Sensorimotor and checking OCD ~ First post on NOCD. Does anyone else have an abnormal amount of focus on bodily sensations? How do you deal with it? Also the doubt that comes with harm coming to your loved ones if you don’t check something in a “special” way. What helped you the most?

If I don’t turn the light switch or sink off the right way, I worry that something bad will happen to a family member. I have coped with this by reminding myself that there is absolutely no way this is possible and that my family wouldn’t want me obsessively turning the switch on and off for them. It’s not like they would be upset with me if I didn’t give in to this compulsion

I do struggle with sensorimotor OCD a lot. On top of that it kinda mixes with my counting obsession and my head just stays a mess. About dealing with that, I usually have with me a chewing necklace for anxiety and it helps me to calm down and I found that I can stop focusing on my body sensations by switching the focus to the chewing on my necklace, like chewing a certain number of times and things like that. Idk if it made sense to you or if I couldn’t explain it correctly but that’s what I found That helps.

I literally got so hyperaware of my swallowing when I was 8 that I convinced myself that I couldn’t swallow. My parents took me to all of these GI doctors, who all said theres nothing wrong, its all psychological. My advice for when i cant stop checking my body or focusing on swallowing, I remind myself that my body knows what its doing with out me paying attention to it. Then i distract myself with a tv show or a good book to focus on something else.