After COVID-19, a fear of touching things
Due to COVID, I have developed a strong, irrational fear of touching stuff.
Background: Mild depression (easy to handle) and undiagnosed fear of being around people. I live alone and am retired (I retired from teaching because of COVID). Outside of aspirin and wine, I don't take any medicine. I am, however, fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine.
When COVID became a thing last year, I followed the advice I read and saw and disinfected everything delivered. I never went to stores. Except for perishables, all delivered items went into a closed off porch room for a week. When I went somewhere, I would wipe down my car, leave my shoes on the mat, disinfect everything in my pockets, throw my clothes in the washing machine, throw my mask in a designated sink, and take a hot, very soapy shower. I would disinfect my hands between each of those steps, and remember what I touched from door to shower so I could disinfect later.
I know from my reading that scientists have found that all that crap isn't necessary. I also know I'm fully vaccinated. But I still can't stop my annoying deep cleansing and fear of touching stuff. Even after I go take the garbage out, I do the shoes, clothes, shower, disinfect thing. If I don't, I feel creepy.
I know it's a bullshit thing. But it's hard to stop. I don't want to pay for counseling if I can help it. I'm sure a counselor would direct me to engage in small steps to break the habit, something like exposure and response prevention for OCD. And I'm trying. Today, I opened and ate some just delivered food without cleaning it or microwaving...something I would never do previously. I was very uncomfortable, but baby steps.
Has this happened with anybody else, or is it just me? And I am open to any advice you all may have.
Thanks!
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I am still not comfortable with being in stores...etc. My friend Tom, who's partner has a late stage cancer cannot bring himself to stop all of the washing and disinfection. You are definitely not alone.
I too, am fully vaccinated as is my friend, and both of our spouses. I guess it is just going to take time.
I was using Instacart long before it was cool. 
It's good to know I'm not alone. Best of luck to you and your spouse and friends.
... than I did in the past, but try not to overdo it. I'll wait until all of the new objects are put away, avoiding getting my hands near my face in the interim, then wash my hands thoroughly after it's done.
No cold or flu over the last year for me as well!
And remind yourself that many contagions don't remain viable for very long outside of a host.
We are just two days in from our second dose. We still disinfect everything that comes through our door. I walk daily, with a mask on and am dodging others as much as possible. It’s going to be hard to break all of those habits. Right there with you, teach1st.
Unless you are uncomfortable with your routine, then dob't change it. 
These precautions are deeply ingrained & heavy with the emption of fear.
Please be gentle with yourself.
Also, the variants are supposed to be much more contagious. Something to consider.
I think you're on the right track with taking things a step at a time.
I've been mildly germaphobic for years, and I think I'm unlikely to change very much, but for me it's really mostly a food thing. Oh, and I also am a laundryholic, but I've made great strides in that area.
My kids and I joke about some of my OCD tendencies, and I've worked hard through the years to try to overcome them. I was doing pretty good until this pandemic hit, but I have noticed that I've been reverting back to some of the perfectionism that I worked so hard to overcome. Marie Kondo doesn't impress me much. 
Good luck. I think you're over a major hurdle just because you recognize that you have a problem and want to change it.
A lot of years ago, when my favorite husband was alive, I remember that he wanted to help me fold laundry. I was very picky about how laundry got folded. I remember him sitting there, asking me to show him how I folded something, and he proceeded to do it exactly as I wanted it until he got to the very end and then he'd mess it all up and just laugh his butt off. He kept doing that, and I had to accept that I was being ridiculous with my perfectionism. We had small children and I also worked, and I really couldn't do everything all by myself. Being a perfectionist is very time-consuming.
Anyway, I just started making myself ease up on things. Bit by bit, I realized that the world wouldn't end if everything wasn't uniformly folded, and if the cabinets weren't perfectly organized.
I sure do miss that guy. I hadn't even thought about that folding story in a very long time, so thanks for spurring that memory.
This COVID thing has messed with our minds more than a lot of us realize. There are scenarios that I hadn't even thought about that we're going to have to face, like having our humans visit us in our sanitized homes. 