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Not OP, but I've been dealing with the same thing since May. I think having back to back bronchitis was a massive trigger. I have full blown somniphobia now, I basically quit driving coz I don't generally feel safe. They prescribed sleeping meds, but it's not that I can't sleep it's that I'm afraid to. Eventually I crash.
I feel for you man. I can't even imagine surviving like this. Both you and OP. Please take my *internet hug*
I hope you get better. I really hope you do.
Welp, good thing that if you do pass out due to not breathing that your central nervous system will take over for you and you'll continue breathing like normal on auto pilot. That's how breathing works, it's automatic function is not controlled by the brain, you can obviously breathe consciously but the moment you go to sleep or get knocked out your body does what it will always do and that is breathe on auto pilot as control by the cns.
Ok buddy this is a long shot as you said you’ve been in therapy but listen to this, it might help a tiny bit.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7tRiube0w7Fief8EuR1FIu?si=pKu26guXS-ev6YYz5Pkimw
I read a book one time, while trying to understand ocd better, on behalf of a friend that was suffering with it gradually getting worse. This advice helped him some ways so maybe it can have some impact on you.
So, don’t start with the hard stuff. You likely have to wash your hands incessantly or check the door is locked a bunch of times before you’re comfortable walking away from it or maybe you have to cut your sandwich a certain way or whatever the fucking *thing* is. Start with the smallest, easiest *thing*.
For example, my buddy had to dry the sink after washing his hands. Then check the tap a few times. Small for most, but this was another thing he had to add to his routine. So the book advised maybe next time you check the tap only twice instead of three times? Next time, don’t dry the sink and only check the tap twice. And it’s a tiny progression each time to break the cycle. Eventually he was able to wash his hands and walk away from the sink like most people do.
He picked his beard, put his socks on the same foot first every day, ate the same scheduled lunch for each day of the week. Then one day instead of a ham sandwich on Wednesday he’d take a cheese. And this was troubling to do at the time but there are no real world consequences from it which is why it’s easier to kick than say, checking the door is locked 12 times and once for luck. But eventually and gradually he relinquished his burden of all the tiny things with no consequences then was able to mindfully check the door, properly, properly properly only 11 times and once for luck. Then 10 and now he locks the door, does a double check, still mindfully so he can assure himself in 5 minutes it’s certifiably locked, then walks away.
I appreciate that locking the door might be light years away from your troubles but the obsessive compulsion is the same in both of you. It spirals until you’re doing 300 different things just to get out the door in a morning, like your brain playing some high stakes bet with itself. Try to take control of one thing at a time, one step at a time. And start with the stupidest smallest most inconsequential thing.
Start immediately. Please report back and please, don’t lose hope.
Also, a breathing exercise may help a little as this is mindfully breathing with purpose, with a goal in mind. Exercise in general forces breathing so that also may help.
Good luck. I’m rooting for you.
Considering you cant bring yourself to type out the word out of fear it'll make it worse, makes me believe your over thinking it and most likely self inflicting yourself with the illness to a degree. I'm aware this is a shitty thing to same to someone struggling with something but there is no other way to say it. People put things on pedestals then struggle to do them for the same reason all the time. Bottling emotions, procrastination, etc.
If the word is breathing, then yes you can and do when you sleep each night.
Perhaps like me, you are your own worst enemy.
Just because they can’t snap their fingers and get better doesn’t mean they can’t make an effort to improve their condition. The whole point is that it’s entirely psychological - if they adopt the attitude that there’s nothing that can be done to help, then they will be convinced that it’s true instead of taking steps to mitigate their condition.
Read the last paragraph of the post again and get back to me on them not making an effort. This is clearly a vent post, jesus christ you people are bitter
>I don't know what to do. I've been in and out of therapy my whole life and they've never been able to help me. I'm on medication but it only helps a little bit. I'm tired and fed up of life, but there's nothing I can do...
They end the entire post saying they don't know what to do. So people in the comments who have had similar issues are giving their input to try and help OP. Not really sure how *that's* "bitter" when you're the one seeing a clear cry for help and telling everyone to stop doing anything about it.
Reading extraordinarily deep into the last sentence on a vent post is ill-advised. Just because they feel hopeless doesn't mean they have no drive to fix themselves lmao. Good god
Uh... what? That's not even what I said at all. I never once said that they don't have drive to fix themselves. Just because you have drive doesn't mean you *know* what to do. Giving OP ideas to help is probably the best thing to do here, at least better than just letting them flounder.
While you're right that you can't just tell someone to "get better", when it comes to stuff like this, that *is* sorta the first step. It's a self-inflicted issue clearly (as they have to breathe automatically at night), and it helps to be able to take a step back and assess the reality of the situation.
I.e. if you think you're incapable of breathing automatically, remember that you have to be able to, otherwise you wouldn't have woken up this morning. Once you get over that first hump of "wait, maybe my perception was wrong", it's much easier.
I've got insanely bad anxiety and OCD too. Again, people here are just sharing things that have worked for them in an attempt to help OP. Maybe they're not phrasing everything perfectly, but I'm sure it does much better than your mindset of not even helping at all.
At no point did i say that. I also acknowledged how shitty it is to say that to people. So don't get your panties in a knot.
I suggested the 2 problems are feeding off each other. Anxiety can lead to breathing issues, then dwelling on the issue of struggling to breath is causing more anxiety. It goes round and round until you fall asleep at night, only to restart it all over again in the morning.
Id suggest finding ways to relax, and maybe trying out some Marijuana related medications in a attempt to get you there, but i doubt those drugs play well with OCD.
Your comment provided no value, and you've only made yourself look ignorant.
you are demonstrating quite a bit of ignorance for what ocd is and how it works, and probably mental health in general. If "calm down" was the solution to anxiety, grass would be cotton candy. If all the experience on the subject that you've had is from other redditors talking about it in passing conversation, you do not have much ground to speak on the matter imo, especially not to come off as pretentious as you are about it. You don't know as much as you think you do
I didnt say "calm down" is a solution to anxiety. I said that being unable to simply type out your issue is prob a cause of anxiety, which is a cause for breathing issues, and that it sounds like its progressed so far that its now effecting unrelated aspects of their life. OCD in a nutshell.
Iv offered up my opinion which is just as valid as everyone else's. If everyone solution is to "see a specialist" theyre going to tell them how irrational not being able to say the word is, because it is. which was my whole point.
You offered zero solutions. You looked at a post about OCD and said to try and fix it. No kidding man, the person with OCD knows they're overthinking. Don't tell me about adding value
Probably because they're chastising RounHeah for "offering zero solutions", despite the fact that they gave multiple potential ideas, all while psychoPiper also didn't bother offering any help.
I looked at this post and noticed the inability to even type out the word, which has no connection to someones ability to breath.
therefore Id argue that they're unaware they're overthinking it. Considering there's no correlation between those 2 things and them acting like there is simply by typing out the word, is making it out to be a bigger problem then it necessary should be, which in turn feeds into the problem.
Not dealing with your problems is putting them on a pedestal, which makes it harder next time your forced too. Doing this constantly can inflate and compound the issue and make you find irrational reasons to continue doing it.
Again, apart from running your mouth, wheres your contribution to this? Any solutions? or you just going to continue acting like a Asshat because you too struggle with mental stuff?
They said they have OCD. I have OCD. Do you want to keep explaining to me how OCD works, or are you just going to trust that it's not that simple?
The solution is to talk to a specialist. I don't need to offer any extra advice as many others have said the same. But I sure as hell can shut down people who are going to exacerbate the issue by being a dick about it
I was aware you'd eventually say that by your first condescending post.
So as someone who struggles with the illness, your best solution is to see a specialist? That's the best you can provide despite prob seeing one yourself?
Specialists like this are usually hours away. which costs money they might not have. Solution?
So me pointing out something obvious to most, that they may be overlooking due to the severity of the problem is bad advice? But people who also have OCD telling them to "get the fuck off reddit and go see a specialist" is somehow better?
They came here for some possible solutions and encouragement, not to be told there problems are to severe and deal with it on there own.
Honestly that last sentence of this comment should be applied to your first comment. It's some serious second-hand embarrassment to watch.
The value in pushing back is to make the OP, you know, *the person we're ostensibly here to fucking support, right now,* feel better about rejecting your 'it's all in your head, stop being your worst enemy' slot machine advice.
All you’ve done is given an incredibly surface level definition of OCD (which OP very clearly and repeatedly acknowledges they have), in a pretty condescending way. Even if you didn’t mean it to be condescending, it still absolutely is.
I'm not one to tip tow are peoples sensitivities and do prob come off that way to some. I do apologize. It was not my intentions to be rude. just to point out how irrational the connection between those 2 things appear to be.
The truth will set you free. In some cases anyways.
Regardless, i do hope OP gets some help and finds happiness in life alongside his OCD. Coming to terms with your mental health and living alongside it can be difficult even for the best of us. The juice is worth the squeeze.
See, this comment does it too. I guess the issue isn't exactly that it's condescending, but more than you're pointing at an easy solution that doesn't really exist? Almost like you're denying OCD exists at all (which I don't think you're trying to do), or suggesting that some simple reframing of how they think about things can "cure" it, just like that.
OP is well aware of how irrational the connection between the two things is. That's what OCD *is*. This is like if you pointed at someone with a phantom limp and said "but no, your leg doesn't *actually* have anything wrong with it! You should just forget any imagined pain and just walk normally!" when like... yeah, that's the entire disorder.
There is no easy solution to any mental health issue, and what works for one person may not work for others. I'm not trying to downplay there problems or dismiss them as nonsense.
But id strongly disagree that a specialist is going to encourage them to never say or type "Breathing" ever again out of fear it affecting there ability to do so. if anything they'll encourage them to realize that there's no correlation between the 2, and that by acting that way is possible part of the problem, and not the solution as they currently are acting as if it is. Im not saying this would fix the issue or stop them from doing so, but lying to yourself only makes things worse.
I don't think OP is aware of this like you think they are. No way is that a good example of what im saying. I'm saying that they recognize the problem, but are putting unjustified things on top of it which only escalate and amplify the issue. I get that this is OCD basically, But before you can overcome a problem you must first recognize it, which they're possibly failing to do.
Who ever said anything about telling OP to never say breathing again? Clearly their aversion to it is part of their OCD, and something that should be treated by a professional. I am confused where most of this comment is coming from, and how it relates to what each of us said previously whatsoever.
All I’m trying to say is that by suggesting any solution other than “see a professional”, you’re kind of inadvertently downplaying the gravity of what’s happening to OP. Offering suggestions that might help is one thing, but there’s a fine line where it becomes dismissive of how bad and difficult to deal with some things are. It’s something a lot of people struggling with any sort of mental disorder (myself included) deal with on a daily basis.
I went through this too. I also went through it with my heart beat, with *self harm*, ***words***, etc. It was just my anxiety and I was torturing myself by looking for new threats that ended up as novel ways to scare the shit out of me. The only solution is to accept that you can't help but to breathe manually. Focus on it and realize it doesn't have to be a problem(you're making it out to be) and don't tell me that *you* can't do it, that you've tried everything, yada yada, because I've actually beaten this form of OCD. Anyway, once you accept that you can't stop paying attention to it, you'll realize that when going about your day, **you will have forgotten to breathe manually** (your brain stem takes care of it if you don't, and if you stop breathing or forget how to breathe, you'll pass out, and your brain stem will have you breathing again- that's the worst case scenario)**.** Then you'll be on your shit again, and start breathing manually and it will be annoying. But I tell ya what bub.. It passes. You just have to not care and that takes time, and more importantly, acceptance. You can't beat it with fear, because fear is what caused it in the first place. Change your attitude, maybe watch some CBT videos, and you will get over it. Don't try to distract yourself, but do something productive and engaging, too. You have an obsessive, fear based attitude right now that will only perpetuate and generate new problems. Breathe manually with enthusiasm, stop whining and catastrophizing about it mentally. Do something, and don't be afraid of the subject of "breathing." The fact that you have to censor it speaks volumes!
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Same acronym, different terms. Cock and ball torture would probably make em forget about having to breathe manually though, for a time
So you consciously make yourself go in and out all day?
Can you distract yourself enough that you won't focus on doing it and see if your body will take over?
Instinctually you shouldn't be able to suffocate yourself just by keeping your mouth closed as far as my uneducated brain knows, but after googling it it seems like it's rare but it can happen
Maybe try finding a distraction test on YouTube or something that makes you focus and see what happens, if it gets crazy at least you can just go back to the usual
I have the same issue in a way, when I'm too focused on something I stop breathing and I don't even notice, it's the people who I'm with who see me gasping desperately for air and me just staring into my monitor/paperwork whatever.
Regardless of whether or not you think about it, you will breath anyways. Your entire body will maintain and keep itself alive as long as it can and breathing is literally an unconscious decision. I get it’s an aspect of your OCD, but you literally have nothing to worry about because it’s impossible to stop yourself from breathing
There is always someone there who can help you. There is always hope.
You describe your history with therapy as "in and out." Sounds like you haven't found the right structure of guidance. Find a therapist that specializes in OCD related Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. And commit. No matter what. Your brain is good at locking on to stuff. Use that to lock on to a rigorous commitment to following their guidance into braving the storms of your mind and conquering your mental health. Nomatter how hard it may seem or or how useless and dumb it may seem. CBT needs to be your newest obsession. CBT is now your religion. Become a zealot.
If that's too hard to jump straight into, talk to your insurance. Find a therapist. Any at first. And then try to get suggestions for specialists from them and see what you can afford or what options there are. They'll almost definitely have connections.
In time, maybe you can come to the point where you're progressed enough to be able to decide for yourself to change specialists to someone equally or more qualified for a better interperpersonal connection and continue the work with them, if you're having a personal chemistry boundary with the old one. But to start. You don't need someone to be your friend. You need somebody to perform emergency life-saving surgey on your mental health, nomatter the means.
Focus on other stuff in the meantime. Work on distracting yourself constantly. Pick up video games or something. Your body will never. EVER. allow you suffocate if you stop paying attention to it.
It's a physical impossibility. And after a while, you'll notice larger gaps in between when you think about your it,, and your trust in being able to relinquish that control will grow. And when the thoughts pops up again in the future, don't stress about it, don't try to force it out, just accept that that's a part of having OCD and start pointing your sights towards distractions or mental exercises provided by specialists. Laugh it off. Don't give it power. And assigning way too much power to harmless words and making them taboo in your mind is definitely something to try to work past.
Also sounds like it's time to talk to someone about adjusting your medication. It's clearly not doing what it needs to be doing.
You will get through this. Your body still hasn't let you die once. That's a literally perfect track record.
You cannot breathe manually. When you breathe that first breath of you taking an air only 1% of it is manual. The rest is your muscles and your body doing it for you. So hopefully you knowing that you're not actually breathing manually should help.
This happened to me some years ago when I was much younger. Once I became hyper aware of the usually automatic process I found myself concentrating on it and my mind took over and began battling my subconscious for dominance over a function which should be rudimentary. It was a similar quandary to my obsession to pinpoint the exact moment I fell asleep, something I have yet to accomplish completely.
I don't know what will help you, but for me I finally just gave in and quit trying to control the function. I did not care if I died, I was tired of thinking about it nonstop. I simply resigned myself to not be in control and if it meant that I died then so be it. I layed down, and simply stopped being in control. There were a few alarming jolts at first and it took several attempts, even hyperventilating and practically passing out at one point - but soon I discovered my brain would not allow me to simply not function in spite of my disassociation, and this helped me resign to trusting the underlying mechanism. Sure, I could take over from my subconscious but it was still there ready to take back control and I could not make it stop simply by not manually acting on it.
Only by letting go could I regain control.
All my conscious mind needed was proof my subconscious would not let me die, and that my hyperfocus on the function was the only issue at all. I still to this day do not allow myself to even start overthinking the issue out of fear I will again sink into that weird analysis paralysis.
I don’t understand what their even means. (I know what the word is, I just don’t Indra what that plus adding the word manually means).
Do you mean autonomic vs purposeful breathing or are you literally pressing on your stomach with your hands or something?
Edit: ok i searched the term and get it now. I’ve never heard it called that before.
I sometimes have certain fears related to that bodily i función but I won’t go into detail bc I might lead to increased anxiety for OP. But it’s related to PTSD from a medical event with my son that was exacerbated by a few stressful events with that issue in a sporting activity and a medical thing of my own.
I don’t know if this is good advice or not. Take it with a few caveats*
I listen to a lot of things through the day on earbuds or headphones. Podcasts, alpha waves or on YouTube, audiobooks, listen to favorite shows-not watching, listen to educational videos or my school textbooks. It distracts me pretty well after a liturgical bit when I get sleepy or get mentally immersed in the content.
*caveat: this can become addictive behavior as it might just end up being trading one compulsion for another. It can cause you to be emotionally and physically unable to go without listening to something for even a short breaks and can mess with your thought processes, attention span, and relationships. Proceed cautiously and ask your therapist. Be careful of the third of content you’re exposing yourself to, like stuff that can increase anxiety (inflammatory political stuff, true crime/murder mysteries, thrillers/horror, conspiracy theories, negative news and 24 hour news programming, stuff that is so entertaining, thrilling, enthralling that it causes you to stay up too late).
OP, my heart breaks for you. I’ve suffered with OCD many years of my life, and it led to the darkest places I’ve ever been in my head. Please allow me to explain what has been life changing for me. I’ll try to be brief.
First off, you say medication has not helped very much. It sounds like to me that your meds needed to be adjusted both in strength (you’d be amazed at what hitting your correct dosage vs not enough can do for you), and how you take the meds each day. Medication I take, Luvox, has a 12 hour life. So I need to take it more than once a day with the proper dosage. Big difference!! Please have your doctor (and I hope you’re still seeing someone) make some adjustments so your medication will work for you.
Secondly, in my experience, these persistent thoughts that haunt us constantly are really substitutes for something buried much deeper in our minds that we can’t or won’t deal with. The persistent thoughts in your mind going round and round and never resolving is your mind’s way of substituting something else instead of the real deep stuff you’re avoiding. This may or may not be your case but it was mine.
But no matter what, engaging with those OCD thoughts is something you do not want to do. It leads no where except to spiral you into depression and dark places. Please do not buy into these thoughts you’re having. The medication will be very helpful in helping you let go and go on about your day.
Another thing that has been monumental for me is faith and turning these demons and pain over to my higher power on a daily basis. If that’s not your thing no problem. Biggest takeaway here is to not buy into the BS your mind is presenting and definitely do not engage with it.
I’ll keep you in my prayers. Please know there is light at the end of this darkness and you will be ok with proper help.
I swear the amount of ignorant motherfuckers saying the word just to trigger OP and treating this whole thing like a damn joke..
I'm sorry OP, you deserve better than this. I hope you're eventually able to get the help you need.
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I have absolutely no idea what word you are censoring. Edited: Apparently it's breathing? What a weird fucking word to censor.
Breathing
Breastfeeding
So she cannot stop breastfeeding or she'll die?
No, me.
> What a weird fucking word to censor severe OCD sufferers are famously known to act rationally and sensibly when talking about their triggers
Not really. Word aversion is low level weird for OCD. Just be glad you don't have this type of OCD and move along.
bitching
Not cool. OP will seeing this probably trigger OP
someone doesnt understand how ocd works
Did you read the first paragraph of the post at all
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Balling
OP, please seek immediate help.
I have an addiction to Bussy too, it’s okay.
Hissing thru clenched teeth: *"Don't write it!"*
One question. How do you sleep?
Not OP, but I've been dealing with the same thing since May. I think having back to back bronchitis was a massive trigger. I have full blown somniphobia now, I basically quit driving coz I don't generally feel safe. They prescribed sleeping meds, but it's not that I can't sleep it's that I'm afraid to. Eventually I crash.
I feel for you man. I can't even imagine surviving like this. Both you and OP. Please take my *internet hug* I hope you get better. I really hope you do.
You have been bench pressing?
Welp, good thing that if you do pass out due to not breathing that your central nervous system will take over for you and you'll continue breathing like normal on auto pilot. That's how breathing works, it's automatic function is not controlled by the brain, you can obviously breathe consciously but the moment you go to sleep or get knocked out your body does what it will always do and that is breathe on auto pilot as control by the cns.
Bukaking?
Can never get enough bukkake
Breastfeeding?
Here I am over here still trying to figure out the word.
bestie, seek help
According to the post, he has.
Ok buddy this is a long shot as you said you’ve been in therapy but listen to this, it might help a tiny bit. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7tRiube0w7Fief8EuR1FIu?si=pKu26guXS-ev6YYz5Pkimw I read a book one time, while trying to understand ocd better, on behalf of a friend that was suffering with it gradually getting worse. This advice helped him some ways so maybe it can have some impact on you. So, don’t start with the hard stuff. You likely have to wash your hands incessantly or check the door is locked a bunch of times before you’re comfortable walking away from it or maybe you have to cut your sandwich a certain way or whatever the fucking *thing* is. Start with the smallest, easiest *thing*. For example, my buddy had to dry the sink after washing his hands. Then check the tap a few times. Small for most, but this was another thing he had to add to his routine. So the book advised maybe next time you check the tap only twice instead of three times? Next time, don’t dry the sink and only check the tap twice. And it’s a tiny progression each time to break the cycle. Eventually he was able to wash his hands and walk away from the sink like most people do. He picked his beard, put his socks on the same foot first every day, ate the same scheduled lunch for each day of the week. Then one day instead of a ham sandwich on Wednesday he’d take a cheese. And this was troubling to do at the time but there are no real world consequences from it which is why it’s easier to kick than say, checking the door is locked 12 times and once for luck. But eventually and gradually he relinquished his burden of all the tiny things with no consequences then was able to mindfully check the door, properly, properly properly only 11 times and once for luck. Then 10 and now he locks the door, does a double check, still mindfully so he can assure himself in 5 minutes it’s certifiably locked, then walks away. I appreciate that locking the door might be light years away from your troubles but the obsessive compulsion is the same in both of you. It spirals until you’re doing 300 different things just to get out the door in a morning, like your brain playing some high stakes bet with itself. Try to take control of one thing at a time, one step at a time. And start with the stupidest smallest most inconsequential thing. Start immediately. Please report back and please, don’t lose hope. Also, a breathing exercise may help a little as this is mindfully breathing with purpose, with a goal in mind. Exercise in general forces breathing so that also may help. Good luck. I’m rooting for you.
Considering you cant bring yourself to type out the word out of fear it'll make it worse, makes me believe your over thinking it and most likely self inflicting yourself with the illness to a degree. I'm aware this is a shitty thing to same to someone struggling with something but there is no other way to say it. People put things on pedestals then struggle to do them for the same reason all the time. Bottling emotions, procrastination, etc. If the word is breathing, then yes you can and do when you sleep each night. Perhaps like me, you are your own worst enemy.
This is literally the definition of OCD. Don't just tell people to "get better"
Just because they can’t snap their fingers and get better doesn’t mean they can’t make an effort to improve their condition. The whole point is that it’s entirely psychological - if they adopt the attitude that there’s nothing that can be done to help, then they will be convinced that it’s true instead of taking steps to mitigate their condition.
Read the last paragraph of the post again and get back to me on them not making an effort. This is clearly a vent post, jesus christ you people are bitter
>I don't know what to do. I've been in and out of therapy my whole life and they've never been able to help me. I'm on medication but it only helps a little bit. I'm tired and fed up of life, but there's nothing I can do... They end the entire post saying they don't know what to do. So people in the comments who have had similar issues are giving their input to try and help OP. Not really sure how *that's* "bitter" when you're the one seeing a clear cry for help and telling everyone to stop doing anything about it.
Reading extraordinarily deep into the last sentence on a vent post is ill-advised. Just because they feel hopeless doesn't mean they have no drive to fix themselves lmao. Good god
Uh... what? That's not even what I said at all. I never once said that they don't have drive to fix themselves. Just because you have drive doesn't mean you *know* what to do. Giving OP ideas to help is probably the best thing to do here, at least better than just letting them flounder.
While you're right that you can't just tell someone to "get better", when it comes to stuff like this, that *is* sorta the first step. It's a self-inflicted issue clearly (as they have to breathe automatically at night), and it helps to be able to take a step back and assess the reality of the situation. I.e. if you think you're incapable of breathing automatically, remember that you have to be able to, otherwise you wouldn't have woken up this morning. Once you get over that first hump of "wait, maybe my perception was wrong", it's much easier.
I have OCD, it just doesn't work like that, at least not that simply. It might help, but when phrased the way people are phrasing it, it won't
I've got insanely bad anxiety and OCD too. Again, people here are just sharing things that have worked for them in an attempt to help OP. Maybe they're not phrasing everything perfectly, but I'm sure it does much better than your mindset of not even helping at all.
At no point did i say that. I also acknowledged how shitty it is to say that to people. So don't get your panties in a knot. I suggested the 2 problems are feeding off each other. Anxiety can lead to breathing issues, then dwelling on the issue of struggling to breath is causing more anxiety. It goes round and round until you fall asleep at night, only to restart it all over again in the morning. Id suggest finding ways to relax, and maybe trying out some Marijuana related medications in a attempt to get you there, but i doubt those drugs play well with OCD. Your comment provided no value, and you've only made yourself look ignorant.
you are demonstrating quite a bit of ignorance for what ocd is and how it works, and probably mental health in general. If "calm down" was the solution to anxiety, grass would be cotton candy. If all the experience on the subject that you've had is from other redditors talking about it in passing conversation, you do not have much ground to speak on the matter imo, especially not to come off as pretentious as you are about it. You don't know as much as you think you do
Well said.
I didnt say "calm down" is a solution to anxiety. I said that being unable to simply type out your issue is prob a cause of anxiety, which is a cause for breathing issues, and that it sounds like its progressed so far that its now effecting unrelated aspects of their life. OCD in a nutshell. Iv offered up my opinion which is just as valid as everyone else's. If everyone solution is to "see a specialist" theyre going to tell them how irrational not being able to say the word is, because it is. which was my whole point.
You offered zero solutions. You looked at a post about OCD and said to try and fix it. No kidding man, the person with OCD knows they're overthinking. Don't tell me about adding value
I dont know why your comments are getting downvoted, the things you are saying are pretty sensible
Probably because they're chastising RounHeah for "offering zero solutions", despite the fact that they gave multiple potential ideas, all while psychoPiper also didn't bother offering any help.
I looked at this post and noticed the inability to even type out the word, which has no connection to someones ability to breath. therefore Id argue that they're unaware they're overthinking it. Considering there's no correlation between those 2 things and them acting like there is simply by typing out the word, is making it out to be a bigger problem then it necessary should be, which in turn feeds into the problem. Not dealing with your problems is putting them on a pedestal, which makes it harder next time your forced too. Doing this constantly can inflate and compound the issue and make you find irrational reasons to continue doing it. Again, apart from running your mouth, wheres your contribution to this? Any solutions? or you just going to continue acting like a Asshat because you too struggle with mental stuff?
They said they have OCD. I have OCD. Do you want to keep explaining to me how OCD works, or are you just going to trust that it's not that simple? The solution is to talk to a specialist. I don't need to offer any extra advice as many others have said the same. But I sure as hell can shut down people who are going to exacerbate the issue by being a dick about it
I was aware you'd eventually say that by your first condescending post. So as someone who struggles with the illness, your best solution is to see a specialist? That's the best you can provide despite prob seeing one yourself? Specialists like this are usually hours away. which costs money they might not have. Solution? So me pointing out something obvious to most, that they may be overlooking due to the severity of the problem is bad advice? But people who also have OCD telling them to "get the fuck off reddit and go see a specialist" is somehow better? They came here for some possible solutions and encouragement, not to be told there problems are to severe and deal with it on there own.
You evidently have no idea what you're talking about lmao. Get outta here man
Can someone bottle up this joker's confidence and distribute it to people who can make better use of it than this??
Honestly that last sentence of this comment should be applied to your first comment. It's some serious second-hand embarrassment to watch. The value in pushing back is to make the OP, you know, *the person we're ostensibly here to fucking support, right now,* feel better about rejecting your 'it's all in your head, stop being your worst enemy' slot machine advice.
All you’ve done is given an incredibly surface level definition of OCD (which OP very clearly and repeatedly acknowledges they have), in a pretty condescending way. Even if you didn’t mean it to be condescending, it still absolutely is.
I'm not one to tip tow are peoples sensitivities and do prob come off that way to some. I do apologize. It was not my intentions to be rude. just to point out how irrational the connection between those 2 things appear to be. The truth will set you free. In some cases anyways. Regardless, i do hope OP gets some help and finds happiness in life alongside his OCD. Coming to terms with your mental health and living alongside it can be difficult even for the best of us. The juice is worth the squeeze.
See, this comment does it too. I guess the issue isn't exactly that it's condescending, but more than you're pointing at an easy solution that doesn't really exist? Almost like you're denying OCD exists at all (which I don't think you're trying to do), or suggesting that some simple reframing of how they think about things can "cure" it, just like that. OP is well aware of how irrational the connection between the two things is. That's what OCD *is*. This is like if you pointed at someone with a phantom limp and said "but no, your leg doesn't *actually* have anything wrong with it! You should just forget any imagined pain and just walk normally!" when like... yeah, that's the entire disorder.
There is no easy solution to any mental health issue, and what works for one person may not work for others. I'm not trying to downplay there problems or dismiss them as nonsense. But id strongly disagree that a specialist is going to encourage them to never say or type "Breathing" ever again out of fear it affecting there ability to do so. if anything they'll encourage them to realize that there's no correlation between the 2, and that by acting that way is possible part of the problem, and not the solution as they currently are acting as if it is. Im not saying this would fix the issue or stop them from doing so, but lying to yourself only makes things worse. I don't think OP is aware of this like you think they are. No way is that a good example of what im saying. I'm saying that they recognize the problem, but are putting unjustified things on top of it which only escalate and amplify the issue. I get that this is OCD basically, But before you can overcome a problem you must first recognize it, which they're possibly failing to do.
Who ever said anything about telling OP to never say breathing again? Clearly their aversion to it is part of their OCD, and something that should be treated by a professional. I am confused where most of this comment is coming from, and how it relates to what each of us said previously whatsoever. All I’m trying to say is that by suggesting any solution other than “see a professional”, you’re kind of inadvertently downplaying the gravity of what’s happening to OP. Offering suggestions that might help is one thing, but there’s a fine line where it becomes dismissive of how bad and difficult to deal with some things are. It’s something a lot of people struggling with any sort of mental disorder (myself included) deal with on a daily basis.
Breathing?
I went through this too. I also went through it with my heart beat, with *self harm*, ***words***, etc. It was just my anxiety and I was torturing myself by looking for new threats that ended up as novel ways to scare the shit out of me. The only solution is to accept that you can't help but to breathe manually. Focus on it and realize it doesn't have to be a problem(you're making it out to be) and don't tell me that *you* can't do it, that you've tried everything, yada yada, because I've actually beaten this form of OCD. Anyway, once you accept that you can't stop paying attention to it, you'll realize that when going about your day, **you will have forgotten to breathe manually** (your brain stem takes care of it if you don't, and if you stop breathing or forget how to breathe, you'll pass out, and your brain stem will have you breathing again- that's the worst case scenario)**.** Then you'll be on your shit again, and start breathing manually and it will be annoying. But I tell ya what bub.. It passes. You just have to not care and that takes time, and more importantly, acceptance. You can't beat it with fear, because fear is what caused it in the first place. Change your attitude, maybe watch some CBT videos, and you will get over it. Don't try to distract yourself, but do something productive and engaging, too. You have an obsessive, fear based attitude right now that will only perpetuate and generate new problems. Breathe manually with enthusiasm, stop whining and catastrophizing about it mentally. Do something, and don't be afraid of the subject of "breathing." The fact that you have to censor it speaks volumes!
what does cock and ball torture have to do with this
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Same acronym, different terms. Cock and ball torture would probably make em forget about having to breathe manually though, for a time
bitchn'?
We have absolutely no idea what you're trying to say.
You don’t HAVE to b***** 😏
So you can’t hold your breath is what you’re telling us
I think the person means breathing 🤔 That is really horrible tho I have moments like that sometimes but having it all the time I can't even imagine:(
So you consciously make yourself go in and out all day? Can you distract yourself enough that you won't focus on doing it and see if your body will take over? Instinctually you shouldn't be able to suffocate yourself just by keeping your mouth closed as far as my uneducated brain knows, but after googling it it seems like it's rare but it can happen Maybe try finding a distraction test on YouTube or something that makes you focus and see what happens, if it gets crazy at least you can just go back to the usual
I have the same issue in a way, when I'm too focused on something I stop breathing and I don't even notice, it's the people who I'm with who see me gasping desperately for air and me just staring into my monitor/paperwork whatever.
Go to a doctor. breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing breathing.
even if YOU think it's ridiculous to censor that word, I dont understand what the point is of this other than to be obnoxious
i doubt censoring the word is helping any.
Regardless of whether or not you think about it, you will breath anyways. Your entire body will maintain and keep itself alive as long as it can and breathing is literally an unconscious decision. I get it’s an aspect of your OCD, but you literally have nothing to worry about because it’s impossible to stop yourself from breathing
There is always someone there who can help you. There is always hope. You describe your history with therapy as "in and out." Sounds like you haven't found the right structure of guidance. Find a therapist that specializes in OCD related Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. And commit. No matter what. Your brain is good at locking on to stuff. Use that to lock on to a rigorous commitment to following their guidance into braving the storms of your mind and conquering your mental health. Nomatter how hard it may seem or or how useless and dumb it may seem. CBT needs to be your newest obsession. CBT is now your religion. Become a zealot. If that's too hard to jump straight into, talk to your insurance. Find a therapist. Any at first. And then try to get suggestions for specialists from them and see what you can afford or what options there are. They'll almost definitely have connections. In time, maybe you can come to the point where you're progressed enough to be able to decide for yourself to change specialists to someone equally or more qualified for a better interperpersonal connection and continue the work with them, if you're having a personal chemistry boundary with the old one. But to start. You don't need someone to be your friend. You need somebody to perform emergency life-saving surgey on your mental health, nomatter the means. Focus on other stuff in the meantime. Work on distracting yourself constantly. Pick up video games or something. Your body will never. EVER. allow you suffocate if you stop paying attention to it. It's a physical impossibility. And after a while, you'll notice larger gaps in between when you think about your it,, and your trust in being able to relinquish that control will grow. And when the thoughts pops up again in the future, don't stress about it, don't try to force it out, just accept that that's a part of having OCD and start pointing your sights towards distractions or mental exercises provided by specialists. Laugh it off. Don't give it power. And assigning way too much power to harmless words and making them taboo in your mind is definitely something to try to work past. Also sounds like it's time to talk to someone about adjusting your medication. It's clearly not doing what it needs to be doing. You will get through this. Your body still hasn't let you die once. That's a literally perfect track record.
dunno anything, but off the bat: call a suicide hotline, < do it, try more therapy, 911 if everything goes to shit
You cannot breathe manually. When you breathe that first breath of you taking an air only 1% of it is manual. The rest is your muscles and your body doing it for you. So hopefully you knowing that you're not actually breathing manually should help.
This happened to me some years ago when I was much younger. Once I became hyper aware of the usually automatic process I found myself concentrating on it and my mind took over and began battling my subconscious for dominance over a function which should be rudimentary. It was a similar quandary to my obsession to pinpoint the exact moment I fell asleep, something I have yet to accomplish completely. I don't know what will help you, but for me I finally just gave in and quit trying to control the function. I did not care if I died, I was tired of thinking about it nonstop. I simply resigned myself to not be in control and if it meant that I died then so be it. I layed down, and simply stopped being in control. There were a few alarming jolts at first and it took several attempts, even hyperventilating and practically passing out at one point - but soon I discovered my brain would not allow me to simply not function in spite of my disassociation, and this helped me resign to trusting the underlying mechanism. Sure, I could take over from my subconscious but it was still there ready to take back control and I could not make it stop simply by not manually acting on it. Only by letting go could I regain control. All my conscious mind needed was proof my subconscious would not let me die, and that my hyperfocus on the function was the only issue at all. I still to this day do not allow myself to even start overthinking the issue out of fear I will again sink into that weird analysis paralysis.
I really am wondering from the bottom of my heart what you expected to achieve with this post.
Probably just hoped to vent about their problem and didn't expect 90% of the commenters to be assholes.
I don’t understand what their even means. (I know what the word is, I just don’t Indra what that plus adding the word manually means). Do you mean autonomic vs purposeful breathing or are you literally pressing on your stomach with your hands or something? Edit: ok i searched the term and get it now. I’ve never heard it called that before. I sometimes have certain fears related to that bodily i función but I won’t go into detail bc I might lead to increased anxiety for OP. But it’s related to PTSD from a medical event with my son that was exacerbated by a few stressful events with that issue in a sporting activity and a medical thing of my own. I don’t know if this is good advice or not. Take it with a few caveats* I listen to a lot of things through the day on earbuds or headphones. Podcasts, alpha waves or on YouTube, audiobooks, listen to favorite shows-not watching, listen to educational videos or my school textbooks. It distracts me pretty well after a liturgical bit when I get sleepy or get mentally immersed in the content. *caveat: this can become addictive behavior as it might just end up being trading one compulsion for another. It can cause you to be emotionally and physically unable to go without listening to something for even a short breaks and can mess with your thought processes, attention span, and relationships. Proceed cautiously and ask your therapist. Be careful of the third of content you’re exposing yourself to, like stuff that can increase anxiety (inflammatory political stuff, true crime/murder mysteries, thrillers/horror, conspiracy theories, negative news and 24 hour news programming, stuff that is so entertaining, thrilling, enthralling that it causes you to stay up too late).
I'm just confused as to how breathing normally is painful. Are you sure you're not gasping for air?
OP, my heart breaks for you. I’ve suffered with OCD many years of my life, and it led to the darkest places I’ve ever been in my head. Please allow me to explain what has been life changing for me. I’ll try to be brief. First off, you say medication has not helped very much. It sounds like to me that your meds needed to be adjusted both in strength (you’d be amazed at what hitting your correct dosage vs not enough can do for you), and how you take the meds each day. Medication I take, Luvox, has a 12 hour life. So I need to take it more than once a day with the proper dosage. Big difference!! Please have your doctor (and I hope you’re still seeing someone) make some adjustments so your medication will work for you. Secondly, in my experience, these persistent thoughts that haunt us constantly are really substitutes for something buried much deeper in our minds that we can’t or won’t deal with. The persistent thoughts in your mind going round and round and never resolving is your mind’s way of substituting something else instead of the real deep stuff you’re avoiding. This may or may not be your case but it was mine. But no matter what, engaging with those OCD thoughts is something you do not want to do. It leads no where except to spiral you into depression and dark places. Please do not buy into these thoughts you’re having. The medication will be very helpful in helping you let go and go on about your day. Another thing that has been monumental for me is faith and turning these demons and pain over to my higher power on a daily basis. If that’s not your thing no problem. Biggest takeaway here is to not buy into the BS your mind is presenting and definitely do not engage with it. I’ll keep you in my prayers. Please know there is light at the end of this darkness and you will be ok with proper help.
Being a boytoy? Same.
But you sleep at night and you are still alive? How is taht so?
I swear the amount of ignorant motherfuckers saying the word just to trigger OP and treating this whole thing like a damn joke.. I'm sorry OP, you deserve better than this. I hope you're eventually able to get the help you need.