ive become fixated on the idea of somehow no longer being able to breathe and suffocating, just out of nowhere. and i know this isnt going to happen to me but im so scared of this happening that i start focusing on my breathing, and it feels like it IS harder to breathe but im pretty sure its just my anxiety and im playing tricks on myself… only issue is im not really sure if this is part of my ocd specifically
It definitely is. One thing I've learned is that if you slightly suspect an anxiety or thought to be OCD, it 100% is. If it's irrational or recurrent, it's an intrusive thought so the only thing to do is to pretend you didn't even have the thought. It's really hard because putting attention on your breathing can be so quick that you can't prevent it. But acknowledging its OCD and ignoring it is the best thing to do. Eventually the anxiety will dissipate and you will forget to worry about it. Our OCD can make us more perceptive and hypersensitive to specific sensations in the body so it can trick us into thinking something might physically be happening. I even went to the doctor because of chest pain that my OCD anxiety was exacerbating and of course nothing was wrong. I wish you the best and sending love <3
@perasperaadastra tysm <3 !! i wish you the best as well, thank you for your comment
Sounds like it. You know it’s not happening, but you’re still obsessing over your breathing. That’s OCD. You know logical things don’t work that way, but your brain is like…. Oh that’s a scary thought, let’s counteract it.
@JWOCD Logically*
@JWOCD this makes sense, thank you!
So about 2 months ago I started to notice my breathing as well. I freaked out and went into full panic mode that I wasn't going to be able to breathe on my own or get some sort of a heart attack. And it's been 2 month like this. I've been suffering with this kind of thing. This is called sensor motor ocd. You just have to accept it and let it be. If it gets too out of control, then the best method To cure this kind of OCD is erp, So I started seeing a therapist from NOCD and it's my third session now It seems to be helping. I'm also on medication too prozac, After deep research of this ocd called sensor motor I realized that it stems from health anxiety and the fear of having something wrong with you. So if you're normally a fearful person of your health, this kind of OCD is bound to happen.
@Ocd9999 that makes sense, i do already have health concern ocd but this thought is sorta new so i wasnt sure, im really sorry youve been struggling with this too! but its good to know were not alone, and im glad therapy is helping <3 thank you for commenting
@Anonymous Your more than welcome and if you'd like to talk or message we can support each other through this
@Ocd9999 sure! i havent gotten the chance to speak to many people with ocd, im glad this app makes it easier lol. id love to
@Anonymous Is there a way we can message each other on here
@Ocd9999 dont think so, but we could talk somewhere else if youre comfortable, do you have instagram? or discord even if ur ig is too private to share
I dont mind at all
I have discord
I can add you on discord
@Ocd9999 sure whats ur user on there
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
I keep getting so fixated on my breathing and then it will go away for a few months and then come back when I get stressed. It's just so frustrating I don't even understand what I'm scared of ??? Focusing on my breathing? It just feels like I have to breath manually and I can't stop thinking about it and it's just scary! And frustrating! I want to be in the moment not thinking about a completely normal bodily function! Sorry for the nonsensical rant it's just frustrating! Wondering if anyone else deals with sensorimotor ocd?
Sometimes I feel absolutely fine, then the next few moments I’m gasping for air and it feels like it won’t fill my lungs no matter how hard I try. Sometimes it comes on so suddenly without me consciously thinking about it so I’m having a really hard time differentiating between what’s physically happening and what’s caused by somatic OCD. I wonder at times if it’s a mix of both, but either way it’s a terrible feeling and makes me feel dizzy, weak and anxious. I want to break this cycle so badly but I don’t know how to tackle it. Breathing should be such an easy, mundane thing but now it takes everything in me just to make it through each episode.
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