Has anyone overcome OCD? Any tips?

[Heartfull83]

I have a fear of contamination - specifically asbestos which reared its ugly head about 3 years ago when a close family member died of asbestos related cancer. Since then I have been hyper aware of asbestos and massively fear contamination. I was really bad about three years ago when I would throw things away that I worried would be contaminated, made my children wash hands and change clothes excessively. After some CBT I seemed to be much better.

I've just had another baby and it seems to be coming back (was worse just after having a baby last time). I've posted recently about an incident that happened last weekend where i bumped the pram into a cafe wall and panicked it was asbestos. I have literally worried about it all week and seen a clear train of all the things that the pram has since touched and are therefore "contaminated". I have washed my children's clothes that they were wearing at the time and my husbands for fear of them being contaminated (feeling brave with that one because in the past I would have thrown them away - worried that the washing machine would now been contaminated!) panicking now because there was a tissue in my husbands pocket which broke up in the washing machine and all the boys have now dropped all over the kitchen floor so now the kitchen feels contaminated. In worried that each tiny spec of tissue has asbestos in it and that it will get trodden all over the house.

I can't let myself get like I was last time and need to nip this in the bud right away. Has anyone successfully got over OCD like this and have any real life tips??

I’ve managed to ‘cure’ myself of a few compulsions by repeating ‘this is anxiety talking, it’s not real’. If I can stick with for a few times and resist the action then I find I can break it. Others compulsions rear their heads but I remind myself I’ve got over others and can get over this one.

Can I recommend a book called Brainlock by Jeffery Schwartz? It changed my life.

I sympathize enormously, with a new baby anxiety increases. I once threw away all my baby’s bottles and formula that was in the kitchen one time because my mum walked through with ant powder on the way to the shed. My main problem was checking things, the gas , the taps, I often brought the iron to work in the boot of my car, because that way I knew it was plugged out.

I found the above book enormously helpful as it explains what is happening in the brain when you are stuck in a thought pattern, and offers ways to break them.

Good luck and don’t let this rob you of enjoying time with your baby

Thank you for the replies. Both really useful.

That book sounds great @Girlundercover I will check it out.