English
Answer:

Asking a friend if they just cleaned ,

Wiping down doorknobs every hour

How Germaphobia Affects You

Below are some ways that your fear of germs and illness can negatively affect your life:

1

  • Constant hand-washing can lead to dry and cracked hands, which exposes you to more infections.

  • Spending a lot of time cleaning, thinking about germs, and how to prepare for situations involving germs.

  • Reduced quality of life because you avoid social events out of fear of getting sick.

A cartoon character alone in bed staring at the ceiling.

For a while, I avoided hanging out with friends because I was terrified of getting sick. I found myself becoming more lonely and knew the lack of social interaction was affecting my mental health.

I started slow by going on masked walks with friends outdoors and worked my way up to having outdoor meals with my friends.

Patrick and Spongebob high five each other.

Did you know?

You can get feedback on your resume from Rumie community members in our Discord Server. Come by, we'll help you get the job!

Overcoming Germaphobia

1. Build your knowledge about germs

It's important to know that there both good and bad germs all around us. Good germs help us stay healthy and exist in places such as our digestive system! Watch this video below to learn more:

2. Try touching surfaces without cleaning them.

Start small by refraining from wiping down a doorknob or a surface in your home if you know you recently cleaned.

Animated text that reads: "STAAHP," an exaggerated and humorous way of saying "stop".

For example: You can keep a log of when you wiped down the surfaces in your home and refer back to that log the next time you feel the urge to wipe something down.

3. Use mindfulness techniques.

Try taking deep breaths when you start to feel overwhelmed by the thought of germs. This can help you re-train your mind to think of positive rather than negative thoughts.

For example: If you feel anxious about touching a public doorknob, pause, and take three deep breaths before touching the doorknob.

Heidi Klum taking a deep breath.

4. Risk Assessment

When you begin to think about next steps, it is important to understand the difference between low risk and high risk activities.

Low risk:

  • Touching a communal bottle of hand sanitizer

  • Interacting with healthy loved ones

High risk:

  • Hugging a loved one who is sick

  • Using the same knife to cut vegetables after cutting raw meat

A person saying, "Take the risk, ya know?"

5. Start spending time outdoors.

Ask a loved one to go on a brief walk outside with you (start with a short walk and slowly work your way up to longer walks).

Cartoon forest animals walking in nature.

6. Rely on loved ones and/or healthcare professionals.

Reach out to your loved ones to share your experiences and feelings about germs. This can help them understand what you're going through and help them know how to support you.

Consider psychotherapeutic approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) if you feel like your germaphobia is significantly affecting your life.

An infographic showing words of support.

Quiz

Anne wants to take steps to overcome her germaphobia. What are some low risk activities she can do?

Answer:

Going on a walk with a loved one ,

Knowing what germs are good and bad

Take Action

Remember: it's possible to overcome your fear of germs!

Kermit the Frog jumping excitedly.

License:

Are you still living in fear of germs (germaphobia), especially after Covid-19?

Jimmy Fallon dressed as a teenage girl with braces. He says, "Ew!"

As a former germaphobe, I used to be terrified of touching a doorknob without wanting to vigorously wash my hands right after.

If you can relate, fear not! These tips will show you how to manage your germaphobia.

Animated text that reads: "You Got This"

Examples of Germaphobia

Do you often find yourself going to extreme lengths to avoid germs?

If so, you might have germaphobia. Below is a list of common signs:

  • Excessively washing your hands

  • Asking if someone recently wiped down their counter

  • Constantly wiping down surfaces

  • Avoiding social interactions for fear of getting sick

Cleaning solutions and hand sanitizer bottles on a table. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Quiz

What are some examples of germaphobia? Select all that apply:

How Germaphobia Affects You

Below are some ways that your fear of germs and illness can negatively affect your life:

  • Constant hand-washing can lead to dry and cracked hands, which exposes you to more infections.

  • Spending a lot of time cleaning, thinking about germs, and how to prepare for situations involving germs.

  • Reduced quality of life because you avoid social events out of fear of getting sick.

A cartoon character alone in bed staring at the ceiling.

For a while, I avoided hanging out with friends because I was terrified of getting sick. I found myself becoming more lonely and knew the lack of social interaction was affecting my mental health.

I started slow by going on masked walks with friends outdoors and worked my way up to having outdoor meals with my friends.

Patrick and Spongebob high five each other.

Did you know?

This Byte was created by a volunteer professional that wanted to share this insight to help you succeed - no agenda, no cost.

Overcoming Germaphobia

1. Build your knowledge about germs

It's important to know that there both good and bad germs all around us. Good germs help us stay healthy and exist in places such as our digestive system! Watch this video below to learn more:

2. Try touching surfaces without cleaning them.

Start small by refraining from wiping down a doorknob or a surface in your home if you know you recently cleaned.

Animated text that reads: "STAAHP," an exaggerated and humorous way of saying "stop".

For example: You can keep a log of when you wiped down the surfaces in your home and refer back to that log the next time you feel the urge to wipe something down.

3. Use mindfulness techniques.

Try taking deep breaths when you start to feel overwhelmed by the thought of germs. This can help you re-train your mind to think of positive rather than negative thoughts.

For example: If you feel anxious about touching a public doorknob, pause, and take three deep breaths before touching the doorknob.

Heidi Klum taking a deep breath.

4. Risk Assessment

When you begin to think about next steps, it is important to understand the difference between low risk and high risk activities.

Low risk:

  • Touching a communal bottle of hand sanitizer

  • Interacting with healthy loved ones

High risk:

  • Hugging a loved one who is sick

  • Using the same knife to cut vegetables after cutting raw meat

A person saying, "Take the risk, ya know?"

5. Start spending time outdoors.

Ask a loved one to go on a brief walk outside with you (start with a short walk and slowly work your way up to longer walks).

Cartoon forest animals walking in nature.

6. Rely on loved ones and/or healthcare professionals.

Reach out to your loved ones to share your experiences and feelings about germs. This can help them understand what you're going through and help them know how to support you.

Consider psychotherapeutic approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) if you feel like your germaphobia is significantly affecting your life.

An infographic showing words of support.

Quiz

Anne wants to take steps to overcome her germaphobia. What are some low risk activities she can do?

Subscribe for more quick bites of learning delivered to your inbox.

Unsubscribe anytime. No spam. 🙂

Take Action

Remember: it's possible to overcome your fear of germs!

Kermit the Frog jumping excitedly.

License:

Your feedback matters to us.

This Byte helped me better understand the topic.

Get support to take action on this Byte

New Bytes

We publish fresh Bytes daily, we can send you a notification when that happens.

How Germaphobia Affects You

Below are some ways that your fear of germs and illness can negatively affect your life:

1

  • Constant hand-washing can lead to dry and cracked hands, which exposes you to more infections.

  • Spending a lot of time cleaning, thinking about germs, and how to prepare for situations involving germs.

  • Reduced quality of life because you avoid social events out of fear of getting sick.

A cartoon character alone in bed staring at the ceiling.

For a while, I avoided hanging out with friends because I was terrified of getting sick. I found myself becoming more lonely and knew the lack of social interaction was affecting my mental health.

I started slow by going on masked walks with friends outdoors and worked my way up to having outdoor meals with my friends.

Patrick and Spongebob high five each other.

Did you know?

This Byte was created by a volunteer professional that wanted to share this insight to help you succeed - no agenda, no cost.

Overcoming Germaphobia

1. Build your knowledge about germs

It's important to know that there both good and bad germs all around us. Good germs help us stay healthy and exist in places such as our digestive system! Watch this video below to learn more:

2. Try touching surfaces without cleaning them.

Start small by refraining from wiping down a doorknob or a surface in your home if you know you recently cleaned.

Animated text that reads: "STAAHP," an exaggerated and humorous way of saying "stop".

For example: You can keep a log of when you wiped down the surfaces in your home and refer back to that log the next time you feel the urge to wipe something down.

3. Use mindfulness techniques.

Try taking deep breaths when you start to feel overwhelmed by the thought of germs. This can help you re-train your mind to think of positive rather than negative thoughts.

For example: If you feel anxious about touching a public doorknob, pause, and take three deep breaths before touching the doorknob.

Heidi Klum taking a deep breath.

4. Risk Assessment

When you begin to think about next steps, it is important to understand the difference between low risk and high risk activities.

Low risk:

  • Touching a communal bottle of hand sanitizer

  • Interacting with healthy loved ones

High risk:

  • Hugging a loved one who is sick

  • Using the same knife to cut vegetables after cutting raw meat

A person saying, "Take the risk, ya know?"

5. Start spending time outdoors.

Ask a loved one to go on a brief walk outside with you (start with a short walk and slowly work your way up to longer walks).

Cartoon forest animals walking in nature.

6. Rely on loved ones and/or healthcare professionals.

Reach out to your loved ones to share your experiences and feelings about germs. This can help them understand what you're going through and help them know how to support you.

Consider psychotherapeutic approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) if you feel like your germaphobia is significantly affecting your life.

An infographic showing words of support.

Quiz

Anne wants to take steps to overcome her germaphobia. What are some low risk activities she can do?

Answer:

Going on a walk with a loved one ,

Knowing what germs are good and bad

Take Action

Remember: it's possible to overcome your fear of germs!

Kermit the Frog jumping excitedly.

Rumie logo

This logo isn't an ad or affiliate link. It's an organization that shares in our mission, and empowered the authors to share their insights in Byte form.
Rumie vets Bytes for compliance with our
Standards. The organization is responsible for the completeness and reliability of the content.
Learn more about how Rumie works with partners.

License:

Recommended Bytes