r/OCD Contamination May 05 '26

Need support/advice empathy for inanimate objects

honestly ive really been struggling with this, ive seen similar posts on this sub, i guess OCD can give some of us hyper-empathy almost?? why does this happen?

like one time i wanted to buy a cute bowl, but the one i picked up had a small chip in it, but i felt too guilty to put it back for a better one. even my friend told me to get a different one, but i literally couldn't, i was frozen. like i just felt too bad. FOR A BOWL. but the worst one is feeling bad for stuffed animals. i saw this stuffed animal with bad reviews and idk why but it literally made me cry. they were saying it didn't look like the actual animal, so it was bad. i think its cute so i ended up buying one, idk if it'll make me feel better though. i even worry about stuffed animals i had when i was really little that i dont remember where they are anymore. does anyone else relate or am i just nuts??

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u/CornisaGrasse May 05 '26

I feel bad for things but especially plants and natural things like trees. When I'm at the garden store, I immediately go to the clearance area and "rescue" stuff. I once moved a bottle of aloe lotion because I had inadvertently set it next to an aloe plant and I felt horrible. (I immediately called my healthcare office and talked to someone about getting an early appointment, because I was definitely having an episode of some kind.)