Can anyone relate?

[pugsarerad]

Hi, I didn't know where to post this but I'll just go ahead and tell you my problem.

I have this strong obsession with being "perfect" when I'm around people, i.e. I always have to look clean and smart, my hair and clothes always have to look neat, my breath has to smell good all the time (the amount of chewing gum I get through :ohmy:) and I spend way too long in the shower in the morning making sure I'm clean enough - even if I'm just going out to the shop. I get really anxious if I feel like I haven't addressed these things, and even if I have, I know I still worry about them too much.

I guess I see them as "vulnerabilities" and I'm scared of being "caught out" by people, or looked down upon by them? I'm fairly sure it comes from childhood bullying over the way I look, act, etc. It takes so much effort that usually I just avoid people and social situations full stop.

I'm just beginning CBT and have talked briefly about this issue, so I'm hoping that will help. Just wondering if anyone else is going through or has been through similar stuff?

[AntsyVee]

I've never experienced this, but I have an aunt that was like this until the day she died. Until she got sick (when she was in her 90s), I had never even seen her without makeup. She was dressed to impress all the time. I think for her it had something to do with growing up and being judged during the Great Depression.

[Lavender12]

Hi, I have read that Cognitive behavior Therapy is most widely used therapy for anxiety disorders.