Hand Washing Is Driving Me Crazy...advice Please

@EagerForInfo,

I am not sure whether having a compulsive urge to wash hands frequently or taking longer to clean up in this pandemic means OCD. I used to wash my hands 10-12 times last year after the pandemic arrived in the world but when I informally inquired with everyone, they told me that as long as I avoid touching my face, mouth, nose, eyes, etc. I don't need to wash that frequently. They also suggested using more hand sanitizer to reduce the tendency to wash hands frequently with soap. When I have my hand washed so often with the water, I see the skin shrink most of the time. I also have incontinence but it is caused by prostate enlargement. It is so hard to wake up so many times in the night to take trips to the restroom and stand awake to wash hands carefully. After that it would take a lot of time to go back to sleep only to wake up again to make the trip to the restroom. Unfortunately, here in the US, the doctors try to cure that with medicines more than a procedure as most Americans prefer that.

My handwashing tendency slowed down in the last few months even before I was vaccinated. Now that I am fully vaccinated, my confidence level went up a little and I am washing my hands only as needed. As I live in Florida and as we are experiencing shiny days, frequent waking up to use the restroom came down. Now my confidence level went up so much, I have begun volunteering in the Hospice. They don't allow me to meet the patients but I am handling the visitors. The job involves issuing a gown, pair of gloves, and mask to the visitors, measuring their temperature, and asking standard COVID screening questions to the visitors. It keeps me busy for the entire duration of 3 hours of my volunteering every Friday evening. I have a huge glass pane dividing me from the visitors and I am asked to wipe the temperature monitor with a solution after every use. I have to write every visitor's name along with their temperatures and so far no visitor had a fever. As COVID hospitalization came down in the hospitals, the Hospice is no longer taking in COVID patients either.

 

Thank you for the detailed explanation of OCD

My point was specific to the two things
1.turning of water immediately without wasting,
2.turning off electricity when not used
These should not be classified under OCD, as OCD is something extreme and usually have negative connotation and negative results for you or others. I dont see that in these cases.

If it is the degree of urge that you consider this to be OCD, then it is a good OCD to have regardless. Conserving resources should be everyone's priority!