Anyone else struggle with somatic OCD and any pain/feeling slightly different is so noticeable and you feel like you’re just going to collapse or something? Like my ocd always convinces me that any sort of pain is related to some kind of illness that can cause a bad outcome or even death. If so, please share your tips of how to improve with this type of ocd 😭
I’m fixated on my swallowing and my throat is so tired of the repetitive swallowing. I totally know what you mean. I would recommend do NOTHING with your thoughts—I know it’s hard. Tell yourself it’s just your brain acting up and trying to protect you. Sit with your anxiety and any other feelings, it’s perfectly okay to have them. Do not ruminate!! I hope you feel better soon!!
omg i had a panic attack over my swallowing the other night 😭 i also compulsively sniff which i hate
@May :) Thank you so much! 😊
@oopiedoop - I am sorry that you are going through that. I always woke up to fear too. Do you wanna talk, I haven't found anyone experiencing the same thing as I do. I am always here to talk :) We've got this.
Totally get this too. But I guess I personally think of this as more health anxiety / health ocd more than somatic for me personally. I always feel like any pain or feeling in my body that’s out of the ordinary could be some sort of deathly illness or something that could kill me right then and there. Which is so silly, which I rationally know, but in the moment it feels so real. I have spiraled into panic attacks many times from this fear seeming so real. Something I recommend is reminding yourself of other things the pain most likely is cause by; like…if it’s a headache for example. My anxiety and ocd might jump straight to something absurd as it usually would, and even if it does, I try to remind myself or think of the other possibilities that are likely. Did I eat enough and drink enough today? Usually I’ll answer no, and then I’ll be like “ohhh, no wonder my head hurts, I should go get some water and food and sit down for a minute”. I dunno if that makes any sense and obviously trying to rationalize is SO hard in the moment, but the more you practice it the easier the anxiety aspect gets. If you have panic attacks or anything of the sort too, or even if you don’t, breathing exercises can be great, or just sitting with someone for company to help distract you
@anxious_pickle Thank you! Yes I try to stop and rationalize too, but other times I consistently go and ask my mom for reassurance. 😭 I’ve been trying to do that less though, since now I know it only makes the cycle worse. But thank you for sharing your experience! I’ll try to remember those tips! 😄
This is making me think that I probably experienced somatic OCD. Which is crazy cos i would have never guessed before reading this post. Sometimes i get so anxious about the thought or possibility of fainting the moment I feel weak, or dizzy, or lethargic, or unstable. But i never actually faint and i never have before. To answer your question: I do not have any good advice to give on how to combat this
@izzy_ Yes this does sound like somatic/health ocd!
My head feels weird all the time, it feels like I have a tight headband around it squeezing , like heaviness and a really weird feeling, literally feels something is wrong inside, I also feel spaced out and this feeling of going literally crazy at certain moments of the day and the anxiety spikes. The thoughts are always there 24/7 even in the back of my mind, nothign I do makes these feelings and thoughts go away which is extremely scary. I can’t go on like this, wish I woke up tomorrow and OCD didn’t exist anymore. Do you guys also feel like this? 😫
I have a lot of thoughts about the universe, and they’re overwhelming—like being caught in a rip current, except it’s all inside my head. Most of the time, they’re about how small we are, how there really isn’t a “we” because our bodies aren’t truly ours—we’re just bacteria, cells, and microbes. The thoughts spiral, deeper and deeper, smaller and smaller, coiling until suddenly, I’m pulled under, drowning in a whirlpool. I’ve never felt like this before, and I’m convinced I’ve been faking it somehow. For the past few weeks, my OCD has been worse than it’s ever been in my 20 years of life. Or maybe I’m just more aware of it now. Has anyone else had their OCD suddenly get really bad? Does it ever end—if it even can? I’ve convinced myself that my intrusive thoughts aren’t actually intrusive, that my OCD is a choice, and that everything I do is intentional. As for compulsions, I don’t have the typical “If I don’t do ____ then ____ will happen” kind of thoughts. Instead, my brain simply commands, “Do ____,” and I always give in. It’s so loud in my head, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’m an imposter. Like I don’t belong here—like my presence on this app is an intrusion, invalidating everyone else’s struggles just by downloading it and daring to post. If anyone feels that way, if you think I’m intruding, I’m sorry. I only came here because I have no one to share my diagnosis with. Pouring my thoughts out, hoping someone might understand, feels less suffocating than journaling. Journaling is like letting a wound fester—each word burying the thoughts deeper, leaving them to decay in silence, for nobody to ever read but myself.
I’m having a big OCD relapse and would like to hear anyone’s tips on how to be present and healthily deal with these intrusive thoughts and the “need” to preform compulsions. Thank you!!
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