Hi

[kiwigirl]

I have suffered from anxiety most of my life. When I was a kid I used to feel sick at school and out anywhere. That has disappeared and now I have OCD with checking and fixing and general anxiety. Sometimes I wonder if I actually want to get better as I am so used to it now that I can't imagine being without it and getting better seems too scary. Does anyone else ever feel like that.

[MiST]

Hi and welcome to the community. It's quite normal to feel like that, don't worry about that too much. I say it to everyone, but to get a really good understanding of the anxiety state, aswell as understanding OCD's and agrophobic states, check out any of the work by Dr Claire Weekes.

[Zenlover]

Hello and welcome. You are very familiar with what you've been going through. Change for anyone can be scary and behind that lies a lot of fear with worry. You can start by working on positive counter-statements such as, "I can be anxious and still do this". "This may be scary, but I can tolerate OCD, knowing that I will get better". or "I can continue to make progress one step at a time". You can also seek support groups in your area which are led by a mental health professional. Deep relaxation skills and abdominal breathing can help reduce symptoms as well.

[MainerMikeBrown]

Kiwigirl, fortunately for you and everyone else who has issues with OCD checking is that as serious as an issue as OCD is, it's very treatable.