blinking obsession?.....please help

[ebrown314]

so not too long ago i used to have this constant obsession of being aware of my breathing. i would hyperventilate until i felt as though i couldn't catch my breath. it was really terrifying because i couldn't ever relax nor get over the habit of controlling every breath i took, from the time i woke up until the time i fell asleep..... it was emotionally draining and distressing.

however, i got over it because i researched it... and found out the only way to overcome it would be to accept that it is happening and know that i will eventually get over it because it is natural.

after i got over that....... i have a new obsession and it has become SOOO irritating in whatever situation i am in.... it's blinking. yes, sounds soooo crazy and irrational. but it's true. it's a terrible habit, i am constantly aware of my blinking now. it stresses me out to a point where i'm just not motivated to do anything anymore. it's almost like it made me feel depressed. my mind cannot get off of my blinking. i am manually doing every single blink and it is so painful idk what to do. i can't focus on anything.... someone please tell me i'm not alone or at least give me some sort of hope/advice. i want to be the strong, happy and carefree girl that i know i am again. :/

 

[fitftw]

I have a similar obsession, but with swallowing. Sometimes I get really freaked out when I think I won't be able to swallow and I have mini-spasm seizures for 2 seconds when I try to swallow. Especially at night while trying to fall asleep, I'll really be focusing on every swallow but it does happen all day too. It's very strange and I never told anyone about it. I've learned to just accept it though, it's not painful like you say your eye-blinking is, but it is an OCD/annoyance/nervous tick

 

[T T T]

I have a similar thing with eye contact.
If i'm not thinking about where I put my eyes, i'm fine. However, as soon as I think about it and I start conciously controlling my eyes I become obsessed with where to put them to not make the other person feel uncomforatble or think that I am rude.

 

[Paahi]

I have a similar thing with eye contact.
If i'm not thinking about where I put my eyes, i'm fine. However, as soon as I think about it and I start conciously controlling my eyes I become obsessed with where to put them to not make the other person feel uncomforatble or think that I am rude.

I do this too.
So annoying.

 

[vanfuggle]

I've had similar experiences with swallowing. Anxiety is just so weird. We get a thought and then our mind hold on to it. What if I can't swallow my food? Or something like that. Next thing this thought is in the background all the time and it makes us feel weird and life gets hard. It doesn't feel natural.

things like breathing and swallowing and blinking are taken care of by our brains without us even having to think about it. But of course we can control them when we think about it. So the way out is to learn how not to think about it and just let our bodies take care of themselves.

What i have learned is taht all the crazy weird symptoms of anxiety are all the result of the release of hormones like adrenalin. If I can go about my day and try not to focus too much on the distressing thoughts and feelings, they will surely pass eventually.

You have to Not let your thoughts go to the breathing, the blinking, the swallowing. You must force yourself to think of something else and retrain your body to take charge.

I did this with the swallowing and also with other really horrible feelings like depersonalization. I learned to do everything I needed to do- work, shop, etc, while i felt like I was literally outside my body. It takes some practice, but man is it worth it. Once you stand up to your fears, you knock the wind out of their sails, so to speak, and it starts to get easier.

Hope this helps.

 

[pebblesdundee]

With my eyes, not so much anymore, but a while back, I'd constantly open them really wide for some reason, I couldn't help it. I was really self conscious about it, but couldn't stop, one day I did stop, for no reason at all, so don't give up on getting over it, it could happen as easily as mine