Ocd, intrusive thoughts or stress

[Audi]

Today i just got my new preown car. I like it alot. And i did a oil change myself using a dirty cloth to open the cap of my engine oil cap as its hot. The cloth have some sand and debris like dry grass on the cloth... when opening the cap... i suddenly have a thought that the dry grass or sands could have went in to the engine while i open up the cap...


Although the car is able to start and run as normal and i did not see any particles drop inside ...but the thought make me panic thats it might damage my engine and there could be something stuck inside the engine... and i keep google online to find out what will happen if sand or others particles drop inside...

I also started to think that all preown car will sure have something drop inside the engine before while changing engine oil.... oh my god... i rely on preown cars for a living as i m a preown car dealers. I keep telling myself that ... it may not have anything fallen inside the engine or even there is any... its will not damage the engine as its very minor.. but it dont really help much at all by thinking this way.

For watches... i usually change or sell it away when i have doubt but for cars i cant really do that ...


Please help and advise.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Rarely is a clean rag going to be used around a car engine so there is always a chance of something dropping in.

You've now had the thoughts move to any pre-owned car. But you've never had this issue with any of them, have you? So, there is no evidence of that ever being a problem for you and plenty of evidence to show there is no problem. It's just the anxious mind looking for something to worry about and something you will never be able to have an absolute answer so it allows the doubt to set in.

Back to the rag though, what evidence do you have to know the debris did actually drop in? What if did? This is what your anxious mind will be asking. But what if it didn't? What tells you there is anything other than a possibility? But possibility doesn't mean something happens and so unless you can determine an element of risk that you need to be concerned about, isn't this just the anxiety trying to make you panic?

What if it did get in? Would it even do anything anyway? Are you catastrophizing about something that wouldn't even matter?