- Username
- Kalr
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Hi Kalr :) I have a similar breathing compulsion. I was really reluctant to post this because it’s so triggering and I’m worried something bad will happen if I talk about it. Just know I understand completely and I’m here for you. d a i s y
I don’t have that exactly, but I did struggle with positive and negative thoughts/imagery for about five years. I simply could not perform an action while having a negative thought. Taking a bite of food, stepping over a threshold, walking up and down stairs. Anything. If I had a negative thought, I had to re-perform the action with a positive thought. And if I didn’t get it right on the first retry, I had to redo again until I hit a “good” number of retries. It was crippling.
Sometimes I worry that something is “off” with my breathing and it makes me pay EXTREMELY close attention to how I’m breathing and my compulsion is to try to regulate my breathing. It usually ends up making it worse and I get exhausted trying to “breathe right”. I have to remind myself that breathing is an automatic process and my brain knows how to do it just fine no matter what situation I’m in. I also had a similar problem with thoughts that I couldn’t control my bladder a few years back. I would compulsively hold my pee in and I’d wear bladder control pads just in case I would piss myself. I was in a lot of pain because of always holding my pee. I went to many doctors trying to find out why I always had the urge to urinate. I would avoid and fear going anywhere in public or even family functions bc I was so afraid I was going to piss myself.
i don’t have this but stay positive because i’m sure someone on here has the same compulsion as you. all the best x
When I’m in the car, I have to blink when I’m in between things like houses or trees but not when I’m directly across from them.
I’m confused. I don’t know how this is supposed to work. Can anyone relate to this??? I don’t have anyone who understands just what my ocd is. I barely understand it. No matter what I do and where, my thoughts hit me. I can be blinking the wrong way and I have to blink until it feels right.. same for swallowing, touching things, light switches and setting down cups. I have to sit and stand up multiple times until it feels right. Step on certain things like cracks in sidewalk as many times I feel is needed. Wash my hands multiple times. Even when texting, I can type out a whole paragraph and my mind tells me to delete it all and start again because it’s not right. When something isn’t right my mind tells me that someone I love is going to die or get hurt. And for some reason I obsess over certain days, like a day someone I love it born. I will sit there and flip a light switch with that date in my mind and a bad thought that something will happen and I can’t stop until I feel that person in my head is safe and everything is fine. In a way I feel that I am saving them and myself from something bad. Can anyone relate? And maybe share how you’re dealing with it all? Please and thank you.
Feel like I’m the only one in the world of OCD who feels the can’t control their actions/urges. Walking through to the living room whilst changing knowing people could possibly see me then I think I’ve flashed a kid etc etc etc. This is just one example. There’s a million more. I’m so exhausted, drained and lonely.
Does anyone have somatic OCD specific to breathing? Sounds crazy, but whenever i get in bed these days I cant help but start focusing on my breathing (because, diabolically, I know it makes it difficult to breathe). It’ll then become impossible for me to sleep, my breathing will be irregular, and I cant get my mind off it unless I become super busy. Has anyone found any solutions to this problem, between therapy, medication, etc? I exercise/otherwise take care of my health, but have had this problem the last 8 years and its getting more and more debilitating I dont want keeping busy to be the only solution- I want to be able to relax and not be plagued with the thought of breathing Thanks
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