Germs are rotten, that you know. So you fight to make them go. They will greet you everyday , try to get you come what may!
Germs. They are everywhere and if you are a worrywart you are probably very worried about germs and when they are going to get you, not if. Germs make your body sick. No matter how careful you are, when you are exposed to ‘dirty things’ you start to worry. You can’t see them so they are really scary. It isn’t until they have ‘taken you out’ that you know they are a force to be reckoned with. Strep throat can really lay you low . Score one for the the germs. Companies who make anti germ wipes have been very smart to capitalize on your germ fear Worriers like to sanitize just about everything. And when you read an article about how E. coli is spreading, you run for the wipes and gels. Germs and dread are one and the same for Charter Members of Worrywarts Anonymous.
Watch TV and you see commercials about dangerous bacteria so you have to be alarmed about these monsters. You cannot see them but you know they are there. More wipes and gels needed immediately. You do not want you or your family contaminated. After all, you have heard that disease follows germs, bacteria, and viruses so you want none of any of them. If it’s unclean, get it away-now.
You say that famous people have feared germs and you are right. Howard Hughes was a germaphobic and Donald Trump has such a fear of germs that he does not like to shake hands. You do not like to be touched by people, especially if you have any idea they are the least bit under the weather. You don’t even want to be in the same room with them.
If there is a health hazard you know about, you avoid it. You wash your hands in the restroom, use the paper towel to open the door, hold it open with your foot, and toss the paper towel. That is not neurotic behavior, by the way. Bacteria and viruses can live a long time, especially on a moist surface. And if you get bacteria or germs on your hands and touch your eyes or nose, you could get infected. You know for a fact that a lot of other people do not wash their hands after using the restroom. Disgusting!
I want to tell you right now that your fear of germs is not at all neurotic–unless you take it to the point of being irrational. It is just being careful to recognize that germs -once they get into our bodies- produce toxins which which can cause infections, vomiting, diarrhea, and deadly diseases. You know that medical doctors tell us now that antibiotics are not as effective as they once were to fight serious infections.
If you frequently wash your hands, you are probably doing a good job of protecting yourself. It is only if you wash you hands so frequently that you damage your skin that you are in trouble. Proably around 80% of infections are spread by hand so soap and water use is good hygiene. So are alcohol based sanitizers.
Since you worry so much about germs, you may as well know where most of the germs are laying in wait to get you. Your kitchen sink has more germs than your bathroom Your dishcloth is high on the list. At work the phones, desktops, keyboards, and elevator buttons are high up on the hit list. In public places elevator handrails, shopping cart handles, and mall eating tables are murder. Always beware in hospitals because there seem to be more germs there than you can avoid. Thank God for the super markets who now have the hand sanitizers right above the shopping carts. I am wondering when they are going to dispense face masks in hospitals as you come in the revolving door.
Be careful, but do not become obsessive. Incidentally, the technical term for extreme worry about germs is ‘mysophobia’. My mother had the unfortunate experience of having one of her young babies die of a staph infection. She developed a radical fear of germs and would Lysol anything she found suspect, including one of us if we looked in need of a good spray. Do not let your fear of germs keep you from venturing out of your house because let’s face it, there are plenty of germs right on your premises. Trust but verify you have the ‘equipment’ with you to sanitize your hands when you feel the need.
More to come in future blogs regarding how to outwit worry.
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