I think this affected my ability to automatically take in what is said during movies/videos. For example I’m hyperaware of eye contact with people so when I watch movies i try to avoid this but at the same time I can’t automatically take in what is said. Therefore I prefer adding subtitles. Idk if this is a hyperawareness thing. Anyone experience this too.
Does anyone obsess over how they are feeling? How does one overcome this? Any helpful tips would be appreciated 🙏
Did anyone else’s OCD get worse with covid??
Hello. I am Łukasz. I have OCD. Lately my problem is being obsessed with the scream (strange sound) that stuck to me while playing with my son. immediately there was the fear of "what if I do something like this now" and immediately forced to repeat it. I made it. Then there was a compulsion that sometimes gave me this loud cry. now I still have the impression that my brain wants to do this because there is some tension there that I think it wants to relieve. it's hard for me to understand. I have tics in general, but I assume that tics form by themselves and not by obsessions. do any of you have any suggestions?
I significantly reduced my compulsions in regard to heart and breathing today and it’s like my ocd is angry. It’s causing me to focus on my steadiness/balance to the point that I feel like I’m dizzy now. This is a theme I had a couple months ago and it took me a while to get past it and I was really at the point where I didn’t allow the vertigo to bother me but tonight it is. At least I can recognize it’s ocd though, I guess.
I’ve yet to fully open up about all my intrusive thoughts. My therapist gave me a homework assignment regarding writing them down and them giving them to her. I cant. I’m so scared. But I cant show up empty-handed. I dunno. It’s a lot to write.
I feel crazy. Like something is wrong with me. I keep thinking about the fact that I am able to breathe and etc
Someone I know has an obsession with having diarrhea in public and not being able to leave the situation before someone notices. Does anyone have any exposure exercises they can suggest for this fear? 😊
Convinced I have a heart problem and I’ll drop dead :( I wish I never got my Apple Watch because I can’t stop checking my heart rate and doing ECGs. I get a sinus rhythm and then start at the graph and go “wow what’s that little squiggle? I must be dying”. Or if my pulse looks too low or too high I freak out that I have some arrhythmia or something. It doesn’t help that I was just told my kid has a murmur. (Probably from being sick and nothing to worry about so they said - still worried!) I just started ERP literally yesterday so hopefully this will help me learn to stop these compulsions. I was going to throw the watch out but my husband says that will be avoidance.
It’s hard, yes, but look how far you’ve come already. Press on, don’t stop. You’ve got this.
If only there was a form of technology that could erase a thought or a part of your brain you dont want id be so happy or why cant i just go back in time to where i was normal without these stupid thoughts,why couldnt it just be that simple,even the good days when im not constantly thinking about these ocd thoughts theyre always in the back of my head.what is the point,ive never tried getting help either because im always scared theyll just be like,no u dont have ocd youre just insane,i just simply dont enjoy life anymore,i have dealt with all forms,shapes,types of ocd and i also have tics.Idk what im trying to get at with this but im just really sad,i miss life
I can’t stop to notice my jaw clicking and and stuff. I think I have TMJD and it is getting to my OCD I think. I know that I have a compulsion of opening my jaw and moving it around so see if the click is still there and it always is but I keep doing it. What should I do?
Been hyper focused on my breathing all day pretty much! To the point that I’m focusing way too hard and actually making my chest tight and causing more anxiety. Then I keep yawning to try and take a deep breath. Endless cycle today. How do I make it stop lol
does anyone obsess over staring. i get scared that i’m either staring at people or i will inappropriately, to the point that i rarely look at others. i get extremely anxious in lines or talking to cashiers and almost wish to jump out of my skin. i don’t want to be rude or disrespectful and definitely not inappropriate but it seems the harder i try to fight it the harder it becomes
I cannot get over clenching my teeth,i also have tics and my brain keeps telling itself that its a tic,which is making it worse and im getting the worst anxiety ever bc im scared that ill start getting facial muscle pains and headaches and ultimately lose my teeth and let ocd win.I dont think its normal bruxism either like when people clench their teeth during their sleep bc i do it during the day.its like a bad urge if i dont do it too.
i grew up fine, never worrying about most things. until these past two years ive become the biggest hypochondriac ever. now, i'm not allergic to anything (doctor confirmed) but i scare myself into thinking im allergic to things ive had before? i even had a huge somatic panic attack when i was getting this treatment for covid. i ate ramen nearly everyday growing up (im poor lol). today, i had this organic ramen with LESS ingredients than the basic maruchan ones. i almost had a huge meltdown at work because of how afraid i became. like what? is there anything i can do to combat my hypochondria ? its becoming unbearable.
Does anyone else feel like they actually can’t breathe when focusing on their breathing?
I feel anxious. But I don’t know about what. I feel like something is deeply wrong with me, but logically I know I’m fine. I’m afraid I somehow broke my brain by drinking, or doing something bad for me. I’m constantly scanning my body for any symptoms of stress. I’m so aware this is chemical~ but I’m finding it hard to cope. It’s not intense anxiety, but a persistent, nagging feeling that’s making it hard for me to enjoy things.
Just curious
Who here, has ocd and loneliness cause ☹️
Can anyone explain what somatic eye contact ocd means pls.
so ive been dealing w/ the fear of choking for awhile. like 8+ years awhile. and im scared that i am not going to be able to recover because of how long its been :') my throat muscles feel like they just dont remember what theyre supposed to do and it honestly is disheartening.. like, will i have to undergo physical therapy or something to help? i dunno. im so worried though that i'll never be able to enjoy food/drink like everyone else. whats the point of life w/o food? yknow?
any tips on health ocd or somatic ocd while driving ? want to travel 3 hours this weekend but always fear passing out while driving and end up having panic attacks. i don’t want to let my fear keep me from the trip but also no clue how to go knowing i’ll get panic attacks :/
Anyone struggle with this? I get these symptoms that are very real. Right now its head pressure, burning scalp and dizziness. Comes along with these obsessive thoughts/fears that something is really wrong or just these thoughts that I am crazy and will never be well. Sometimes I hyperfocus on my eyesight too, whether I am losing my eyesight. I have an appt with a therapist but I have been down this road before and it has never helped. I seem to make progress best when I am ignoring everything. But it comes back always. I have this app called curable, which addresses these somatic symptoms. Seems good so far but I dont know. Anyone tried Curable?
so i had my second EMDR session on thursday and it was related to my phagophobia. the result was: my brain feels quieter and i regressed a little bit for the rest of that night.. side note: i dont think ill be able to eat normally until i do exposure therapy. but for now i need to process trauma to be able to reach that point of comfortability :')
Hello everybody, does anyone have fear related to sleeping pls?
My doc finally gave me a diagnosis. His diagnosis: OCD with predominantly obsessions, recurrent depression (mild), somatization disorder and dissociative amnesia. That's what I've got on a paper at least. I Wonder, are those, like, connected to each other? I believe he's right, since meds are truly helping, I'm Just confused and would like to know if there are people who can relate or elaborate a little bit, I would really like to know something more about those things that bothered me.
For example, I was just ''fine'' until early March, when I got triggered with an Existential OCD, that then turned into the Health concern/ Somatic I'm going through right now. Now, I know my life wasn't as heavenly back then as my OCD tells me, but I keep getting the idea that everything was fine but it wont ever be like ''that'' again.
does anyone else prefer being dissociated rather than having to deal with persistent uncomfortable thoughts? and not being protected by the dissociation? i miss it dearly. my brain has been choosing violence lately and forcing me to actively deal with anxiety (inducing somatic panic and anxiety attacks) rather than zoning out 24/7. its comforting to cushion and just be able to sink into your own brain sometimes. but then you miss out on whats going on around you i suppose.
I know what to do but I can’t seem to do it I’m so angry
Nobody can help me but myself and I can’t seem to help myself and I’m tired of being scared I’m tired of feeling this way why can’t I make it stop if I’m ruining my life I don’t understand how to help myself anymore
Being strong is tiring
I keep asking myself. I feel so dizzy. Like I could fall over or pass out. It also feel like I can’t breathe. How can I accept the thoughts when its not just thoughts, its these symptoms? I have an appt with a therapist but its not for a month. I just need a break
Since I started taking Prozac 9 weeks ago, I started having bouts of insomnia. My psychiatrist prescribed me a very low dosage of Chlorpromazine (25mg). I looked for it online and apparently, even 400 mg per day is considered to be a low dosage. However, I also found out that this is a jurassic and dangerous drug - the first antipsychotic ever - and I don't know how to tell my doctor. It does help a lot, and, at least so far, I havent had any side effects other than sleepiness in the morning. I must remember it is not being used as an augmentation strategy, but solely as a sleep aid. It is still used in some countries to help pre-surgery anxiety. PS: I forgot to mention I struggle with sleep anxiety, and lately, it has become an obsession. I'm basically constantly afraid I wont get to sleep at night.
i dont see much of it. How can I get more about it on my feed i even selected it.
I’m not sure if I have a great understanding of it, but based on the name I think I have it. One of the ways my OCD presents itself (and most distressing nowadays) is the CONSTANT need to make my body feel “right.” I am constantly doing movements to make my body feel even and balanced. I don’t know how to make that make more sense. Do any of you get it?
Hello 😊 I have breathing ocd, anyone has fear related to sleep pls,
I have been a long time sufferer of general anxiety and panic attacks - about 40 years. It seems that every time I find a strategy to keep the symptoms at bay they find a way to morph into a different form. Currently I take a daily maintenance dose of Fluoxitine (sp) and it works for the most part, except when I am alone with nothing to truly occupy my mind for a petiod if more than a few minutes. That seems to trigger me to notice my breathing and my breathing seems to then decide to go from automatic to manual and then taking the next breath is all I can think about. This happened today at work - I work by myself in an office and things have been very quiet - so I went on line and searched this peculiar symptom and discovered I am not the only one dealing with it. (Of course, while reading about it and now typing this comment the issue has temporarily stopped.) I hate being governed several times a week by this ridiculous problem.
Anyone have a recovery story to share? I need some kind of guidance or a feeling that recovery is possible. The somatic stuff is creating such anxiety which in turn just makes the symptoms worse. I need a plan but its all too exhausting
My son is 14 and is suffering from obsessive thoughts regarding contamination from poop. It’s gotten bad quickly. I saw a post saying there was a specific therapist that worked with this type of OCD. Does anyone know who that is? Thank you so much.
Hey everyone, I'm feeling very anxious over a medication I was given to treat muscle spasms (muscle relaxant) and it kind of makes me feel lousy. So I decided to search up the side effects and I saw some that concerned me a lot and now I'm feeling very anxious and scared. Any tips?
I went on a 2.5 mile run this morning. It can be triggering for me because it calls more attention to the sensation that’s the focus of my obsession. I did notice the sensation many times on the run but I reminded myself that it’s okay to notice the sensation, that the goal isn’t to not notice it, and that I’m still able to live my values even with noticing it. Small win but feeling good!
I’ve been extra anxious the last few days, I think because I’ve had some trouble sleeping and have been kind of busier than normal. I feel really overstimulated and ever since yesterday I’ve been hyper focused on my heart rate. Like I can feel it constantly, almost like it’s pounding even though it’s beating normally and not too fast or anything. Tips for overcoming focusing on this sensation? I need to stop obsessing over it :/ .
Hey everyone, I’m new to this but I was wondering if anyone has ever had OCD about their tinnitus. I feel like I cannot stop monitoring it and it makes it a lot harder to habituate to.
Could you please, please put together a support group for us who struggle with Health Concern OCD and Somatic OCD? Even having a group support meeting every other week would be greatly beneficial. Thank you.
OCD can be so sneaky ugh. After a long while without major issues, a new pathetic thought came up. I dont even know what subtype is this. Basically I have a mental image of someone shooting me, and I dodge the bullet. The thought keeps repeating endlessly. I gave up ''dodging'' and started letting the bullet hit me. Now, neither scenarios ( dodging or being hit) really cause me too much distress. I'm more scared about the idea of never getting to stop thinking about it ever again, like having a song stuck in my head.
Sometimes when my mind is trying hard to throw some worries until my amygdala grabs one, I go like " let's see who's under that mask" And there is my OCD. There's no such thing as Harm OCD, Relationship OCD or Scrupulosity. It's the same demon, in different outfits.
I found out that what I thought was just bad breathing issues is definitely something called “somatic OCD”. I’ve heard the term before but didn’t realize what it was. Even though I know now deep down that I can breath just fine but I’m just obsessing over it I still can’t stop having bad anxiety about it and feeling like I’m suffocating. It’s the worst feeling constantly feeling like I’m going to hyperventilate and pass out. If anyone who struggles with the same thing has any advice I’d really appreciate it!
Afternoon all! I am just starting my somatic OCD journey and I am encouraged it will all work out. Any suggestions before I go into my first therapy call? Started about 3 months ago after a traumatic event. Anyways positive attitude for sure!!
Hello everyone! I have ocd breathing and fear related to sleeping! Anyone has the problem pls? Thank you so much
Horrible start to day I think my ocd has won … I put up a good battle but I will never be good enough. I ruined my life and I can’t save myself
Any pro tips for somatic OCD? Finding it hard today when the object of my obsession is in my body.
I'm tired of being worried. Everyday I have a constant fear I won't be able to sleep at night. But unlike other forms of OCD ( if this one here is OCD) that does happen sometimes. I've dealt with many subtypes of OCD, ranging from Harm to Sexual Orientation, but this fear here is different. I know that, during my harm OCD, I couldnt tell whether I would end up doing that or not towards other people, but it never happened. However, I DO happen to lose a night of sleep once in a while. So it's like being scared of seeing a ghost, and eventually seeing that ghost. I just don't know what to do anymore. If that's OCD, I don't know how to expose myself. I can't identify the compulsions. It's even paradoxical: The more afraid I am about not sleeping, the more anxious I get and the harder it gets to sleep. And when I look for tips to cope with OCD, guess what? " Get plenty of sleep" Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do.
I really would appreciate some coping skills if anyone has anything to try ans get better at acceptance and anxiety and just ocd in general pls help
when you’re in public like at work or a restaurant, etc do you ever watch other people live their lives normally like laughing and talking with other people and think “wow i wish i could be like that.” like does that make sense? it just feels so isolating and it feels like you’re the only one who has certain thoughts or feels a certain way and you’re just obsessing over why you can’t just think or live the way you should be.
Another opportunity out the window was supposed to go out w friends but I can’t do my makeup normally I just ocd and I know that so when I do it I shake uncontrollably ans it just feels impossible idk how to help myself anymore I give up
I just can’t believe that I can’t get ONE DAY.
When I started Prozac last month I had trouble sleeping. I still have it, but it's part of my current obsession. My psychiatrist prescribed me Thorazine (chlorpromazine) 25mg to help me relax at night before bedtime. The problem is, according to google, it's basically a Jurassic drug with a thousand side effects. I feel like I'm the only one that still takes that drug. I havent experienced any side effects except sleepiness in the morning, I'm not really taking it as an augmentation, but as a sleep aid. I just wish I could have a more precise or less dangerous medication for sleeping. My mother in law takes zolpidem and she says it's great. I've also seen people talking about abilify or seroquel, and I feel kinda jealous as others are taking modern medication while I take this old ass dangerous med :(
Ocd and anxiety show with Matt codde is a great podcast with 10-15 min episodes and he has alot of experience with ocd I really like listening to him and his advice it has benefited me
Definitely scared to get this day started but I have stranger things to look forward to today!! If anyone hasn’t watched the max scene i connected a lot with it because of OCD so I feel like it’s a great scene to watch for u guys! Lmk if u guys watch it
Don’t put so much pressure on yourself today !! Enjoy the little things today
Wen I was going thru it yesterday I was so down in the dumps I really said some harsh things about myself that I don’t mean. Just wud like to say that in the moment things can be so frustrating but putting urself down makes everything worse. I need to hav some compassion for myself and try to be there for me. Sry if anyone seen some sad messages I posted yesterday hope everyone’s doing good today
It’s very hard to find a therapist for different types of ocd. Usually therapists only know about hand washing and physical compulsions. My ocd is alot different than that and it’s just hard
I feel so unwell. Nauseous and dizzy. I really think its anxiety because I am so nervous as well. I am having the hardest time with it. I have obligations, plans, travel. But im miserable. Anyone been through this?
whenever I have to go to the bathroom to pee I usually hold it in and instead of going to the bathroom like a normal person I decide to stand and hold it in. when I go pee I hold it in as I’m peeing. I’m peeing and I won’t let it flow naturally I hold it I. when I type I tend to go back and forth as a compulsion because I know what I say no one deals with and I’m the only one.
hello so if anyone else like me struggles with harm ocd themes ab hurting/touching others and find their body moving towards another person/object for a few seconds, it’s apparently a symptom of OCD and it’s bc we are so worried ab our obsessions and focused on it that it happens sometimes. my therapist compared it to being similar to an unwanted groinal/arousal response. i rly recommend watching this video to make you feel better bc it helped me :) hope this helps. https://youtu.be/Oz6pfIvTRe8
If you have sudden onset ocd postpartum (mine isn’t about the baby or anything), does that get better with time once hormone level out within a year? Or are you stuck with it and have to stay on medications? I’m afraid I’ll be stuck with this my whole life now that pregnancy brought it out.
Just got on back on Prozac a week ago and I’m praying for relief and positive med stories?
Another day wasted !!!!:DDD
Also another problem is smoking weed is the only thing that seems to calm me and distract me from my ocd and In moments like I am right now it’s like I need to smoke and I feel guilty everyday because the tobacco is affecting me greatly it’s affecting my teeth and lungs (I’ve been smoking everyday for about 6 years now ) and I’m just very scared and I don’t even know an alternative coping mechanism I’m just lost rn and overwhelmed
How do I continue when I just keep failing the same things over and over and over. It’s starting to look like I’ll never be able to get myself out of an ocd phase and I just have to wait months to have it ease a little. I’m tired of living like this and I just don’t know what to do differently. To think I’ve had ocd since I was a child, why can’t I figure out how to live with this? I feel stupid and defeated everyday. One step forward and 2 steps back EVERYDAY im exhausted and it’s beginning to affect my physical health all of this stress
Everything in my life is perfect and my ocd is ruining my life… I’ve slept the last two days crying all day I don’t even know if my body can handle this stress anymore. I’ve been stressed out for years now and I just feel like I can’t catch a break. I’m so exhausted. I used to have such hope but I’m so worn out I’m starting to feel dead inside. I want to change my ocd more than anything in the world but I feeel defeated more and more
Had a hard time with my ocd today hopefully tmr will be a little better. Going to do some cleaning hopefully it makes me feel a little better. I also feel guilty for being angry throughout the day I feel it affects all my relationships including w my cats and I just need to work on it. Not let my ocd get me so frustrated I feel like I just keep letting my ocd win but I’m working on it :/
Heading into tomorrow with a smile 😄 ❤️⭐️goodnight everyone 💤 🛌
I’m actually feeling helpless, depressed, and I feel scared I’m gonna be suicidal. Dealing with manual swallowing. Came far and got off Prozac was killing ocd. Got covid then this came and I’ve been suffering non stop everyday. I just got back on Prozac but everyday I’m suffering. The meds aren’t gonna help and if I can’t accept it I’m fucked. I’m actually trapped
I’m scared of falling asleep like just going unconscious is scares me
a few days ago, i became really hyperaware of my tinnitus. it’s so hard to ignore the ringing. i’m trying to drown it out with white noise and some music but it doesn’t help much when i’m constantly tuning in to my ears to see if the ringing is still going. it’s giving me some anxiety but i’m trying really hard not to let myself spiral
Does anyone with OCD also experience somatic symptoms, such as spending hours researching side effects of meds and then feeling like you have all the side effects? I also obsessively spend hours researching random symptoms I have, and try to find diagnoses. Can OCD and somatic symptom disorder occur together?
has anyone recovered from somatic manual breathing?