"Better safe than sorry."

This is so helpful! I love the analogy of OCD being someone in opposition to your goals rather than a friend trying to keep you safe. It's the perfect characterization of the antagonizing bully that is OCD. I'll be reminding myself to act against it the next time I experience this trigger. Thank you.

Very much this. The thought cannot be gotten rid of as long as you're reacting to it, and trying to ignore or ward off the thought will only lead to further anxiety.

Something I'm working on but I struggle with the feeling that it's "irresponsible" to "believe" something bad might happen and to do it anyways. With handwashing, I'll get stuck in loops of it not "feeling" clean enough and I've started saying, "maybe it's not clean enough but what I've done (washing my hands with one or two pumps of soap instead of much more than that, for 30 seconds to a minute instead of far more than that) is reasonable." I don't know why, and maybe this is still catering to OCD in some way to say I acted "reasonably" but it still feels very uncomfortable but far less uncomfortable to leave it at "maybe" or "yes and..." I've also started reminding myself to be where my feet are and to be present and mindful because of the forecasting spiral that happens which I think is also helping. All that to say, I'd love to get to the point of "maybe" or "yes and" being a thought I can overcome, but the "responsibility" component can sometimes jump in like, if you really think it's possible, it would be grossly irresponsible to... if you have any further tips for talking back to that "comeback," I'm all ears for it. Thank you for this tip, I will do my best to put it into practice!

@Anonymous Sometimes your anxiety reframes your sense of priority. Think about it like this, do you have a microscope to see if washing your hands really ever leaves them germ free? Of course not, you can't visually inspect bacteria with your naked eye. At some point your OCD starts drawing lines instead of respecting yours, because it convinces you that there is a threat if you don't adhere to ITS perception.

@FloralEnvoy - I try to remind myself of Dr. McGrath's "don't think of a pink elephant" and that, it's not that the thought that's all that unique to me, it's the dwelling on thoughts that pop in and out other's (without OCD) minds without any real destress, that makes what I'm experiencing OCD. I've also become fascinated with the fact that are brains are so adaptable that, in whatever way you're strengthening it: could be with compulsions but better for it to be what you all are suggesting!

@FloralEnvoy - This is great advice. I think for me, I saw someone describe it as having a "sticky" brain so, the first time that I saw a video of germs spreading and the importance of washing your hands, that was like a seed that was planted and then, of course, you get reassurance from usually false evidence that the compulsion kept you safe and then you need more and more to reach the same level of satisfaction and before you know it, in my case, it's out of control. But I really love how when you talk about OCD, it's like a separate person who violates your boundaries and your goals and I think keeping this mindset will help to make it, in some way, easier to talk back to.