Anxiety attacks and Sensorimotor OCD

[Beautyqueen08]

Lately these last couple months have been bad. It all started with one day I kept questioning myself if I was breathing in or was I breathing out. That led to me being aware of my breathing and controlling it. I freaked out so bad that I started getting panic attacks worrying about if I will forget to breathe or will my body forget how to breathe on its own. I don't want to feel like this anymore I just want to live my life with no worries. I just feel like I don't know what to do with this. I know to some might think its ridiculous but it is something that happens.

[TruthSi72]

Hi Beautyqueen08

I totally get you on this, I used to feel the same way...for me it was an extension of other symptomatic expressions of my anxiety. I can't tell you how I got over this specifically as I really didn't concentrate on one particular symptom but there are a few things to consider.

When we focus on one area of our bodies, be it our heartbeat, breathing or something similar we can tend to begin to feel like it is now laborious, that we have somehow interrupted the natural cycle of things and that our interruption may have caused a chain reaction that will be the cause of things to stop working. Of course, this is not the case, its just that we are focused in on one thing and the idea that this is working outside of our control can seem improbable and therefore it could stop at any moment right?

Wrong.

Your breathing, like your heartbeat and many millions of other actions that are taking place in your body right now, are controlled by automatic systems in your subconscious brain, you cannot turn these off, they are wired into you. Your subconscious mind, therefore, knows the "best setting" to put your breathing at based on the information it is being fed. So if you become scared your subconscious will make your breathing deeper and quicker so that it can take in more air and get you ready to fight or flight...this is when the adrenaline kicks in and you are ready for action.

Now, unless you hold your breath you cannot stop your breathing...your subconscious is so amazing that it keeps you breathing while your asleep! How amazing is that!?

So, the only problem with the subconscious is that it doesn't know what is real and what isn't real, it sees everything as forms of information that allow it to act in your best interest...your subconscious mind only wants to protect you.

So, when we freak out at something that really isn't going to harm us but for some reason puts us into a panic state (this is usually another subconscious learnt story or narrative that we have taken on from somewhere in our lives that we have begun to believe to be true and to play out as something we should be worried or panicked about e.g my breathing feels funny so therefore I must be ill or dying?!?!?) our subconscious mind puts us into panic mode or fight or flight mode but the problem is there is nothing to fight and nothing to runaway from so the energy created gets internalised rather than externalised if that makes sense?

So try this...along with your breathing purposefully, deeply in and out for between 10 and 20 times, or however long feels comfortable, making sure that the aim is to normalise the breathing over this time, speak to your subconscious; acknowledge and thank your subconscious for being there to look after you, thank your subconscious for keeping you alert and protected. Then, assure your subconscious that you are in control, that it need not panic or protect you right now, it is good to know that it is there but you are happy to take over, you promise to look after yourself and there need not be any worry at this time, tell your subconscious that everything can return as it was, relaxed and calm.

The thing to remember here is that your panic is irrational, the thought is irrational, it sounds like it should make sense but it doesn't, that's the thing about anxiety and depression that much of the symptoms are illogical or irrational. That's not your fault of course, but you do have more control over it than you think.

Now, I know this works because I have used it myself and taught others to use it.

But this alone may not fix your anxiety altogether because as with most anxiety issues I have experienced or come across there is a root narrative associated with it that needs to be addressed so you should most definitely consider that aspect.

How long have you been suffering this anxiety?

Can you remember the first time you suffered an attack?

What was going on in your life around this time or perhaps leading up to it?

It will definitely help you to speak to someone, sometimes all it takes is for someone to help you take a different perspective and this can trigger a reprommin of the part of the brain that has stored this learnt behaviour...if you can learn something then you can unlearn it.

Simon

[Beautyqueen08 in reply to TruthSi72]

Thank you very much this was so much help. 😊

[TruthSi72 in reply to Beautyqueen08]

I'm so glad it was useful, I read back and thought...Jeez I wrote a lot...so I probably bored you into a sense of relaxation...which is cool!

Please feel free to DM me anytime if I can help you in any other way.

Have a great Xmas

Si.

[Beautyqueen08 in reply to TruthSi72]

Not at all thank you so much. Hope you had a great Christmas.

[Hopeful-Tinkerbell]

Breathing is the only system in our body that is voluntary and involuntary. You can breathe deep or fast or slow. Voluntarily. Although if you don’t control it it is connected to involuntary nerves that automatically do it for you. So let go. Your body can take it from here. Obviously focusing on it or being anxious can affect the rate and death in which we breathe but when it doesn’t your body has it covered with the automatic nervous system. Anxiety is nerve stimulation. It affects your nervous system which controls breathing. Try to refocus your energy. Relaxation techniques or exercise either one can help. Rest assured though that awesome body you have had got your back. Just trust it. It hasn’t failed you yet! No you don’t sound silly though. We’ve probably all been there. Anxiety affects literally every aspect of our bodies. Right down to our skin. So work on relaxing and let your body do its job. Save your energy for something much more productive or FUN!

[Beautyqueen08 in reply to Hopeful-Tinkerbell]

Thanks you so much for this. I have gotten great advice on here. So glad.