Turn the 'spotlight' offf your body?

[anxious]

Hi, i went for a CBT assessment last week (should start middle of next year) and they gave me some leaflets to read.
I found one part very interesting - turn the spotlight off your body. I think you will all agree we are far too aware of our body and any changes. I am constantly obsessing and checking for marks, spots, lumps & monitoring aches and pains. Many a time i will say to myself, would a 'normal' person be doing this? I mean please tell me i am not the only one who has contorted themselves into some wierd position armed with mirror and torch to check some bump/mole out? I mean is that 'normal' behaviour? I know that they tell us to be aware of changes, but sometimes what i do is totally over the top.
Does anyone else get themselves into such a state that they don't actually know what they are looking/feeling at? I end up in a state of panic not knowing if i have really found anything or if its in my mind!
I also don't seem to be able "to give things time". If i find a spot say, i worry about it immediately. If i could set myself a time limit - say two
weeks- the thing would have probably gone by then.
I've asked 'normal' friends if they would think to check for stuff like i do and i get some very strange looks. They are sure if there was a problem, they would notice it - so why go looking.
I'm waffling now, but the leaflet made me aware of how obsessed i am with looking at my body.
I really need to turn that spotlight off.

anx xx

Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects

[reddevil]

Hi,

Your description is 100% me, I'm totaly the same.

I'm still waiting for my assesment, been told it could be Janaury.

Red

[mick]

hi Anx
im forever monitering and analyising myself to, its obsessive im not as bad as i usedto be, but its still a problem,my current worry is headaches which my doctor said are anxiety and sinus related he said dont worry its nothing serious!lol they all say that dont they?even when im feeling ok i half expect something to go wrong with me, its a very common sympton of anxiety, there are thousands of poor sods out there like us m8, as your soon realise by this website, you will recover slowly by therapy lifestylechange etc use this website as often as you can, i have learned loads of helpfull imfomation since i joined and we all have a common emphatic bond we understand fully what this dreadfull illness is all about and we are allways there for each other,that spot light will turn its self out
take care
Mick

[Humly]

Your post made me smile. Especially the bit about "contorting with a mirror & torch " etc. Yes, I have done that in the past and often ask myself if a "normal" person would be doing or worrying about this. Every time I have a pain/spot/weird sensation I also immediately worry about it and it takes all my willpower not to go running straight to the docs. I am slowly getting a bit better with this especially having found this site, and I try to leave things a little while before I do but sometimes its a struggle. Now I go running to this website instead.

LT

[kittykat]

Hi Anx,
You have just described me to a tee..........i'm always monitoring myself and if i find anything i too set myself a time limit. I've not long started cbt but at the moment finding it raelly hard to cope with my anxiety, but am pleased i have managed to boycott google. xx

[lass]

Yep, that's me too! And last night, I decided to have a long, hot, relaxing bath - I got all my nice lotions and potions out, lit some candles, got in the bath, then (by candlelight) checked myself out for lumps, bumps, spots and moles. I can't help myself, then I get into a real agitated state that I found something I'd never found before. So there went my relaxing bath!

And I'd love to be able to have a sensible time limit before I started panicking. I get loads of mouth ulcers and always have done. Previously I'd accepted them as ulcers and just put up with them without worrying. Now each one convinces me it's mouth cancer. Why????

I think I am scared I'll "miss" something if I'm not obsessing about it all the time, so even when I'm feeling okay and not too anxious, it's still at the back of my mind to keep checking.

[piglits pal]

I'm a mirror and torch contortionist too.

Sometimes I can laugh about it, but sometimes it seriously has to be done.

Did pretty well recently. Found a small lump in my mouth. Managed not to panic. Waited nearly 3 weeks until I went for a routine appt for more meds and mentioned it then. Saliva gland.

I'm getting better but I can totally relate to what you are all saying. And doing. [^]

[anxious]

AAAAhhhhh baths, i totally relate to that. I would love to relax in the bath instead of being on high alert!!
Ah well its obviously just not me,
been good today :)
anx x

Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects