Distraction is hard

[NicoletteCB]

So basically I seem to have this problem where any little pain or weird feeling in my body becomes interpreted as a life or death emergency ailment

What I mean is like I’m really scared of having a heart attack, stroke,  blood clot, anaphylactic shock (not allergic to anything tho), not being able to breathe properly or aneurysm and dying because I don’t make it to the ER on time or whatever. 

Sometimes as an example I get chest pains (most likely from anxiety) and then suddenly I’m thinking “ What if this is a heart attack symptom and I’m gonna die now!”

Then usually what happens is I just cannot stop thinking about the symptom. I’m monitoring it and freaking out basically.

My therapist would tell me to distract myself but I don’t know how to. Sometimes I’m also in class or on cash register at work and I can’t just leave the triggering situation to distract myself from the physical symptom I’m scared of

Any help?

[paradoxer]

17 minutes ago, NicoletteCB said:

So basically I seem to have this problem where any little pain or weird feeling in my body becomes interpreted as a life or death emergency ailment

What I mean is like I’m really scared of having a heart attack, stroke,  blood clot, anaphylactic shock (not allergic to anything tho), not being able to breathe properly or aneurysm and dying because I don’t make it to the ER on time or whatever. 

Sometimes as an example I get chest pains (most likely from anxiety) and then suddenly I’m thinking “ What if this is a heart attack symptom and I’m gonna die now!”

Then usually what happens is I just cannot stop thinking about the symptom. I’m monitoring it and freaking out basically.

My therapist would tell me to distract myself but I don’t know how to. Sometimes I’m also in class or on cash register at work and I can’t just leave the triggering situation to distract myself from the physical symptom I’m scared of

Any help?

No one's going to say it's easy, but your therapist is right. The more radical approach, if you can do it, is to beat the obsessional thoughts at their own game. Concede that the risk might be real, 'Yes, I really might be about to drop down dead at any moment ... but apart from that concession am not going to pay it any mind'. The counter intuitive approach. Again, not easy. But the way forward is to wear OCD down, by not jumping to its tune. 

Edited November 29, 2019 by paradoxer

[Handy]

What was your original obsession that started this?

[paradoxer]

On 30/11/2019 at 16:44, Handy said:

What was your original obsession that started this?

Totally, completely and utterly irrelevant. To imply otherwise is the opposite of helpful, not to mention, plain dumb.

In addition, apart from being immaterial, the question comes across as boorish. 

[dksea]

On 30/11/2019 at 03:57, NicoletteCB said:

What I mean is like I’m really scared of having a heart attack, stroke,  blood clot, anaphylactic shock (not allergic to anything tho), not being able to breathe properly or aneurysm and dying because I don’t make it to the ER on time or whatever. 

Sometimes as an example I get chest pains (most likely from anxiety) and then suddenly I’m thinking “ What if this is a heart attack symptom and I’m gonna die now!”

Then usually what happens is I just cannot stop thinking about the symptom. I’m monitoring it and freaking out basically.

I can relate Nicolette, fear of dying has always been a big one for me, so especially as I've started to get a little older (starting to see the big 4-0 in my future ) I've started to be a little more anxious about some of these things.  But as you've recognized, there is usually a much more reasonable and less dramatic explanation for these kind of sensations.  Its also worth reminding yourself from time to time that OCD sufferers tend to be MUCH more hyperaware of all these physical sensations than your average person, so its likely you are over noticing them anyway.

As mentioned above, acceptance of uncertainty is part of recovery from OCD (and part of living a more normal life).  It would be great if we could guarantee perfect health until X date, but we can't.  Someday you probably will die, and of course that will be sad for you, and your loved ones, but its PROBABLY not gonna be today.  So yes, dying today would be sad, but so would spending the next 10,20, 50 years of your life worrying about dying and not getting to LIVE a life as a result.  After all, what's the point of staying alive if you don't do anything with that time, be it big, like inventing fusion and solving the worlds energy problems, to small, like reading a good book or tending to a garden.  Try not to let OCD rob you of the time you do have by making you worry about what MIGHT happen someday.

And who knows, maybe you're immortal!  As far was we know its possible at this point