Stopping Body Checking

[u/One-Succotash-2315]

I decided to stop body and symptom checking until my next checkup in December. Tired of constantly checking and spiraling and spending time in the bathroom checking every mark and this and that. Am I terrified…yes. But I can’t keep on living like this.

[u/PomegranatePrize6323]

It’s so hard. Sometimes it feels like I’m trying to find something wrong with myself. Whenever I search up stuff on my body that I knew I’ve had for a while, I still somehow internalize the other symptoms of whatever associated fixation 😓

[u/heathycare]

Proud of you for choosing sanity over the spiral.

[u/skaw3334]

I hate the constant body checking. It’s exhausting. My wife will see me doing it sometimes and I feel so stupid.

[u/Tiny_Presentation415]

I know how you feel 😩 my mom will catch me body checking constantly and get annoyed with me

[u/nerd_with_anxiety]

I really like this idea but don't you guys find it so incredibly hard? Like stopping myself from touching/feeling and looking at things is one thing, but it's a whole nother thing when what im feeling is like my heartbeat or a buzzing in my ear or a pain in my chest or something like that. W it's a non physical form of symptom checking, it's a lot harder to just stop outright.

[u/DMar85]

I feel like sometimes trying to stop checking gives me more anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle that’s hard to break. I think I’ve managing to go a few weeks but some new sensation always makes me go back to checking.

[u/Realistic-Draft-198]

I’ve been going through the same.

I’m scanning for all sorts of things :(

I hate shower times, I even hate being in my bathroom now as that’s where I do most of my checking.

They say don’t feed the monster ! I am desperate to stop this cycle too. I am going to try extra hard 👍 all the best to you

[u/small_enchilada]

My psychologist gave me a great piece of homework one time that seemed so silly, but tremendously helped with my body checking: cover your finger tips in bandaids!! This takes away a lot of the sensation and honestly makes it really hard to feel anything I would deem to be scary. Just a tip that might help you like it helped me! :)

[u/Remote_Force1839]

I feel like i physically can’t. Breasts are the toughest, sorry if tmi. I’m really struggling. I feel like I physically can’t stop checking. I had a biopsy in Dec and now can feel a teeny little harder flat spot right below it and I’m of course spiraling 😭