before entering the restaurant I sanitised my hands, once in the restaurant I sanitised my hands as I'd touched the chair before sitting down and became aware of possible contamination!

We then ordered a drink and I found myself sanitising again as I'd touched the glass.

We were there for two hours and I just couldn't stop sanitising.

I've come home and taken off all my clothes to wash them straight away.

My friend only sanitised before eating, but I noticed she'd touched the chair and other surfaces a lot!!!

Am I being OTT? Or is my friend quite relaxed?

I wash my hands when I use the loo. Otherwise I only use hand sanitiser when directed to. I don't have any hand sanitiser or anti-viral wipes of any kind, only bar soap.

Oh, and I think I had the Covid in March (positive antibody test). It was mild but odd. I never normally get anything more than a cold, never really ill, so I've never worried about catching things.

@myrtilles

How do those of you who don't hand sanitise feel about your kids having to hand sanitise continually at school and have their desks cleaned several times a day. I worry a bit about exposure to chemicals/antibiotic resistance with all the sanitising that schools, restaurants etc are required to do by government legislation. If it really can't be caught from surfaces surely it is government/WHO advice that is a bit OTT?

DS is in secondary and only has to hand sanitise for DT so far as they are using shared equipment.

Are we all living this way or have I gone mad?!

No, we most definitely not all living this way. I think you’ve gone a bit far with it all.

No I am not living like that. I am not vulnerable and am not worried about catching any diseases. I follow government guideline because I have to but I don't carry sanitiser with me.

I saw a GP today first time since January and it was like a military action.
I had to wait in the carpark outside. He phoned me on my phone if I’m ready, giving me instructions what entrance to use ( back door marked A, B, C.
I had to wait then outside door B for him to open it for me.
Upon entering the door he checked me temperature and sprinkled my hands with hand gel.
Then I follow him into his room.
He wore theatre suit, with apron, large mask so only his eyes were visible, shield and hat to covered his hair.
It was like from some futuristic movie.

You've asked people if your behaviour is normal, most have said no, and you have spent the whole thread arguing back that actually this is normal, so why ask??!!

I have OCD and I don't even do a fraction of what you are doing. I honestly think you need to try and rein it in and if you can't, then you definitely need help, much as you don't want to admit to it.

Surely that much sanitiser can't be healthy for your children?? Touching their skin with it all over you?? Feeding them with it all your hands and therefore their food?? I'd be much more concerned about that

Plus, doesn't sanitiser stop being effective if you put it on 5 times without washing in between or something along those lines?? If so, you're actually sanitising yourself to dirty again

You need to try to relax a bit more op, for the sake of your mental health.

@stardrops007 - I would have done everything you done except the knife and fork!

Classic AIBU thread, everyone unanimously agrees you're being unreasonable and you spend the whole thread arguing why you're not, instead of considering the advice given. Why bother? Carry on as you are then.

Your friend is normal. You are definitely over the top.

Way OTT.

I can count the times i have sanitized on one hand...literally. I don't think its quite usual behaviour to be doing this obsessively...

Yes you have gone mad

I can count the times i have sanitized on one hand...

You only sanitise one hand?! That's really weird!

@Hiddennameforever

I saw a GP today first time since January and it was like a military action. I had to wait in the carpark outside. He phoned me on my phone if I’m ready, giving me instructions what entrance to use ( back door marked A, B, C. I had to wait then outside door B for him to open it for me. Upon entering the door he checked me temperature and sprinkled my hands with hand gel. Then I follow him into his room. He wore theatre suit, with apron, large mask so only his eyes were visible, shield and hat to covered his hair. It was like from some futuristic movie.

@Hiddennameforever

Wow! I mean ours did that back in March when I went.
But I went this week to see the nurse and it's a lot more relaxed now.

Masks are compulsory, only 6 people in the waiting room all 2m apart.
Drs wear a mask. That's it.

You are OTT. You need to chill, and if you can’t then you may need to seek help for OCD.

I sanitise whenever I enter a supermarket, restaurant, maybe after I have been to the loo and washed my hands if I am still in a restaurant, not at home.

I've been round to a colleges house. I washed my hands after going to the loo. Didn't sanitise. And we are all nurses!

I’m the same as you OP. I rationally know that the chances of catching it from whatever random thing I’ve touched are probably zero compared to the risk of my children catching it at school, but I can’t help it now it’s just become a habit and makes me feel better, esp since I can’t help but touch my face loads.

I don’t think it’s normal or healthy though as I know most people aren’t behaving this way. When you start thinking in terms of cross contamination etc, that’s usually signs of something mentally unsound. I would try and maybe cut it down a bit if you can.

I haven't read the full thread but it did strike me that while many are saying it is OTT I do wonder if the paranoia over sanitising and distancing and the way the virus was published is going to leave many children with OCD and social anxiety issues in the future.

Can't make any sense of sanitizing after touching the glass, which you then put to your mouth I presume?

I am not doing too much different to usual really. Washing hands after loo, before eating. Sanitizing in shops when made to upon entering, and maybe odd sanitize after touching things like ATMs. I much prefer washing to sanitising though..and its slightly anoying having to use it in every shop in shopping centres, just over and over. Unvfortunately I managed to have a cut last time I went shopping, so that was great, just constant stinging, then it stopped and was made to do it all over again despite doing it a few mins ago

A fair few people I know honestly seem to be nearing, or already crossed over into OCD territory now. One of my friends has her child carrying a little bottle and apparently is telling her to use everytime she puts her pencil down, each time she turns a page, etc etc. Poor kid will have issues with that I think, if she is doing what her mums telling her to, which I kind of hope she isn't..

When I'm out and about I wash/sanitise my hands...

After the loo
Before eating
After touching communal things like petrol pump, cash point etc

Oh and before/after taking my mask off