i need your help : im generally sensitive to loud sounds, i don't hear that well, and my dad's family side has a history of hearing issues. so today right before an online class i was listening to music on an unusually high volume, and after that while taking a test on online school i could hear a strange sound kinda like the sound a broken radio makes if that makes sense and i couldn't tell if it was coming from my left ear or from the table lamp. i couldn't concentrate on the test and started panicking trying to figure out where the sound was coming from and although i don't hear it anymore i have terribly anxiety rn and i feel the need to check whether i can still hear something. i went and checked whether the table lamp or the computer in my room were producing any weird sounds and they weren't im so concerned this means ive damaged my ears without knowing.. i don't know if this is an obsession, ive never had health-related ocd before but im really concerned and confused on what to do any advice would help

pammyy

Date posted: 4y

Yah, don’t google. That is not helpful and can become very compulsive. My therapist has banned me from google. Lol!

feethebee

Date posted: 4y

now i feel like im hyperaware of the sounds around me. i can't tell if they're genuinely bothering me or if im just unconsciously checking. i also don't want to go in my room rn because that was the room i was in when that happened and im scared something similar might happen again

LifeIsBeautiful

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 4y

i went through this when i had my first panic attack . i’m hoping someone can say something that’ll help you and me both

feethebee

Date posted: 4y

it's good to know we're together in this. im really worried i hope someone will see this and offer help :(

LifeIsBeautiful

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 4y

me too i’m very hyper aware of my surroundings lately and it bothers me like it’s gotten better i’m going to start doing meditation and grounding techniques and also talk to my therapist ab it . if i learn something to help i’ll lyk . we are in this together !

feethebee

Date posted: 4y

oh yes meditation sounds helpful i hope it works for you❤️❤️ also thank you!

pammyy

Date posted: 4y

I had the exact same thing happen to me and I don’t have hearing issues - I don’t think. I started noticing it about 5 months ago when I upped my luvox dose - could be a coincidence. My episode was similar to yours - I woke up and noticed the fan and it sounded like chatter and I totally freaked out - like full panic attack. It only fed into my fear of “going crazy” and it has been my obsession and fear ever since. I find myself scanning for sounds, noticing white noise sounds, inserting my own scary narrative, looking for the source of perceived sound, etc. I consider this health ocd or part of my ocd theme. I spoke with my therapist about this and she said this was all related to ocd and yes, anxiety can be this convincing. The goal is to face the fear and expose yourself to the fear - in your case maybe that’s losing your hearing or other medical diagnosis? We need to sit with the anxiety and possibility as well as expose ourselves to what we fear. It’s incredibly hard and when you are in it, it feels SO REAL! Know that you aren’t alone!

feethebee

Date posted: 4y

thank you for sharing! i terribly relate to the part about the chattering sound, it was really scary at the moment and also the part about trying to scan sounds.. the reason why im actually concerned is because my hearing's always been a little crappy and as i said many of my family members have hearing issues - and by hearing issues i mean mediocre hearing or sensitivity to loud sounds, only my 50+ yo old relatives have actually gotten a medical diagnosis or have lost part of their hearing. so im a little conflicted because the possibility of me actually having something going on isn't unlikely. i went to the doctor in september because my ears were really sensitive and i felt pulses on my eardrums or something like that, and i was prescribed some ear drops and had an earwax removal session and then i was fine which was weird because i thought i had something serious. sorry for rumbling i just don't know if i should treat this as an obsession or actually be real about it

pammyy

Date posted: 4y

Yah, this is a tough one. But, here’s the thing - if you have a hearing condition or not, does it matter? Meaning, you will deal and still live a full and happy life! It sounds like you have tinnitus type symptoms, but many people with anxiety experience ringing, whooshing, etc. it’s a moving target - is it because you are hyper aware of the sound or is it “louder” than what others experience? Anyway, I did a ton of research on this - hearing (BAD compulsion), but some of it was helpful: 1. It’s not uncommon to hear chatter or even radio sounds in fans or even hairdryers. It’s been reported by others with anxiety. Our brains fill in the gaps and try to make sense of sound. 2. People mishear things from time to time! This is part of being human! Ask anyone and they will say they have experienced this. Just last week my daughter said, “are the dogs barking outside?” I didn’t hear it. And she’s completely healthy. 3. Consider sound therapy. Expose yourself to sounds - I’ve used a white noise apps as exposures. Anyway, not sure if that is helpful, but our senses are affected when we are anxious. That is our body’s normal reaction to a threat - heightened hearing and sight. If you have been to the doctor to rule out hearing loss/issues, let it go. Don’t keep going “back to the well” in hopes of fulfilling your worst fears. I catch myself doing this a lot. I have a symptom or thought and think I need to confess it to my therapist with the “hope” she’ll tell me it’s normal or even fulfill my worse fear. This is a compulsion. If you are truly worried about your hearing, make an appointment. Get a diagnosis or non diagnosis and then let it go. Don’t keep revisiting it and rexaming “new” symptoms.

feethebee

Date posted: 4y

thank you again for commenting! true im not even sure if that chattering sound was coming from my ear or the devices i was surrounded with because i got so anxious lol but either way this is the only time this has ever happened to me so.. yeah🤷‍♀️ and also i think i was just hyperaware, i tried to draw my attention to the sounds around me to see whether they were bothering me or not which is dumb because of course it's gonna bother me a little if i focus on them, i think. also thank you for doing that research that's very sweet, i might try sound therapy through apps, i'll see. if i keep feeling weird the next week ill probably book an appointment with my doctor but either way im always told i need my earwax removed for some reason,, but it surprisingly solves the problem every time. it sounds strange to me because if i were to google my symptoms id end up thinking ive got a tumor or something tragic. once again thank you so much for replying ill take your advice into account!

Jack03

Date posted: 22w

Is this OCD?

Hi, I’m new here!! I’m praying I don’t get judged for this. But, back in late May of 2022 ( literally right before I graduated high school), I added this one random girl from my school on Snapchat. She posted something about a graduation party , so I swiped up on her story basically saying how I can’t believe we’re almost graduated. She replied and we had a really short and simple conversation. The next day ( i believe) , we started talking a lot , and I just so happened to see her at the highschool when we were grabbing our graduation outfits and doing the rehearsal. When I saw her irl, I kinda got turned off ( I heard she was kinda crazy) , and on top of that , she was a little ugly irl. I remember seeing her Snapchat bio , and she was close friends with my female cousin ( a year younger than me) , who I happened to experiment sexually with when I was 10-11 years old. I remember going to work later that day and having sort of a lightbulb flick thought ( it wasn’t a good thought though) , what if my cousin told her about what happened when we were younger? So I started to kind of panic and immediately distanced myself from that girl. I also experimented sexually with one of my female friends when I was 10-11 , and from that day onwards, I’ve been pretty much living in paranoia and a little bit of guilt about someone finding out and my life being ruined . On top of that, It’s gotten worse to now sometimes I wonder if a girl I added off of quick add ( Snapchat) is underage even if they told me they were 18+ or had 18 and above in their bio, and I get so much guilt and anxiety about that. I even had a quick thought last February on what if I did something inappropriate with my younger cousin when I was 15-16 but I just can’t exactly remember when it happened , and it still eats me alive when I think about it, because I don’t know if it happened or not. I’m sorry for the long vent, I just wish I felt normal again. No matter how much I try to do things that old me used to do, life always feels “ off”. I always kept the top part about when I was younger a secret up until early (ish ) 2024, then I vented to one of my best friends and he told me that that’s a normal thing to do at a young age. Since then, I have told multiple friends and they all say they did similar stuff, but my brain just can’t accept that. Please help me, I quite literally overthink everything nowadays. 2021 was the last full year that I felt normal ( coincidentally, the best year of my life so far) . It’s not just about sexual related things either, sometimes I’ll wonder if I messed up something at work or hit a car while driving/hit someone and drove off. I just wanna live my life how I was supposed to live it after highschool ( carefree and happy) before whatever it is ( I think it’s ocd) hit me unexpectedly. Thanks to anyone who read this , I just needed to pour it out regardless of how negative I felt typing this, I hope someone can relate , because I feel so alone in my head at times.

andrew.14

Date posted: 18w

Do I have OCD?

I am currently attending talk therapy but have never brought up symptoms of OCD. Here are some things that I believe MIGHT be OCD but I’m not sure. - I have a lot of trouble focusing and get distracted by so many things (Constantly wanting to touch things like Buttons, feeling textured things, etc.) - The volume on ANY device can not be at any volume with the number 6 - I can NOT step on cracks - I have to walk an equal amount of steps on both feet or I’ll go crazy - I fear that if I do something I’m not supposed to, something bad is going to happen to me I might sound funny but these things genuinely bother me, your help is appreciated LOL

melaniebermn

Date posted: 16w

Confused about ocd

How to know if you actually have it or if I’m just making up the symptoms? I have a lot of intrusive thoughts constantly and even have a “theme” but it really surged after I search up what I was experiencing, but then again I search up a lot of what I experience and constantly have to recheck things. My parents say I’m normal but I know I’m not, (both of my siblings have adhd) I find it immensely hard to focus from turning 17-18. Please let me know what you think l! Thanks!

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