Do you think I am weird trying to avoid sneezes?

[NewBeginning84]

Hi All

I hope I have posted this into the right forum place.
It really really annoys me when people sneeze loudly or just sneezes as all I can think about is all of those nasty germs just spraying every where and of course the healthy people like me get infected and in turn have colds. For four years now I have been using a technique to stop myself from catching colds and I personally think it works.

I never breath through my nose, if I am in the house and someone sneezes in the same room as me I hold my breath and take tiny breaths of air and calmly walk to my bedroom if it is a large sneeze I normally wait 30 minutes plus another five minutes as I could have been contaminated.
If it is a huge sneeze I will wait a good hour holding my breath and take tiny breaths of air and I would add five minutes if I was in the same room of that person sneezing but of course the countdown does not start until I go to my bedroom or when I am already in my bedroom.

When I go food shopping or in to town if someone sneezes I use the same time scale as above and hold my breath and take tiny breaths but I do not start the count down until I get inside the car.

The only floor is I do not go to the toilet until the time is up, I lose allot of time if there are continuous small or huge sneezes and it mentally runs me down so I have no energy left. I hate the noises of sneezing, people almost sound like Elephants when they do.

The only reason why I avoid sneezes is because I do not want any colds, when I do go down with them it knocks me for six and I have to stay in bed for at least a week and I have better things to do then catch a stupid cold.

Do you think I am weird trying to avoid peoples sneezes? And do you personally try to avoid peoples sneezes? Within the four years I have been holding my breath and taking tiny breaths all I had was one tiny cold, it seems to work but has its disadvantages along with it.

Many Thanks for reading this and maybe replying to it.

Regards, Oliver

[Queer Fringe]

Wow. You would hate living with me, my mum sneezes all the time and it drives me nuts!
You sound like you have OCD, I know I cant diagnose but it kinda sounds like that. It don't sound wierd, I'm also becoming like that, washing my hands a lot because I don't want germs on me and stuff. Have you thought about talking to someone about this? maybe a parent, partner or professional? Sorry I don't know how old you are!
I hope you can find a way to sort this out, it sounds like a horrible thing to go through, even though I get the feeling your routine makes you feel safe? correct me if I'm wrong.
Take Care xxxx

[NewBeginning84]

Hi Queer Fringe

I did not realise that you had replied to my thread oops. Thank you very much for posting a reply. Ow I am glad I do not live with you then as your mum sneezes all the time blimey she must have a nose problem or something. It must drive you nuts! When you said it sounds like you have OCD, I thought hang on a minute it does sound like I have it but never thought of that before. I am glad that somebody does not think it sounds weird.

Sorry to hear that you are also becoming like that, washing your hands a lot because you don't want germs on yourself and stuff. I hope you can get help or support and good luck I hope you can get through it. I have no one really to talk to who I trust anyway well except for *Fading_existence* on here of course but did not really think about asking her for her support about this. That’s okay I am 24 years old this year.

Funny you should say “I hope you can find a way to sort this out” as I have since I posted this as when ever somebody sneezes I replace the sneeze with a coughing noise and it does work so I do feel safer that I will not get a cold, even though I could but I suppose if we were meant to get a cold then we can not stop it unfortunatelyL

It was a horrible thing to go through but I think I know what triggered it again, not so long ago I went to the dentist and had two three rooted teeth out and I could not bare the thought of having a cold and mouth ache what a nightmare so I thought I would start the sneezing routine again. The sneezing routine has been on and off though the four years I have done it for.

Yeah you are right that the routine makes me feel safe and mentally knowing that I will not get a cold even though I probably could?

Thanks you take care to.

All the best, Oliver xxx

I have to agree with Queer Fringe. Despite the fact i am no doctor, and can not diagnose you, your symptoms do sound consistent with OCD.

The reality is - despite how difficult it is to come to terms with - you can't avoid germs for the rest of your life. It is physically impossible to avoid germs.
It all comes down to your immune system. Holding your breathe will not stop the germs entering your body. If you have quite a strong immune system, it's likely your body will naturally fight any germs off, hence the reason to why you haven't contracted any colds etc.
Breathing the way you do will not only mentally/emotionally exhaust you, it can also cause physical problems.

It's understandable to why you do it. It's like an ED - you don't eat to feel in control. But in your case, it's "not breathing" to feel in control.
OCD can come in a number of forms - folding clothes a certain way, washing hands on a regular basis, unable to go "outside" of certain daily routines.

The only way you will overcome this is to do things in little steps. Take a few minutes off everytime someone sneezes. Gradually bring it down to being able to stay in the same room as the same person. Germs can travel, so whether you move or not, they're still in the air.
But it's all about controlling yourself in these situations.
Have you spoken to your GP about this?

I wish you the best of luck hun xx

[Queer Fringe]

Yeah, my Mum is allergic to my cats!
I really do hope you get this sorted out though, I hate it when peoples breath gets on me, as I have a friend who's very 'inyourface' and I go mad! It's true, you cant not get germs but the fact that your routine is making you feel safe is worrying, maybe you should speak to a doctor about this? Even if you cannot say anything just show him/her the thread?
Take Care xx