Hey, everyone! Really struggling with my health ocd, again :/ I am stuck on the fear of a brain tumor as I have been having tension (I think) headaches lately. (Which I’m sure my anxiety is making worse due to holding my body tight). I am just feeling quite discouraged and could use some encouragement.
I went through the same thing 2 years ago , every time I would get a headache i would mindlessly symptom check and send myself into spirals (and that would happen often since I would only get 4-6 hrs of sleep and not take care of my body) something that helped me was reminding myself not to worry about a fear if I’m only guessing, if I really did have a brain tumor I would 1000% know . Also something that helped me with my headaches were getting better sleep , reducing stress , taking care of my diet (not eating foods that increase inflammation) also you mentioned holding your body tight , that can sometimes make your muscles around your neck tight giving you more headaches . Truly there are many reason why we get headaches but one can start doing these little things to reduce those headaches like the stuff I mentioned above, just know you aren’t alone I suffered from the same fear for a few months until I found out I had health OCD . You can 100% get over this fear I promise (: just keep on pushing !
@Lemonmind_ Thank you so much!!! It can take a while for those helps to kick in? I’ve been trying to do some exercises but I have another rough headache tonight!!
@Erin Causey Yes , over time it would decrease the chances of headaches but you also have to keep in mind that headaches are normal thing we all experience , ruminating over it every time is a compulsion , but ERP makes it a lot easier to deal with those anxiety filled thoughts !
Try saying: Maybe it is a brain tumor maybe not but I’m going to live in the present, take Tylenol (or whatever you take). I know this thought is uncomfortable and distressing but I can handle it. I know it’s hard but our OCD wants us to live in panic
I have something similar but in relation to my breath. My anxiety will cause difficulty breathing and my mind immediately goes to the worst case scenario compounding the anxiety and making my breathing worse. Some things that have helped for me is understanding that rumination is a compulsion and learning to catch yourself when you start trying to problem solve or figure out what is “wrong” with you. The other thing has been getting lifestyle choices and medication correct. Also recently learned about somatic symptom disorder and how that can play a role into physical symptoms followed by disproportionate thoughts.
I don’t want to reassure you but I saw a tiktok the other day where someone said they tell themselves “if it was something serious, the symptoms would never go away”. The point being if you only have headaches when you’re anxious and thinking about a tumor then that’s different than someone who constantly has headaches no matter what. Real medical symptoms don’t just appear when we think about them, they are always present.
hello. i have been going through health scare obsessions for at least 5 years now and it terrifies me. i mainly fear of cancer. i have no reason to fear of cancer because it is not a predominant condition in my family. i have been to check ups for skin cancer and been told it was nothing which relieves me for a short period of time but then i start thinking of other cancer possibilities :( it doesn’t help that im a smoker to deal with the stress of adhd and ocd which just fuels the obsession of lung cancer. i know it would help my fear to stop smoking but thats easier said than done. i have only been a smoker for 3 years and its the only thing that helps right now. on top of this, my brain makes me believe that every intrusive thought i have WILL MANIFEST into existence just from thinking about it! this has scared me so much in the last 5 years and once i told my mum about it and she said "if you ever got cancer we would deal with it, its okay" but that didnt help it just made it worse and the possibility become more scarier! please help me.
Hello everyone! Just wanted to see if I can get some encouragement, hope, and love from the community tonight. I have been having racing thoughts and for years I thought the loudest most repetitive one's were just GAD or denial. OCD is scary and I am trying to get back into my hobbies. I am just exhausted and sad.
i’m struggling very badly with health ocd. i am constantly convinced every little thing wrong with me is immediately cancer. i noticed i have been getting random bruises on my knees/shins and i think it is because i have cancer. does anyone else think like this? it’s so annoying because any weird symptom i think it’s because i must be dying. but is there a reasonable explanation to why i have bruises on my legs? it’s seriously freaking me out!!!
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