Are you afraid of germs?

[sage2021]

Do you try to avoid germs by washing your hands through out the day? After using the restroom? Before you prepare food? Before you eat? etc.

[Lliam]

I don't spend any time worrying about them. It's kind of like with rattle snakes on my property. I know they are around and take reasonable care. I respect them but am not afraid of them and don't really think about them.

I do take reasonable precautions against germs. I wash my hands when appropriate, and keep the kitchen and bathroom clean. But no OCD behavior. And I NEVER use antibacterial soaps or sanitizers.

The worse thing a person can do is avoid germs completely. We're supposed to breath air, touch things, play in the dirt. Germs in small doses are good for us because, when we are exposed to them, our immune systems learn to recognize them. Germs make our immune systems happy and healthy. They are to the immune system what exercise is to muscles. The trend toward over-sanitizing has resulted in unhealthy people. We are not separate from the environment. We are part of everything that surrounds us.

I also recognize that a healthy microbiome depends on a wide diversity of germs. The more the better. It's like a healthy forest in which everything is symbiotic and in balance. The more diversity the better.

A healthy person has every kind of germ in their body. In fact, we can't survive without them. Our health immune systems just chugs happily along keeping everything in balance. It jumps into action when something starts getting out of hand.

So I'm not even close to being afraid of germs.

[convo_king89]

I wash my hands after the bathroom and when I’m about to eat after I’ve been touching dirty parts. But there is no point to being paranoid. The world has germs and that’s why you have an immune system. Being too clean can give super bugs which are antibiotic resistant. Cuz u loose immunity.

[OlderAndWiser]

I am not “afraid” of germs but I have a healthy respect for good sanitation practices.

[FunkyMonkee]

I'll usually wash them before handling food and after using the toilet, at least with water, if not using soap. After handling animals; I'll use soap just because it feels like there's something on my hands. I'll probably give them a rinse off (at least) before I eat unless they've got some kind of goop on them from what I was making to eat.

My ex-sisters are huge germophobes!! They CAN'T use a towel or bar soap because it's got germs on it! I've been dealing with lung and nasal bullshit all my life but I don't do any of it ALL the time, it's mostly nasal and they get really pissed when I either blow my nose or have to keep a gob of snot from falling into my throat and they seem to think I'm doing it because it's fun or because I like it or even that I'm just bothering them intentionally! I WISH I didn't have to do this shit but, I'm allergic to a number of things. Through my first 15 years, I had ALL OF THEM (except cats) around me IN the house all the time!! Hemp rugs, dogs, dad's cigarettes, dust, and, I think my body just got used to that and, even though I don't have of that around me now, it still goes on.

Anyway, as I said, they can''t touch soap or hand towels because of "germs" but, they have no problem with feeding the pets from their dinner dishes or having them walk around on the kitchen counter where their food is being made, even though these animals lick themselves after taking a shit or walk around IN their own shit and piss!! I can't blow my nose into a Kleenex because of germs but their animals can contaminate their dishes and cooking areas.

I used to refuse to eat anything that fell on the floor but was alerted that your body makes anti-bodies to combat germs you may encounter and, if you don't give them practice in doing their job, they won't be able to DO their job and, if you're a big germophobe, and you accidentally get some kind of germs, it could really lay your ass right out while, those of us that AREN'T 100% anti-germ would hardly be bothered by the same germs. So, as long as the area where the food (peanuts, a potato chip, pretzel, etc.) fell is relatively clean, I'll just pick it up and eat it, as long as there's no hair on it. If it's something sloppy, of course, I WON''T eat it.

[sage2021]

@FunkyMonkee I have that allergy thing too. Man! First thing in the morning I sneeze and blow my nose, and wash my hands
I have prescription antihistamine pills that I take. They work really well for those pestie misquote bits that
itch like crazy.
About picking up food that drops on the floor and we pick it up and eat it; well, my former boss told me about the 5 second rule. If it's been on the floor longer than 5 seconds, it goes in the trash. If it's been less than 5 seconds, you can eat it. 🤷🏼‍♀️
Thanks for sharing 🙂🌹🧸

[FunkyMonkee]

I haven't had any allergy problems until about 4 days ago. All of a sudden, I'll go hours without anything and then, out of the blue, I get a tickle in my nose and have to sneeze once or twice and, suddenly, these sneezes cause this horrible metallic taste in my mouth! Last night, I was washing a Revereware pot and got a whiff of the copper on the bottom and THAT'S EXACTLY the smell I keep getting after these sneezes!! Normally, I only get that smell if I'm really sick and have to cough a lot.
Last time I got a shower, I went back into the bathroom a short while later and the entire bathroom had that metallic smell. I didn't even sneeze and I've NEVER smelled that in the bathroom before!!
I just take Sudafed or a dollar store allergy pill and it seems to work fine.
I rarely ever get mosquito bites but, when I do, instead of scratching them, I press the "sharp" edge of my fingernail across the top of it as hard as I can for a few seconds and that makes it stop itching for quite a while. I'll also try to pop them like zits to get rid of the bug spit that's causing the itch.
I don't bother with the 5 second rule. If I think it's too cruddy for me to eat, I'll toss it out front for any of the animals to eat, if they want to. If I still had a dog, I'd just toss it to her.

[DannyUk2017]

Me... Man.. born in 1982... so..40years old... so the answer is NO! I'm not afraid!
When little had them all...
So now for me is like a walk in the park... We were dropping apples, clean'em up and continue to eat...
Never had germs/fungus touched everything/anything... so i can say my Imune system is in check... like using my phone all day (dust on it), swipe my fore head, nothing.
Hold on to Doors, Train/Metro Handrails, nothing so i can say i'm good, if i'll stay this way untill i'm 70-80 then i can say i'm Gold!.

[NathanDavis]

lmao... not exactly afraid of them

but I do have a mild germophobia, and that means I am just a bit weird about them, and I will feel the need and the urges, but not fear... I don't freak out either like people with an actual phobia to something would do

to me, it is more about pace of mind, and easing my fixations about certain things like washing hands and never EVER going into public toilets

[hahahmm]

Afraid? No. I respect what others have learned about germs so I wash my hands before preparing food... after touching contaminated stuff. Some germs are good for you too like yogurt probiotics.

[Sixgunsound]

Afraid? No, I take reasonable precautions like hand washing and sanitizer use when applicable. I don’t partake in the most common way to get monkey pox, so there’s that too.

[NamerOfStars]

Nope. I've read War of the Worlds; I know how that ends up.

[exitseven]

Not really afraid but I wash my hands a lot especially since Covid.

[douride2]

I'm not scared but I do wash my hands at all those times you mentioned.

[Fuentes]

I wash my hands before everything

[sage2021]

@Fuentes Everything? 🤭

[Fuentes]

Yeah I will be washing my hands right after I step into your house lol

[sage2021]

@Fuentes 🤗