Somatic Breathing?

Does anyone struggle with their breathing, I have been obsessing over it for a couple days now and every time I breathe I feel like I am not taking in enough air and when I try to take deep breaths it makes me panic even more because I feel like I can’t take one. It’s scaring me because it makes me obsess about my health and my heart , like maybe I’m breathing this way because of a heart condition that’s undiagnosed. It makes me feel so winded and I get scared to do anything that could possibly make me out of breath. It happens after the smallest of things too which is why my brain goes straight to heart condition. Does anyone have any advice?

Username: memkfmemkf

Date posted: 19w ago

I also have a lot of trouble with feeling like I can’t get a full breath. Things that have worked for me in the past are going for walks with audiobooks to distract myself, or taking a cold shower to shock myself into calming down. If it’s really bad I will try to do box breathing exercises or do the breathing into a paper bag trick to show myself that I am actually taking in air. I hope one of these will work for you! I know how scary it can be to get stuck panicking over breathing.

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 19w ago

@memkf Thank you for this advice it’s greatly appreciated

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 19w ago

Omg. I suffer from this EXACT same thing. First I went to the doctors to rule out any issues, I'm still getting some more tests done. I find myself trying to constantly take deep satisfying breaths and then if one feels superficial I spiral and start to develop anxiety. My advice is to see a doctor and get tests done so you know where you stand healthwise and to eliminate some fears, then seek erp therapy.

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 19w ago

Also I am here if you ever need to talk, it's hard to find people who suffer from the same somatic type of ocd.

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 19w ago

@Anonymous Thank you so much , I’m here if you need to talk too! My ocd is causing so much anxiety that just has been making me feel so alone and depressed it’s truly so debilitating. Its very comforting to have this platform to talk to others , I like knowing I’m not alone

Username: KaylaStalcupKaylaStalcup

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 19w ago

I’ve been struggling with this since I was a little girl. I remember panicking and feeling like I can’t breathe or I’m not getting enough air (even though I was likely getting too much due to breathing too frequently and my body was trying to regulate) and feeling tight in my chest. Box breathing does help for the most part but meditating while placing a hand on my abdomen has really made the difference for me.

Username: KaylaStalcupKaylaStalcup

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 19w ago

I’m here if you need someone to talk to as well!

Username: mrlnasw

Date posted: 5y ago

I’ve been dealing with hypochondriasis ever since a heart condition scare and cancer scare last summer. That led me into hyperawareness somatic OCD. Now every day I feel like I can’t fully take a deep breath, so I keep trying to, which makes my anxiety worse. Has anyone ever dealt with this? Any tips?

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 3y ago

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

Somatic OCD

Username: LB0419

Date posted: 1y ago

Somatic OCD

Hi, new here to NOCD 👋🏼 I have struggled with what I now know as somatic OCD for the last 3 1/2 years, when it comes to breathing & taking deep breaths. I have noticed that I spend 98% of my day, thinking about it & paying attention to it. I know it’s a normal bodily function but I get the urge to take deep breaths every couple of mins. When I don’t get “a full deep breath”, it sends me into a panic & the intrusive thoughts start.. “what if I never get a deep breath again” “there is nothing I can do to make myself get that full deep breath” “if I don’t get a deep breath, you must not be able to breathe” - sometimes these thoughts & moments totally take over & I find myself spiraling. I feel like all my walls are closing in & my heart starts racing. The panic usually lasts a couple of mins if that but it feels like forever. I’m much better at handling and working through it now than I was 3 years ago, but I still have bad moments & sometimes bad days. At times, I’m able to talk myself through it & I don’t let it take over but other times, it feels uncontrollable. NOCD has been helpful so far, it’s comforting knowing I’m not alone. I’m just wondering if anyone else deals with this type of OCD? Have you found anything to be helpful to deal with it? Thanks in advance.

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