I am constantly thinking about my breathing because if I don’t I feel like I won’t be able to breathe. I think about my heart beat because when I’m calm I worry because I think that it’s stopping. Somatic OCD is obsessively thinking about bodily functions. Am I alone? Does anyone else go through this?
Omg yes it gets very harsh when I think about my heart. When I think about it beating I start to get sharp pains and light headed. It feels like I go into an episode. I’m so sorry your also going through this, I thought I was all alone. Anxiety medicine has helped. I’m only on 25 mg but that’s also because I’m scared to go higher incase I have a bad reaction
@HEALTHCONCERNS Which medication are you taking? Also are you having the same issue with the breathing.
I am so sorry that you are dealing with that. I know exactly how you feel. You feel alone in your head and like no one can understand this but you. You feel very disconnected from everyone and everything. OCD is not fun. I hope we can really pull out of this.
@Sarah C Right now I’m taking sertraline and I have propanol incase of a panic attack. I know my sister has anxiety over her breathing. She used to be able to smoke marijuana, but then she started having panic attacks when smoking. She described as having holes in her lungs, and that she wasn’t able to hold any oxygen in her body so she would panic, and feel like she was running out of air. For about two years, I was hyper focusing on my heartbeat. And more recently within the last couple of months, it stopped and has moved to having these weird headaches or pressures on the left side of my head. And I was noticing that I would only get this pressure on the side of my head only when I thought about it. It got so bad that I forced myself to go to the doctors and describe to him all the symptoms. I’ve been having over the last couple of years and he said that it sounds like I have severe anxiety, OCD, and some type of bipolar problem. Within the first two weeks of taking 25 mg of sertraline, I don’t have those issues anymore. I’ve noticed I will start thinking about it for maybe a couple seconds, but then my body, or my brain decides to tell itself actually, you know what it’s not that big of a deal and I forget all about worrying about my heart or head hurting. But everyone is different, the medication may or may not work for you, but this is the first and only medication I’ve ever gotten prescribed in my whole life. You have my prayers ♥️
@HEALTHCONCERNS - Thank you so much for that. They gave me sertraline and I am too afraid to take it because one of the side effects is shortness of breath and shallow breathing. the breathing is my OCD trigger right now. So that is kind of what is holding me back. I pray that it all gets better for all of us. Thank you for your reply.
I deal with this too. Whenever i am hyper aware of my breathing its like my chest begins to have sharp pains like im trying to manual breathe which causes chest pains since im trying to control the natural bodys breathing process. I just tell myself that my body is going to breathe on its own and we don’t have to worry about it, even if we are not focused on it, we are still gonna breathe. and then you’re mind will wander for a second and realize you were not hyper aware of it and you just get more and more comfortable with it, and start to notice it less. It’s definitely a horrible loop to get stuck in but you will get out. It feels like you wil never get out of the loop but you will. Try focusing on things that enjoy you. I like to read and watch tv shows. Also exteroceptive meditation with the bell is good for people who are too hyper aware of their internal bodily sensations. Hang in there
@sarah <3 Thank you again so much for your help. Now I don’t feel like I’m alone in this
@Sarah C Hey your not alone it’s a horrible feeling I have it also but when it gets worse I think of my son and everything I have in my life and know it’s not real threat
Hi all, my ocd has been flaring up lately and I’m not sure why. I think it may be due to stress and anxiety involving school and the hurricanes (I live in Florida) anyways I keep having random intrusive thoughts involving my real event and a lot of false memories are popping up, they feel so real it’s like I can feel everything in them even though I haven’t actually felt them. It’s so weird, like sometimes I will watch a movie and be able to feel the texture of snow or a piece of clothing even though I’ve never felt it before. I have noticed when I get those “phantom” ? touch feelings that they cause a lot of false memory intrusive thoughts. I’ve also been having intrusive thoughts that because no one interacts with my posts on here that everyone hates me and knows about me and thinks I’m horrible and disgusting or that someone is talking about me behind my back and telling people to stay away from me and then I’m a horrible person. I hate OCD so much, I hate that I ruminate constantly on little things and mistakes I’ve made and things I can’t let go. I just hate it so much. Does anyone else struggle with these thoughts or even the “phantom feelings/touches” I’m not sure what to call them sometimes I also get them with certain foods or smells even if I hadn’t had them before or smelt them before. It’s so weird
I'm reaching out in hopes of finding others who might relate to my experiences or offer insights. I'm dealing with a complex interplay of OCD, depression, and existential anxiety, and I'm struggling to make sense of it all. Here's what I'm experiencing: I have OCD with various manifestations, along with episodes of depression. I find myself in a cyclical pattern where, after a few weeks, I start to remind myself about my depressive tendencies. This reminder seems to trigger a cycle that actually makes me feel more depressed or at least more aware of depressive symptoms. When this happens, I often experience feelings of nihilism and existential dread. I try to think about my family - my two young boys and my wife - to find motivation or a sense of purpose, but this strategy often backfires, making me feel even more anxious and depressed. I constantly check my feelings, wondering if they're depressive or anxious. At the same time, I fear that my feelings of anxiety and panic might spiral out of control. I think about my emotions and thoughts on a meta-level, which means I'm not just experiencing feelings, but I'm also constantly analyzing the fact that I'm experiencing them. There's an existential component to my struggles, a fear of depression and anxiety itself, and a sense that this might be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Perhaps most frustratingly, I often have feelings, thoughts, or sensory experiences that I can't explain or put into words. I feel like I've never heard of these before, which leaves me feeling deeply misunderstood. Does anyone else experience something similar? How do you cope with this complex web of symptoms and experiences? I'm particularly interested in hearing from those who've found ways to break the cycle of meta-cognition and self-fulfilling anxiety. Any insights, shared experiences, or strategies would be deeply appreciated. Thank you for your time and understanding.
I’ve been struggling with this for the part year and it’s been horrible I hate my life and I feel like nothing works , please help or feel free to share tips or your own story
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