Obsessive anxious thoughts

[sweetpeagarden]

anyone else who struggles with anxiety and health anxiety specifically? I feel like I can’t escape a loop of intrusive thoughts lately. Have been on 50mg sertraline for around 8 weeks and starting to see a difference in overwhelming sense of anxiety, panic attacks and general hopelessness however I am just hyperfixated on my body. Strangely the obsession is around preventing any vaginal health problems. I get anxious about getting a uti or any other infections. I take probiotics, drink lots of water, have to plan when we’re having sex in my head so I know I can have wee before and after etc. not very spontaneous and I just want to feel more calm and not take everything so seriously! Have had an initial assessment for talking therapy and just waiting for first session…My recent thoughts include things like obsessing over whether I’m clean enough down there, checking toilet paper, worrying I’ve not cleaned up enough after a bowel movement even after showering and that the germs will get towards my front (always wipe front to back), that the towel or clothes will be not clean enough to wear. I even get the occasional worry that after sex I’ll get symptoms of some sort of illness down there even though I know me and my partner of nearly three years are faithful and have no reason to worry about that. Does anyone else struggle with overthinking and catastrophic thoughts? Honestly it can be so draining. I love gardening, walking and music - need to distract myself with these. Just a vent really!

When you got your medication prescription, did you tell them about these health related thoughts?

Can you remember when this started and what the likely trigger was? It wasn't something you were born with so it was learnt somewhere along the line (and anything you learn can be unlearnt).

I think it might have been getting a uti and getting sore down there, don’t know if this was because of the antibiotics but I went through a phase of googling (which I am avoiding doing) which put all sorts into my head! Sounds a bit silly really.

That's a fairly extreme reaction to a UTI, especially if it's out of character for you. Is there anything else going on in your life at the moment?

Hi OP,

I'm sorry to hear you are experiencing this. I'm a therapist and just to say that getting stuck in loops of anxiety and intrusive thoughts is really common (but also that just because it is common that does not dismiss how impactful and distressing it is).

I've written two blog posts that will hopefully be helpful to you and all the best with the talking therapies appoinments.

https://mothernurturetherapy.co.uk/worry-overthinking-mum/
https://mothernurturetherapy.co.uk/scary-thoughts-in-the-perinatal-period/

Sorry to hear you're struggling with this, I have experience with health anxiety and obsessive rumination also. With the compulsions you're experiencing too- checking toilet paper etc, it points towards OCD. Have you told your GP specifically about the ruminating and checking?

Medication helps to calm anxiety, but thought loops like this usually need therapeutic intervention too. CBT is very effective for this. Can you contact your GP and ask for a CBT referral with talking therapies?

I had CBT years ago for a similar issue and it helped me break free of the loops.

The foundation of it all is what you pay notice to- grows. The more thoughts repeat, the more the brain attaches importance to them, and the more they repeat. Compulsions (checking etc) begin in response to the thoughts, but they only reinforce the cycle and anxiety.

Professional help through CBT helps to target this by helping you to gradually accept the thoughts but attribute less importance to them, and gradually expose yourself to what you're worrying about and learn that it is safe, and gradually delay and stop the checking etc. That enforces it.

Thinking of you, I know how exhausting, consuming and difficult this experience is