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Do you worry about germs and getting ill?

Toxic

Do germs and the idea of getting ill worry you? I’ve wondered if this is related to autism as no one else in my family gets anxious about germs and illnesses. I’m the only neurodiverse one in my family and I’ve realized no one is freaked out by getting sick. I heard on the car radio about the recent norovirus outbreak and after work yesterday and this morning after going in town I came home washed my hands several times with soap and water, washed my phone with disinfectant and then changed all my clothes and put the worn clothes through the wash. I'm always told I overreact over this but to me it’s normal and makes sense to do this. Why risk infecting myself when I can disinfect items and reduce my chances of getting a cold of stomach virus? An early example was when I was at school a girl came in class and said she had been ill yesterday and I got so frightened I nearly had a panic attack and moved to a different table. It's always been something that worries me.

Parents

  • I relate with this soo much! According to a counsellor I saw it’s to do with anxiety, OCD and a little emetophobia with me. So probably autism related too! Since I was little I’ve dreaded getting sick and try my best to avoid it, always washing my hands etc.

    You might want to seek professional help for this, a counsellor may be able to help you figure this out, and give you some tips on how to manage it. As mine told me you need to expose yourself to germs to build up a resistance to them.

    You definitely aren’t alone with this though!

Reply

  • I relate with this soo much! According to a counsellor I saw it’s to do with anxiety, OCD and a little emetophobia with me. So probably autism related too! Since I was little I’ve dreaded getting sick and try my best to avoid it, always washing my hands etc.

    You might want to seek professional help for this, a counsellor may be able to help you figure this out, and give you some tips on how to manage it. As mine told me you need to expose yourself to germs to build up a resistance to them.

    You definitely aren’t alone with this though!

Children
  • in reply to Deleted User

    I'm from the little bit of dirt does you good school of thought, I do wash my hands properly though and am very clear about cleanlines in the kitchen and bathroom.

    If the thought of things like norvirus worry you then include plenty of natural yogurt in your diet and drink kombucha to keep your gut health good and balanced.

    I'm not a fan of lots of laundry products and washing everything at a low temperature, partly it's because I'm allergic to many laundry products, but also things like dust mite eggs in bedding are killed by a 60.C wash. I never use anything like detol laundry products and only use anti-bac products sparingly and in certain circumstances, I think it could be a mistake long term as the bacteia might evolve and grow resistant. I also think it's a bit of greenwashing to tell us all to save enegry by washing clothes at low temperatures of longer, but to use more products, those products have to be manufactured and moved around th world, its the left hand paying the right.

    I agree that sinse covid lots of people are more aware of germs, but I think it's a good thing as anti-biotic restistance is a big issue and I think we became sloppy in our habits because we knew we had medicines readily available to cure things. But if we practiced the sort of basic cleanliness followed by our grandparents and great garandparents generations and took the time to clean small wounds and look after ourselves then we wouldn't need half as many medicines or products.