Eyes wide open !

[*kristen*]

[img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img] Hi guys,

I was thinking about a few things over the weekend, wondering if any of you have the same thoughts and do some similar things that I do. As bad as it seems, when I go shopping, grocery shopping, anywhere, I am always looking at the parking lot ground, to see what may have been splattered there at one time, hoping it is never PUKE ! When someone is pulled over on the side of the road, for whatever reason, I always assume it's because someone is going to be sick. not because they may have a flat, or be looking at scenery. It's seems so ridiculous, however, it's so REAL for me ! My eyes are always WIDE open ! I use my sleeve or pinky finger to open doors, I use my knuckle to press an elevator button, I am a FREAK about my little ones being at the park. Hand sanitizing their hands immediately after leaving the park. I will use an antibacterial wipe to wipe down a shoppping cart before putting my kids in one, or touching the handle, for fear of catching the stomach flu [img]smileys/smilies_11.gif[/img]. Is this extreme? Am I just a total nut or what ? It scares me, and I want so badly for this to just go away ! I was just wondering if you all do any of these things too ? Thanks for listening to me prattle ! You all are so great !

Kristen

[clairethebear]

Hi


Yeh I can relate to loads of stuff you are saying. I scour pavements for V miles ahead of me so that I can avoid it if I come across it. I do the same when I am driving and I cannot believe that that has not caused me an accident yet. I look around me when I am parking anywhere just like you to check that I am not going to come across any V and I also panic deep inside when I see a car pulled over on the side of the road because as far as I am concerned they cannot be doing anything else but V'ing. Perish the thought that they might have just broken down or have a flat tyre as you said. I completely freak out when I see a car parked up in a layby. You are not wierd at all. This phobia is very serious and in my opinion very unpleasant. It is certainly getting worse for me to the point that V occupies my mind 24/7. I need help and intend to try and get it soon.

[Melikasa]

I am not as bad as I use to be ( I thank the medication for that) but I was bad bad bad for ALWAYS thinking that a splat on the parking lot might have been someone ill. Now I don't think about it SOOOO often. I still watch the cars that are pulled over. I am always sure that is why they are there. I watch till I pass. Though I have noticed that they are switching drivers, have a flat, yadda yadda.


I was HORRIBLE with touching stuff. I still carry antibacterial wipes with me but I am better now about not using them all the time. It use to be I couldn't touch doors or carts without thinking I had touched something gross and discusting that i was going to get sick from.


I still panick in grocey stores or malls when I here "wet clean up in isle _ " I ran all through to finsh my shopping the last time (I almost considered leaving it behind) because I was sure the wet cleanup wassome kid that had been ill. [img]smileys/smilies_11.gif[/img][img]smileys/smilies_10.gif[/img]


Oh it feels so good to get this all off my chest and know that there are others that have felt the same thing

[2jo2]

I could have written your post! I do all the same things, I also freak out when someone is sitting in a parking lot at a mall or grocery store or whatever and they have their door a little open, I'm so scared that they're going to open it and all of a sudden be sick. Never mind that it may be 100 degrees in their car, or whatever...I am hoping that now that I am aware of these things that I do, that I can then teach my brain to not worry so much when I catch myself obsessing. I'm tired of being like this so much. Isn't it exhausting? Edited by: 2jo2

[wegdude]

Four or five years ago, I was the same. There are several thing to consider...


Most people without emetophobia dont find it a pleasant thing to think about, it just doesnt bother them so much that they panic or obsess. It is a normal part of life.


If these things areon your mind all the time, I would advise you or anyone to indeedseek some help. Im sure that seeing so many people here with the same problems is enough to convince you that you are not just making this up. There is no easy route or quick fix... Obsessive fears are negative and cyclic. You need to break the cycle.


See your doctor. The first step is usually some meds to control the anxiety and get you into a state of mind where you can work on these troubles. Seeking this help is the hardest part, so if you can do that, you can do it all... From there you have choices as to what kind of therapy you want (we rarely actually want to) to pursue.


You owe it to yourself to rid yourself of these things you should never have had to bear. Fight.


Tim





Edited by: wegdude

[symphonicfaith]

I can relate to everything written here (except the part about worrying about my kids... I don't have any, and don't really plan to have any). I never really worried about people pulled over at the side of the road until a few years back when I had a really random dream. I was driving through the country with my grandma, when we passed this car going the opposite direction and it stopped right as we passed, so I looked back and saw the rear drivers-side door open and someone leaned out, facing the ground... I didn't see what happened, but I knew in my dream that they were going to be sick, and ever since then I've worried about it. For a long time, I hadn't had an experience with someone who was pulled over, so I started getting less and less anxious about it... but then a couple months ago whenI was on my way home from a vacation with some family, I was driving, my mom was in the passenger seat, and my little brother was in the back. A couple of my cousins (who were also on the trip) had had the stomach flu earlier in the week, and it had been passed around to several of their friends, but no adults (my little brother and cousins are 8, 10, & 11). My brother had been playing with them for most of the trip, so I was REALLY worried he was going to be sick on the way home. Then, I saw a car pulled over a little ways up the road, and as I approached, I saw that there was something on the ground right outside the open door. I knew instantly what it was, but decided not to look and pretend it was something else, when my mom observes, "Ew! Someone p***d!" Great, thanks mom... Nothing ended up happening, and my brother never got the stomach bug, it was definitely the car trip from hell. I was so anxious on the way home, and kept feeling like I was going to be sick... my mom kept asking if I wanted her to drive, but I said no, because I needed anything to keep my mind occupied. Well, anyway, I'm done rambling for now... just thought I'd share!





<Zachary>

[siafi]

I have exactly the same feelings as you - right down to hand sanitizers and antibacterial wipes. But, I have a friend who is just as cautious, if not even more extreme than me - and she's not emetophobic! I guess scanning the floor for v* might be considered a little extreme, (don't worry, I do it too!) but I think keeping yourself as clean and germfree as possible is just good sense, not necessarily weird. I don't feel like carrying sanitizer with me everywhere I go is worsening my quality of life, but if you think that your behavior affects you in a way you don't like, you might want to try treatment.