- Date posted
- 11w
Breathing ocd
Has anyone ever dealt with breathing ocd?
Has anyone ever dealt with breathing ocd?
YES š©
@Chibee I had it like a few months ago and then it went away and randomly Iām just sitting on the couch and i started thinking ab it and now i feel panic Howād you get over it?
Learning how to deep breathe when youāre in panic mode is really helpfulālearning to breathe through ur diaphragm/stomach. Lay on your back, put one hand on ur stomach, and try to raise ur stomach instead of your chest when you breathe. Slowly. Breathe in, HOLD, breathe out. I highly recommend watching videos on how to do this! Shallow breathing through the chest can make u panic, because itās what we use in our fight/flight response. Whenever I have somatic issues, I find I breathe through my chest. Breathing through the stomach is a āpeacefulā way of a breathing and helps alert the body that itās time to calm down. Another way is distraction. Play a game on your phone, maybe a puzzle gameāthis helps me with most of my panic symptoms!
@Chibee Thank you š„¹ how long did this last for u ? This type of ocd
@Dreamydream hmmm my somatic ocd was triggered by a panic attack a few months agoāitās def gotten a lot easier with each passing month. It comes back every now and then but Iām always able to confront it! It def gets better the more your body gets used to dealing w it, you will adapt!!!
Yup, happens when I'm high. It's horrible
@Generiname Only when high?
@Dreamydream A huge majority of the time. But I've experienced it sober a dozen or so times and yeah, it's still gnarly lol
@Generiname It definitely is lol. How do you get over it?
@Dreamydream Great question, I think I notice that I'm noticing it and that just triggers the spiral. I've never really thought about how I stop it. I think what works for me might not work for you either, and I'm not sure how ERP can be applied. But I'm sure it can! That or EMDR :)
Yes itās the reason I got diagnosed with ocd :( I feel like I can breathe but itās like everytime I talk to someone i have to think about my breathing and not concentrate and itās the reason Iām back in erp and going back on meds :( had this 3 years ago and was doing well on meds then I relapsed the last month now that Iām off meds and itās been hell especially now that Iām in a relationship
@Anonymous Iām sorry that your relapsed /: i also relapsed with ocd in march and itās been rough, i was free of it for 8 years! Breathing ocd randomly came onto me a few months ago and i had it for a little then it went away and today it randomly just popped back up and i started to panic U think ur meds help with ocd?
@Dreamydream Iām sorry to hear that :( I really wouldnāt wish this on my worst enemy mine is so severe like anytime Iām doing anything walking, showering, talking to a friend, I think about it and it brings me waves of anxiety Iām exhausted. The meds got rid of the anxiety from it but not the thought completely but it made it so much more manageable and I could concentrate more at school and work. Iāve just come to the conclusion I need my meds to live a normal life with it which sucks but it is what it is
@Anonymous I always say that, i wouldnāt either!! Itās so exhausting especially this breathing one itās so exhausting thinking about your every breath or taking deep breaths frequently or panicking. Does it help at all with the thoughts or just the anxiety not being there just make it easier to get over quickly?
@Dreamydream Both but more so the anxiety so in turn the thoughts are less frequent I think on the meds because my brain is not anxious and itās bored with the thought
@Anonymous How have you been back on the medication and erp?
@Dreamydream Itās only like day 11 on meds so hasnāt really kicked in yet and tomorrow is my 4th nocd session and weāre gonna start erp im actually excited fir it because I really wanna crack down on it before the meds kick in because the meds give u less anxiety which kind of defeats the purpose of erp lol
@Anonymous How are you doing now? Do you think ERP is working for it? I have the exact same problem and recently started Zoloft for it and it seems to be helping a lot but I still struggle. I can now focus in school and have fun with friends but when Iām alone Iām back to thinking about it. :(
@pollockanastasia Glad things are lookin up for you! So basically I had to stop therapy cuz Medicaid still hasnāt gotten back to me and also unfortunately Iām on a new med this week I started because Prozac made me worse with the heightened anxiety. Now Iām on lexapro and the anxiety seems to be a little better but I know itās too early to tell. I loved Zoloft thatās the first pill I was on! I kind of wanted to go back on that but my doc suggested lexapro so Iām trying that one out now
yes iām going through this right now, a few years ago i had it really bad had no idea it was ocd and i thought i was dying š
@KatKaatie Itās so annoying. What ur main theme?
@Dreamydream my main theme rn is somatic ocd breathing ocd like you
@KatKaatie Gotcha, ya itās annoying /: harm is my biggest theme tho
could you explain a little more?
@guts Like you get hyper focused on ur breathing and then u start to panic bc all ur thinking about is ur next breath and u start to spiral and freak out. Cause itās just a weird feeling / thought about oh well i can control my breathing what if i just stopped etc.
@Dreamydream yes for sure i experience this! i'm also afraid my breathing can suddenly just stop out of nowhere, especially in the shower or when it's stuffy it feels like hell is waiting for me, also when i sometimes struggle with breathing i start ventilating like that isn't making it worse š
so i have ocd but this is the main theme ive been dealing with for the last few months, im obsessed with my mortality and i feel trapped by the reality of death. i dont really believe in an afterlife which makes it scarier, not that i dont wanna my brain literally just wont let me. but i have daily panic attacks thinking about death all day, its honestly the toughest thing ive ever dealt with. does anybody have any tips on how they manage this if they have ever dealt with it? not looking for reassurance, just some non compulsive ways to kind of lessen the grip of the fear.
PLEASEEE READ!! I know this sounds ridiculous but lately Iāve been soo hyperfocused on my breathing. I feel like Iām not breathing right/properly, itās hard to explain.. it just feels wrong or like my breathing pattern is wrong. How thatās possible? I have no clue. Iāve had this all day. Has anyone ever experienced this?? My doctor keeps saying anxiety but I just feel like something isnāt right.
Just wondering if anyone else has shortness of breath caused by anxiety? Iāve been going through a really tough three months anxiety wise (POTS flareup; grief; migraines; panic attacks etc etc). Two days ago a new symptom appeared and itās knocked me. Shortness of breath š bc Iāve got POTS Iāve had a lot of heart tests done (multiple ECGS, 24 hour holter monitor) which all came back fine apart from the obvious tachycardia that comes with POTS. I had an echocardiogram done on Monday but no results back yet, but I had a consultation with my doctor yesterday and she said thatās probably good news bc they donāt mess around when it comes to your heart. And also my doctor has urgently referred me to a mental health team for therapy bc I basically broke down on the phone to her. One thing Iām mostly panicking about is this shortness of breath. Iāve had it with panic attacks before but this is mainly anxiety riddled feels like my breathing is too noticeable/wheezy without actually PHYSICALLY being wheezy. Iāve done my oxygen and it always stays between 97-99% so I know Iām getting enough oxygen but it does not feel that way and itās so scary !! I also had a clear chest xray about ten months ago. Idk I feel like Iām just spending every day scanning my body because it feels OFF. Then Iāll finally relax JUST before I fall asleep and all my symptoms disappear. Then I wake up, have a nice 20 seconds before I start scanning again. Itās exhausting. Just looking for some support :(
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