Are you a "checker?"

[Molly Malone]

I have life long GAD and health anxiety for decades.
I'm a "checker" in that, when I'm super anxious, I find myself checking my body for problems. Hoping I don't find anything but looking hard just the same.
Sigh...I usually find something "wrong" and then I will focus like a laser on that thing, checking, examining, re-examening many times through the day and night, basically working myself into a dither and ruining my life.
Anyone else like me and, other than running to the MD, what do you do to get past this?
THank you for any advice.

 

[FlipperK]

Yep... every itch, twitch, weird sensation, etc. Always checking.

 

[sTeaLth]

This is my life right now. Been having weird tingle-like sensations in my feet since September. They mostly come and go but are hanging around right now. As of this morning I am almost positive they are starting in my opposite foot and hand. No idea if they are or it is my brain and my over-focus on that area... or if it is real. I hate this crap so much. :'(

 

[BenAnxiety]

I've bruised myself a few times from continually checking myself. Its absolutely awful.

 

[sTeaLth]

From what I can tell constantly checking yourself worsens the symptoms and often will replicate them in other places because you’re looking for it and your brain thinks that’s what you want. As best you can, avoid checking anything.

 

[Pandora593]

Sounds like my ocd. But mine is more about danger and other things, not medical/health. The best thing you can do is , not do it. As simple as that sounds, and as easier said than done, but honestly that’s pretty much all you can do. If your brain tells you to do a thing, do the opposite.
The best analogy I’ve read is to treat your brain like an alarm system. It’s there to keep you safe and alert you to potential LIFETHREATENING danger. But with ocd , or similar things, your brain starts misfiring signals. Alerting you to things that are NOT dangerous. Like if your house caught on fire, and you jumped up to check because your alarm went off, thats valid. This checking habit is like if your alarm went off because a bird landed on your roof. By you jumping up and giving attention to this idea, by checking, double checking, etc you are teaching your brain that it did a good job. That a bird landing on your roof is equivalent to your house being on fire.... I know when it comes to medical things thats a bit trickier, but if you stop looking and checking for things, the anxiety lessens. It’s like retraining your brain to not respond to certain things. Another tip i heard, and I personally found helpful, is the idea of creating a bully in my brain. Picturing the biggest creepiest monster to represent my anxiety and ocd. And when i start having obsessive or intrusive thoughts, i picture that thing saying those thoughts to me. And making the conscious decision to tell it either in my head or outloud “ no! Im not rechecking that! “ “ I AM safe!”
“I am okay!!” It’s like creating affirmations for myself. And not reacting to what my brain wants me to react to.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bobnnat]

Sounds odd perhaps, but I try to keep the lighting low when I take a bath or shower, so I don’t start fixating on certain believed irregularities on my legs, arms, feet, etc. I’ve questioned whether my lumina (half moons on nails) are normal/the “right” color on my toes, whether marks on my legs are some sign of a problem, or just because I had been crossing my legs just before, and so forth. What a nightmare.

 

[Matticus1983]

Health Anxiety and OCD are brother and Sister. It's a cycle. And "checking" is the compulsion in the obsessive compulsive disorder. You do it cause you feel like you have to or you won't get the result you need. In this case freedom from fear. Same goes with checking your pulse on your neck, rubbing the hell out of your eyes when your dizzy,...If you think about it hard enough you will see we are a very compulsive type. Compulsively taking deep breaths, superstitious thinking, repetitive, etc. I on many occasions have smacked the living piss out of my face to get a feeling to go away. Thats pretty bad.... From what I have learned over the years Hypochondria and ocd are basically the same except the cycle ends with anxiety or panic.
1. Symptoms
2.Rumimating, the ? Why?
3. Acute self awareness
4. Obsessive worry begins
5.obsession must be relieved by compulsion (checking)
6. New symptoms appear from the compulsion. You compound it all
7. Mental exhaustion. Heightened anxiety and or panic
THEN BACK TO #1
This process can last a while day, or happen with in seconds. Does this make sense?
Each time it cycles you become more prone to anxiety and or panic from a perceived threat that doesn't even exist.
I'm a firm believer ocd before hypochondria/anxiety. Just my opinion but there's plenty online to prove my point. It's all the same. But GAD is way different from Hypochondria in that it does not usually have a very high case of OCD pinned to it. Hence your Health Anxiety is OCD with a disguise on.

 

[Albertina Geller]

It looks like checking OCD and in these people check things repeatedly. For example, checking door locks, switches, checking if you have harmed someone or yourself or made any mistake, etc. You should see a therapist and check if it is OCD or not and if it is OCD then you should start with CBT or ERP therapy.

You can read these articles to learn more about checking OCD
https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/checking-ocd-symptoms-and-treatment/
https://www.ocdtypes.com/checking-ocd.php
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fighting-fear/201207/ocd-and-checking-better-safe-sorry

 

[kitten]

Yes, I am! If I find something 'wrong' if I'm not checking it then I'm thinking about when I'll check it next. I hate it so much but I can't seem to stop myself.

 

[Joleneb]

I am so absolutely relieved to have bumped into this forum today... this has felt like the lonliest lonely thing to go through people just dont understand and roll their eyes when i mention some new thing, makes me feel stupid and pathetic. This constant checking and worrying is exhausting and its changing me, stealing my joy. Ive had general anxiety with some health anxiety for a really long time and have wrestled with it on my own, I dont want to take meds and turn to my faith instead. This pandemic just kicked the health anxiety into over drive tho..Im constantly looking down my throat and feeling my lymph nodes, the number of deadly illnesses myself and dr google diagnose me with in a week is actually just insane.. i dont go to the doctor like others because im too scared.. i am just over doing this, i want to be normal

Sounds like my ocd. But mine is more about danger and other things, not medical/health. The best thing you can do is , not do it. As simple as that sounds, and as easier said than done, but honestly that’s pretty much all you can do. If your brain tells you to do a thing, do the opposite.
The best analogy I’ve read is to treat your brain like an alarm system. It’s there to keep you safe and alert you to potential LIFETHREATENING danger. But with ocd , or similar things, your brain starts misfiring signals. Alerting you to things that are NOT dangerous. Like if your house caught on fire, and you jumped up to check because your alarm went off, thats valid. This checking habit is like if your alarm went off because a bird landed on your roof. By you jumping up and giving attention to this idea, by checking, double checking, etc you are teaching your brain that it did a good job. That a bird landing on your roof is equivalent to your house being on fire.... I know when it comes to medical things thats a bit trickier, but if you stop looking and checking for things, the anxiety lessens. It’s like retraining your brain to not respond to certain things. Another tip i heard, and I personally found helpful, is the idea of creating a bully in my brain. Picturing the biggest creepiest monster to represent my anxiety and ocd. And when i start having obsessive or intrusive thoughts, i picture that thing saying those thoughts to me. And making the conscious decision to tell it either in my head or outloud “ no! Im not rechecking that! “ “ I AM safe!”
“I am okay!!” It’s like creating affirmations for myself. And not reacting to what my brain wants me to react to.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This makes so much sense.. thank you, i will try and use you technique

 

[LordsLostChild]

Health Anxiety and OCD are brother and Sister. It's a cycle. And "checking" is the compulsion in the obsessive compulsive disorder. You do it cause you feel like you have to or you won't get the result you need. In this case freedom from fear. Same goes with checking your pulse on your neck, rubbing the hell out of your eyes when your dizzy,...If you think about it hard enough you will see we are a very compulsive type. Compulsively taking deep breaths, superstitious thinking, repetitive, etc. I on many occasions have smacked the living piss out of my face to get a feeling to go away. Thats pretty bad.... From what I have learned over the years Hypochondria and ocd are basically the same except the cycle ends with anxiety or panic.
1. Symptoms
2.Rumimating, the ? Why?
3. Acute self awareness
4. Obsessive worry begins
5.obsession must be relieved by compulsion (checking)
6. New symptoms appear from the compulsion. You compound it all
7. Mental exhaustion. Heightened anxiety and or panic
THEN BACK TO #1
This process can last a while day, or happen with in seconds. Does this make sense?
Each time it cycles you become more prone to anxiety and or panic from a perceived threat that doesn't even exist.
I'm a firm believer ocd before hypochondria/anxiety. Just my opinion but there's plenty online to prove my point. It's all the same. But GAD is way different from Hypochondria in that it does not usually have a very high case of OCD pinned to it. Hence your Health Anxiety is OCD with a disguise on.

I don't think I've seen anything more true in my entire life I'm currently in stage 6 as we speak