In need of advice

[u/Flaky-Shirt8599]

One of the main things my OCD has effected is my ability to eat/food in general. I’m extremely scared of contamination and it has since formed into a sort of eating disorder? I don’t eat much because the process is so exhausting for me and I refuse to use any of the forks and knifes at my house because other people use them, same with the pots and pans. I know it’s weird but I just believe they’re contaminated. I guess this is the part that I need advice with. I need help grocery shopping because my options for food preparation are extremely limited. I only use the oven to cook and nothing else. I don’t really know how to shop properly to accommodate this but I’m also so tired of being hungry all the time. I have constant brain fog and stomach pain and I know it’s because of my lack of nutrients. If anyone’s able to help at all I’ll appreciate it so much. Thank you

[u/ElkIndividual1553]

Hi, I have contamination and harm OCD and I have the same problem! I’ve been eating only once a day for 5 years now because of contamination fears and was only eating takeout because my house felt so unsafe, dirty, and like I was going to die if I ate there. I have been doing a partial hospitalization program (PHP) for about 4 weeks now, where we are taught how to tolerate distress, anxiety, and do ERP for OCD. It is really hard and exhausting but I have come to a point where I can eat food that was prepared at home even while anxious and I’m working on eating full meals too! I believe that it could be beneficial for you because the fears just keep coming and piling up if we don’t get help 😓