(no subject)
In the past few years I have turned into quite a freak about cleanliness, but it's getting really bad. My hands have been really raw lately because I keep washing them or excessively using hand sanitizer. Like I wash them probably 20-30 times a day. And I feel really justified in it and I don't understand how anyone could not wash their hands as much as me but then I realize that everyone has much nicer hands than I do and they have not yet died of petting the dog and then eating dinner with no hand-soap interaction in between.
A typical scenario: I'll wash my hands before doing the dishes, after doing the dishes, and then again after putting stuff away after dinner. As in within 5 minutes I have washed my hands 3 times. Or in class I will sanitize my hands every time before I start typing on my laptop. And I'm getting really weird in public. I'll wash my hands at a restaurant after I'm completely done touching the menu because it is dirty and then Carley will salt my food or whatever because I can't stand touching the salt shaker. I have this like super-cream in my cabinet that Carley bought me awhile ago, so I'm trying to use that more and my hands are better now. But I'm still obsessively washing my hands and my concern with germs is getting worse. So far it seems to be my only compulsion (besides my extreme prone to stress), but I'm a little nervous that in a few years I'll wind up like my granny - crazy and irritating. :( I know very well that everyone has tics (Like Shannon can't watch TV with the volume on an odd number, etc) but washing your hands to the point where they're raw and dry and flaky (and is not a one-time thing) is gross and kind of concerning.