I have health anxiety and I need some help with this situation

[ECG7]

I have really bad health anxiety. I am having CBT and making good progress in most areas.

Something just happened that has really stressed me out and I have no one to talk to because they just roll their eyes at me.

I just had my Tesco shopping delivered and the first tray was chilled stuff. I felt one of those red bags (has raw chicken in) and it was wet. As I'm trying not to be so germaphobic I told myself it was probably condensation. I took all the shopping out and put it on my worktops. Then filled my 2 fridges and cupboards. (£140 worth of shopping). My 3 year old even helped get it stuff out of the trays.

I just went to get this chicken out to cook it and it was open. Raw chicken juice everywhere.

So in my mind, as it was over my hands it will now be on all my items. Also my kitchen sides, in my cupboards and fridges. My kids hands, his toys, the handles in the kitchen.

I have cleaned everything as much as possible.

I'm so scared we will get ill from this.

I just need some reassurance. (I am getting help with my anxiety and am really upset right now so please don't batter me)

Get a damp cloth and some antiseptic spray and wipe down anything that might have come into contact with it. Then try to relax, it's very unlikely that anyone will be ill.

It's not 'chicken juice'

Just water the chicken has been in, you'll be fine

This is my nightmare and why I don’t order raw meat with my shopping. I make a point of ordering frozen items from Sainsbury's because they put the freezer stuff in bags which prevents the rest of the shopping getting wet.

The only reassurance I have for you is that I believe salmonella only lives on surfaces for a few hours so by morning any germs will be harmless. I'd chuck anything uncovered or uncookable.

You will not get ill from this. You need exposure to a LOT of bacteria to get ill. Even if there were anything in the condensation, there is not enough to make you ill.

Think about your CBT exercises. What can you do to reduce your anxiety right now?

I be worried about that too and I don’t have health anxiety. I’d throw away any food that could have been contaminated and wipe down packaging and toys.

You've wiped it up, washed hands and it will be fine. You would have noticed if anything was wet.

Thank you all
I have thoroughly cleaned

Just mainly worried because my DS didn't wash his hands for ages after because it took me so long to realise.

I suppose it's out of my control now.

Tesco wants me to keep it refrigerated until they can take it back. 🤢

Really? Just the chicken? Surely they can refund and you dispose (or eat). It probably got damaged in transit.

@LIZS all the chilled items.

Presumably most of that is packaged, so the food itself would not have come into contact even assuming there was a leak.

@LIZS that's right. Just wouldn't want to buy that of the shelf if the package has salmonella.

But this is probably my anxiety talking.

@LIZS and just to clarify, there was a leak. The chicken packet had a huge whole in

But if you bought off the shelf you would never know if similar had happened. Can understand your reluctance re. Chicken but rest is fine . Salmonella is relatively rare now in supermarket chicken.

Ok, so this is meant with love, not meanness.

You’re having CBT for health anxiety. You will have learnt that a feature of health anxiety is that you seek out reassurance for your fears, and it makes you feel a little better but ultimately the anxiety comes back worse than ever.

So is it possible to think of this as an experiment in using your CBT skills to look at it a different way?

For example - yes, you may have all been coated in germs. Yes, you may get ill, either mildly or less mildly. On the other hand, you may not. There’s nothing you can do to undo what has happened, so you just have to sit with the fear until it fades away. Illness or not, it’s no longer in your control. Try not to catastrophise, try not to look for the worst case scenario, and please stop cleaning. And sit, and feel the fear until it starts to ease off.

@MollyMunster thank you. I really appreciate your reply. And you are absolutely right.

That's what my therapist is teaching me. Just usually my thoughts are coming from no where. This was difficult in a different way.

My kids are in bed and I am going to try to relax now