Can't handle meat

[SearcherKris]

I have been seeing a dr. who says that I have compulsive tendencies but it is not severe enough to say that it is OCD. I see him for other problems.

One of my biggest struggles is meat. I'm so afraid of the germs that can be in raw meat and I'm very afraid of the blood. This keeps me from cooking meat at home. The only meat we eat is already cooked and frozen so that all I have to do is heat it up, or we go out.

I'm not doing well financially, so going out is out of the question. Also buying pre-cooked meat is not as inexpensive as raw meat.

This is a concern because it is keeping us from having as much protein in our diet as we need and costing more money than it should.

I did not used to have this problem. I miss the food I used to make. This also involves dairy products, and really anything that might need refridgeration or freezing. I get afraid of it. I'm so terrified that we are going to get food poisoning.

I have not cooked raw meet since Christmas, and that was a first in a long time. I cooked some ham, and I followed the directions. However, after it was finished cooking, and the food was on the plates I became afraid and started second guessing myself. I took everyone's food away and put the ham on a plate in the microwave to cook it some more. Then I got clean plates and started over with the twice-cooked ham.

I haven't handled raw meat since then. I can't even stand to look at it in the store.

I have other compulsive issues, but this one is the issue that is most bothersome right now.

Any suggestions or tips?

 

[SoldierOfSoul]

I'm not trying to act like a therapist or anything but you need some serious exposure therapy in this, the only way you will ever overcome these fears is if you face them, you must expose yourself to what you fear and show and prove to yourself that you can overcome the anxiety and get past it. Anxiety does not need to be your master, you do not need to live in fear, you can overcome and Jesus will help you through it all, ask your therapist about exposure therapy.

"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." (Phillippians 4:13)

Let this be your battle cry. Blessings.

 

[canamer]

OCD can make us feel/do crazy things and as far as I'm concerned what we have here is no crazier than anything else that we all feel/do! So, don't feel bad about it.

I think really what it comes down to is you have 2 options:
1) You can try to buy frozen meat - there are lots of options there.
2) You can buy yourself a meat thermometer. You may not trust yourself to know when meat is fully cooked but the thermometer won't lie. Obviously this is a logical solution to the problem but OCD isn't logical. Even doing these things may not change how you feel about this.

I think at the end of the day the only thing that is going to help you overcome this, as has already been stated, is exposing yourself to this situation until it doesn't bother you anymore.

Avoidance is very comfortable and easy to do when it comes to these OCD kinda things. I'm guilty of avoiding things with my OCD and I'm not going to pretend I have it all together. I'm just saying that if you completely avoid something - permanently - then of course you won't overcome it. It'll just stay a fear that's locked away in your brain waiting to be conquered.

 

[tyield1102]

I have had a very similar fear. I hated touching meat because I was always afraid I wouldn't wash my hands well enough then touch my face and get some kind of disease from it or touch my children and then they would get something. I also hate the way meat feels and the blood gets me too. I remember one time I was rinsing chicken in my kitchen sink and my OCD was telling me that I loved the way the meat felt and I liked the blood and I was seriously freaking out about it and having panic attacks while I was washing the meat, but I finished washing it and washed my hands a few times and everything turned out fine. Now washing meat doesn't bother me as much, but I do still wash my hands and counters and sink like crazy afterwards lol I hope this helps you some to know someone else who has had a similar fear. I really think if it hadn't been for that one day that I just got through it I would still be freaking out over meat.