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If you are unfortunate enough to catch every bug, virus or infection going round, as time goes on you may start to become a little germaphobic. I have had sinus infections on and off since I was 7 and I was always the kid who caught everything. I hate to admit it, but I am now quite germaphobic as a result of this. I just want to avoid any risk of catching something, because whenever I do, it seems to last for twice as long as it does for the person I caught it from.
My friends and family find it absurd that I can’t touch the bin lid without going to wash my hands afterwards. I don’t trust the “3 second rule” – the belief that if you drop something on the floor but pick it up within a few seconds, the germs won’t have gone onto it yet. People always tell me “oh you need to be exposed to germs or you’ll never build up an immunity to them” – well that’s all very well for someone whose immune system is functioning properly, but mine seems to be in hibernation most of the time. It’s true that in a healthy person a little exposure to germs can be beneficial, because their body produces antibodies, which then reduce the risk of later infection. However if your immune system isn’t up to scratch, it doesn’t work out like that and you just end up being the one who does come down with whatever bug, virus or infection you come into contact with. I’m not saying this is a good way to be. It can make picnics or journeys on public transport really difficult. In fact, if you become too obsessive about germs, it can make pretty much any contact with the outside world seem a little risky. However, there are a few things you can do to ease your mind so that you don’t keep worrying that you might catch something. Most chemists now sell some variation of hand wash that requires no water. Just squirt out a bit and rub it into your hands. Many of these are proven to kill 98-99% of germs, which is very reassuring when you have just paid for some food in a shop but you feel you can’t eat it because there’s no bathroom nearby for you to wash your hands and you are all too aware of the germs on your hands that must be there after you touched coins. If you’re more prone to worrying about the purity of the air you’re breathing, you can invest in an air purifier… even better, there are now “personal purifiers” available. These are small air purifiers that you wear on a cord around your neck. They actually don’t look too strange and most people mistake mine for a camera or mp3 player. Mine is an ionizer, because cigarette smoke makes me very ill and ionizers are more effective at removing cigarette smoke from the air than regular purifiers. It has been proven time and time again that cigarette smoke harms the immune system and increases your chances of getting an infection. Be careful if you buy an ionizer and be sure to check that the levels of ozone produced have passed safety inspections, because some ionizers produce too much ozone, which is thought to be harmful to the body. The most important thing - and I’m sure you realise this already – is to keep everything in perspective. You need to stay calm and not panic if you suddenly remember that you didn’t disinfect your hands before you ate. You need to remember that you can’t actually spray disinfectant on your food, because the chemicals in it will probably be more harmful than any germs you would otherwise be exposed to. It’s essential to find that balance between being careful and being obsessive. Infections are horrible, I don’t deny that. But stress is horrible too. Make sure you know where to draw the line and accept that sometimes germs will sneak past your barriers of soap and disinfectant. Best wishes, Prickles! |
