Top 10 Ways to Tell If You are a Mysophobe (Germaphobe)

Germaphobia. Mysophobia. Whatever the moniker, it is a fear that contains many divided views. It may seem a sign of paranoia or annoyance, maybe an eccentricity. But to some, it is a symbol of alertness, difference, and (above all) good rules of hygiene. This begs the question: how can you tell if you're a mysophobe?
The Top Ten
1 You have an obsession with hand sanitizers, wipes, whatever is available and says "kills 99.9% of germs."

The scenario: you're leaving the house and, right as you get in your car and start the engine, you realize you've forgotten that little packet of sanitizing wipes or the bottle of hand sanitizer! It is your only chance of salvation away from home, and you thus treat such items like gold.

2 You don't wear shoes in the house.

Once inside, they go straight to that shoe shelf in the garage (or somewhere similar) -- you can't stand the idea of tracking dirt or who knows what else inside your house, which is meant to be an area of calmness and unwinding from the day. You then mutter to yourself that at least you didn't have to spend the next hour or so mopping the floor.

This is true for me it helps that my shoes genuinely are pretty dirty most of the time.

3 Going to the hospital is like going into the heart of a zombie apocalypse.

You're right about this. But overall, it's prudent to be cautious because it is indeed a jungle out there (with props to Randy Newman), with new pathogens being imported through illegal immigration as well as common carrier air travel. Most people are totally clueless when it comes to practical protections against infection. Because of this, if God forbid we should be facing some lethal potential pandemic, we're toast.

It's the place you go to to get tested and checked for hosting any germs/pathogens, and yet also where you could catch many of those germs in the first place. You might try as best as you can to schedule every appointment as early as possible, so as to avoid contracting germs from a larger crowd.

4 Anytime someone sneezes or coughs, you nearly jump out of your skin.

You wince, unable to keep yourself from thinking: why in the world couldn't they have at least covered their nose?! Due to a heightened alertness, you might also be that one person who can distinguish the cough of a sick person from that of someone who's just choking -- and yet regard the worse more often, just to be safe.

5 Public bathrooms are one of the worst areas to be in.

It's like going into a zone that's been quarantined for radiation. You are completely unnerved by the smell as you start to comprehend how many people have been in there. As you spend the first couple of minutes lining the toilet seat with tissue, you wish that you'd invested in a gas mask just for these kinds of trips.

6 You feel rejuvenated when you meet someone who is also a mysophobe.

Finally, the one person who you are absolutely free to complain to about how ridiculous it is that the supermarket did not have any antibacterial hand soaps, along with the long list of unusual things that you have noticed being mysophobic. Not to mention, you don't quite feel like the odd one out as much anymore.

7 You cringe every time you have to go somewhere during colder months.

Two words: flu season. Whatever you can do to delay that appointment until springtime -- to avoid the echoes of throaty coughs and spreading germs -- you will be sure to do it. And if it's not a changeable date, you arm yourself with sanitizing packets and bottles as though a soldier going into battle.

8 Whenever you meet someone, you cave in to the idiosyncrasy of analyzing how well he or she keeps house.

Your speculation might not actually be the case, but you can't help but wonder whilst conversing with someone. It's almost like you've mentally become Sherlock Holmes: pondering the origins of that hair strand atop the left shoulder, observing the state of those slightly scuffed-up shoes. It's a quirkiness that acts almost like a conscience.

9 Developing a sickness or infection makes you feel like someone just slapped you in the head.

You've worked so hard to avoid falling prey to those irksome germs -- adopting a cautious demeanor whenever your health is jeopardized -- yet somehow it's all been undone. With every passing day, your mental questionnaires on what could have gone wrong also become more frequent.

10 You resent sharing utensils, straws, or anything else that involves the transfer of saliva.

Family or friends, you address everyone else's saliva equally -- by avoiding it. Maybe someone at the table wanted a sip of that tea you're drinking, or just a bite of that freshly cooked dinner sitting on your plate. As far as you're concerned, this is the time when sharing can be disregarded.

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