how much of a germaphobe are you? and what are you sensitive about?

this post is inspired by a coworker who, in a restaurant one day, asked the waitress for a cup of how water and paper napkins. the hot water was used to wipe down her utensils and the paper napkins were used as napkins because she ain't want no parts of the cloth napkins.

today that same person wanted to show me pictures on her phone. she goes to hand it to me and i'm like "nah, you hold the phone up and scroll and i'll just look at the pictures.

i'm not much of a germaphobe but i do have a thing about other people's cell phones. i'd rather not touch them...

how much of a germaphobe are you? and what are you sensitive about?


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I'm tryna be better off, not better than...

how gross phones are.

mainly because how gross mine is...theres a lot of....stuff on it...so i can only imagine how gross other peoples phones are.

is my only issue

it's almost a life or death situation

I really don't know how women can do it

I refuse to put my ass anywhere near a public toilet.

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If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

now go runtelldat, ho.

I don't get how people just transform into animals because they are in a public space. Ain't no way you'd be shitting on the goddamn wall in your house, motherfucker.

There is also the issue of not being on your home turf in terms of TP and soap. I hate the single-ply tissue and I hate that invariably nasty ass smelling soap in the dispenser.

Then you got the issue of the condition of the seat, which in a men's room is always dicey for sure. What do you do? Seat protector? Makeshift one made out of aforementioned carbon-paper-thin TP?

I mean I don't think wanting to avoid contact with someone else's shit/piss/herpes puss is "germaphobia." That shit is REAL.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

but, i'll only put a couple in here.

i don't like other people's bath towels/accoutrement to touch mine.
i have a fear that their germs/dead skin etc will jump onto my towel.
plus having your somewhat wet towel on mine is just gross.

i have my own towel that i use to wipe my hands off with - cause again - germs

when flushing the toilet, the top MUST be closed to avoid having the spray of that water to get on and co-mingle with my air etc, lol.

yes, i'm weird

now go runtelldat, ho.

Smart move.

i've become disgusted by public transport. not only having to touch the same dirty poles as everyone else, but all that disgusting germy air you have to share in an enclosed space. plus i feel like i always get stuck next to the vilest, phlegmiest coughing people.

also this may be more to do with age, but when i see girls (and it's mostly teens-early 20s) wearing short dresses & booty shorts in public, i just think: there's only a tiny piece of flimsy fabric between your vag & whatever disgusting surface you're sitting on, whether train seat, park bench, or any floor (if they're white). the horror!

(of course this has *nothing* to do with me no longer being able to wear such items lol)

not to poke fun, just curious about the justification for phobia.
like you or somebody you know got an infection from a toilet seat
or you ate off someone else and got food poisoning or stomach flu
or anything you or someone you know picked up that you could pinpoint to a moment you did something reckless other than not washing your hands?
or is it just straight up uncomfortable phobia at the idea of germ threat?

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No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public. (c) HL Mencken or some other motherfucker.

The worst are these people that use hand sanitizer compulsively. First, it's not a real substitute for washing your hands. Two, if you did wash your hands as often as you apply that shit, you'd be diagnosed with OCD. Anyone who applies hand sanitizer more than twice a day can fuck off. I have never used it where I wasn't required to for some odd reason.

In general people who are real hung up on germs freak me out. How do these people have let alone enjoy sex?

I know a guy who works covering the NHL for a national pub and he was super freaked out about the recent mumps outbreak. He went and got vaccinated! Yes, several players had it, but are you going to be kissing them on the mouth? I know that is not the only way to transmit, but you need about that level of contact.

The only thing I am a little germaphobe-y about it money in general and definitely COINS. I never put coins in the same pocket that I have like candy or pills, even if they are in a wrapper or something. Coins are fucking filthy. I have a little shelf where I put my change and I never put my glasses on it. Today my girlfriend put hers on there and I slyly slid them away from the coins. She went to look for them like someone who lost their car in a mall parking lot.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

But my OCD is completely out of my hands. ANYTHING that says "antibacterial" can trigger mental relief through ritual for me, which is why I go through 40-50 bottles of purell a month.

Sex? forget about it. I used to fuck like a champ, but ever since my OCD has gotten bad, Jennifer Lopez can offer me endless sex and there's no way I could do it. I'm straight as an arrow and find women very attractive...as long as they don't touch me.

>But my OCD is completely out of my hands. ANYTHING that says
>"antibacterial" can trigger mental relief through ritual for
>me, which is why I go through 40-50 bottles of purell a
>month.

So it IS an OCD thing. I had a roommate with OCD but he confronted it early and got it under control. He was like 20-21 and now he's chilled out considerably. Maybe too much lol.

>Sex? forget about it. I used to fuck like a champ, but ever
>since my OCD has gotten bad, Jennifer Lopez can offer me
>endless sex and there's no way I could do it. I'm straight as
>an arrow and find women very attractive...as long as they
>don't touch me.

Wow, so what was like the big event that onset your OCD? What age were you when this happened? This, of course, assuming you are willing to share.

Like my cousin was 13 or 14 and he was a total germophobe and I told him, "Dude, girls like you. You will get over this shit soon." He didn't understand then by now five years on, he does. But your situation is kind of the opposite. I'm sorry to hear that, man.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

I really wish I could point to a life event that brought this on, but it has been more of a slow, agonizing spiral that has progressed over the last couple years.

I don't even realize when I've taken on new rituals, they kinda just happen on their own.

It's been tough, but actually writing it down and getting it out, even in a medium such as this is actually healthy. It helps me reaffirm that my thoughts/rituals are not normal.

I, thankfully, am not in denial. I am fully aware that everything I do is batshit crazy. This is actually what's going to help me get better.

It's all I can think of, really.

I go through a 3-pack of Dove bodywash from Costco each week (I'm a guy, but it's the only bodywash that doesn't rip my skin off with how long/hard I scrub my body)

I wash my hands for 10-15 minutes after using the bathroom. I can dry my hands ONLY with Kleenex hand towels. My hands look like burnt alligator skin. Not to mention the bottle of Purell I use each day.

I sometimes go through periods of severe dehydration because mentally, it's better than drinking water and having to use a public restroom.

If I don't take my morning deuce (and subsequent 1-hour shower) I call in sick to work. I am probably the most regular person in California, just out of sheer necessity.

No shaking hands, no hugging. I've offended many people, including the CEO of my company (Larry Ellison), because of this.

I am extremely attracted to women, but no way I could mentally handle sexual interaction of any kind.

I almost missed my brother's wedding because my uncle used my bathroom and didn't wash his hands (he then touched many things in my home, which lead to a mental breakdown and tons of rituals)

There are only 3 restaurants in the Bay Area I am okay eating at.

There's much more.

I know I have a disease. I know the things I do make no sense. I was a completely normal adult until I turned 26, 2 years ago.

Weed helps a little, but I know I need intensive ERP therapy. I am checking into an in-patient specialty facility @ UC Berkeley this summer. Fingers crossed.

If you don't mind me asking, is there something specific that triggered it two years ago?

>
>I know I have a disease. I know the things I do make no sense.
>I was a completely normal adult until I turned 26, 2 years
>ago.
>

_______________________________________

Thanks!

Really nothing specific that triggered it. Its been a slow, frustrating, downward spiral.

>I go through a 3-pack of Dove bodywash from Costco each week
>(I'm a guy, but it's the only bodywash that doesn't rip my
>skin off with how long/hard I scrub my body)

If you read that label that would be over 200 showers worth of soap. That is probably an overestimate on their part, but not by much.

All the other stuff pretty well speaks for itself and I hope you can overcome it. You sound like a dude who really has his shit together outside of these compulsive rituals.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

..strength

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http://prettyperiod.me/

http://whenwomenrefuse.tumblr.com/

If you spend your life shielding yourself from them at every opportunity, your immune system will not be equipped to deal with them. There is a healthy level of dirt/germs that we need.