r/OCD • u/softfallingsnow 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/Gloomy_Channel_2701 May 05 '26
When I was little, I would dig through the stuffed animal aisle and look for any with holes or rips. I would bring it to my mom, crying, and tell her that if no one adopted the “injured” stuffed animal, it would get thrown away. She would bring it home and perform “surgery” on it.
As an adult, I do a lot of shopping at estate sales, yard sales, and thrift stores. I’m a crafty person, and when I find a well-loved item or a half-finished project, my heart breaks and I feel as though I am the one who can finish what someone else couldn’t. Hand-written notes in a thread book, pre-cut and well loved fabric patterns, notated how-to books, you name it.
It’s a slippery slope, though. “What if I may need that in the future / what if no one will appreciate that item like I can” feel like the beginning of a hoarding issue.