Does anyone else check their pupils a lot? I was doing good with not checking them for a couple weeks but now I’m back to doing it again because I’m scared I’m going to have happen with my brain
Hey there, checking is a compulsion which only makes the OCD loop continue. I used to check my eyes all the time for possible signs of illness. Understanding the uncertainty is a part of life, and we can never be 100% certain about anything is key to recovery from OCD. I am 63 years old and I spent a lifetime "checking" myself for illness. ERP works, allowing thoughts/fears/feelings while you do value-based activities is so helpful. Reach out for therapy, NOCD is the best, explore their library of videos on their YouTube channel. Take care!
Clarissa, I’ve had Health Concern OCD for years!! I hear you. I feel like 90% of my life has been worrying, checking, ruminating, etc. it’s like I am always ready for an awful diagnosis or for something awful to go wrong with my health. You’re not alone. I’m new to NOCD, but like the person up there 👆 said, checking just makes if worse, even though it helps temporarily for a few minutes, believe me I know. Here for you.
Thank you guys ! It’s just so frustrating, I deal with chronic tension headaches and sometimes they get so intense that I check my pupils without even thinking. I’m working on it though.
I have the same problem as you. When I read somewhere online that different sized pupils can be a sign of some brain related issue I constantly check them in mirrors, phone camera, windows - just wherever I can. It is tiring. I know that it is irrational to do it all the time. At times I can go for a while without checking. A good method for me is that I think that people around me would point out that my eyes look weird if something like that would happen and I do not need to check it all the time because of that. Going outside for a bike ride or just for a walk also helps a lot - even if it is for a short time.
So 🧍♀️ lately my eyes have been feeling tired like i just feel like shutting them and sleeping- and they get strained very easily 😭😭 this all started last Thursday when i was at robotics and i had to wear safety glasses but they were all scratched up and smudged and i wore them for 2 hours straight no breaks and i was focused so i didnt blink much- so after that my eyes constantly keep wanting to shut and they feel dry and overworked- but ofc- i had to google 💀 and now my ocd is convincing me that this means i have an underlying neurological disorder 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 PEODISKSJSJS IM SCARED I BOOKED AN EYE APPOINTMENT BUT IM TERRIFIED AND ANXIOUS
My mind keeps telling me “something is wrong with you. the weird feeling you are feeling or the weird tingling you are feeling or there is a weird mark on your body. Those are actually a severe symptom and by ignoring it you could die!” Or especially the constant, “go to the emergency room because this impending doom you are feeling, yeah that’s because your gonna die shortly” It doesn’t help whenever people say “well if something was wrong your body would tell you” because my mind keeps telling me that what I’m feeling is proof something is wrong and I need to get it checked out. That I actually am severely sick and that I need to get it checked out as soon as possible, that if I get one more test than I’ll be okay because it will prove nothing is wrong. How do I tell my mind that it’s just anxiety whenever my mind keeps telling me “well if you keep saying that you could be ignoring something more serious.” Or “the doctors are just brushing you off..something is wrong with you” It’s hard to live with my thoughts whenever they are constantly coming up with ways to challenge me and challenge logic. New reasons on why I need to get this checked out because “I’m just being ignored” or “no one is listening to me so I’ll just end up dying” My symptoms range from weak and shaking legs and body to dizzy and unbalanced and dissociated. Recently I’ve been getting this tingling feeling inside my head and on the back of my neck. And my temples have pressure on them. My body keeps coming up with new symptoms I need to worry about, whenever most of them are probably caused by severe and constant anxiety. So severe I can’t even leave the house because I constantly worry about whether this is severe and something will happen if I leave the house. I need immediate ways to start fixing this because it’s especially horrible whenever my period comes around and my anxiety/depression is already higher than usual. I’ve even started considering taking medication (Zoloft, 25mg) which is another trigger for me, I worry about the symptoms I might get from taking it. That’s how you know it’s gotten pretty bad whenever I’ve come to taking something that I’ve been actively avoiding. What are your thoughts? Do I take the medication? What are ways I can deal with my symptoms that seem so severe in the moment but pass by once I’m not anxious? What are ways my thoughts can ease and I stop taking every symptom as something serious, because at the end of the day my anxiety is most likely the reason I have these horrible symptoms. I’ve always been extremely healthy and everytime I go to the doctors they express how healthy I am with all the tests I’ve had.
Pocd feels real again and I can’t tell if I’m actually attracted or not. can’t believe it got this bad again. I used to be able to go “no I don’t like that, go away” and now it feels like I do like it and want it, and it’s starting to linger longer so it feels more real. I’m avoiding checking but I’m so scared that what if it’s true. Is it because I have not been doing my exposures? I’m not sure, but every time a 14 year old person comes to my head, I keep hearing something go “they’re attractive” and it sounds like me so I panic, and it makes me even more scared because I’m not feeling bad about it??? I saw some kid at Walmart that had long black hair and my brain kept saying shit and no matter how much I say I don’t feel that way, it won’t shut up, i want to check 1000 times to make sure. But I know it’s not worth it. I’m trying so hard
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
