Just wondering what is normal

[adaptive1]

HI Guys

Sometimes I wonder what is normal and if I worry too much about things that are just thoughts and really I should attach no meaning to it. But then again I do get tired of my obsessive thinking. I was wondering if everyone worries constantly about what they are eating and worries about calorie contents and if you are exceeding your limits. THe thing is I am at a normal weight and I know it but I can't stop worrying about it all the time. I have tried to use the four step method and just accept the thoughts and not pay attention to them, but sometimes I feel so worried about it, the only thing that makes me feel better is to start researching about diets and exercise programs or working out in the gym. The weird thing is I don't think I could possibly be as worried about this as the amount of time I spend thinking of this. I really don't think I care, I just want to get rid of the feeling of anxiety associated with my worry if that makes sense and going to the gym and looking into diets seem to do that.

THis is a fairly normal pattern for me, I move from topic to topic over time but I get tripped up because sometimes things don't seem like OCD type worries to me, they seem like real concerns. Do you think it is normal to worry about what you are eating so much, like, I mean is that just part of being a woman in this day and age? Do you think everyone does this?

I guess what I was wondering is how do I know if I am really worried about this or if I am just being tripped up by brain stuck on auto pilot? Not sure if this makes sense or not.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I think you'll find that several other people here have similar experiences. It's characteristic of obsessive-type OCD.

 

[adaptive1]

Thanks Dr Baxter. It's easier when obsessive thoughts make no sense to me, it's trickier not to buy into them when they feel like real concerns.

 

[sweetsoleil]

i think i can relate adaptive1, I think about food all the time and im always wondering if its an eating disorder or something else. My brain doesnt seem to tell my body when i need to eat. This has been a long-time issue (at least for as long as i can remember).

I know i have to eat....but when it comes right down to putting food into my mouth my thoughts are annoying to the point i often end up not eating when i should be eating. I worry about what type of food i should eat, if its the best choice, and where did it grow? what was used in the soil it grew in, are their better choices with even MORE vitamins i should be eating. I honestly drive myself crazy some days wondering if its even a little bit normal, or if anyone else does the same thing. I

Im also very paranoid that whatever it is im about to eat, is going to make me sick...i stick to fruit and veggies and stay away, for the most part, of foods that are just not going to help my body but at the same time i get exhausted with the thoughts of food and the same pattern my brain seems to do before putting anything in my mouth.


I didnt know until recently what OCD thoughts were...thank you Dr Baxter for all your good reading on the subject. Perhaps i might fall into that category. (I also research on food items often.

 

[adaptive1]

Thanks for posting, I worry about those things too and I am not really sure what the fear is at the end of it. I struggle to accept that these are just OCD thought not to be taken seriously. I fall into the trap of feeling I have to get rid of the anxiety feelings so I end up doing things to try and make myself feel better but they don't work for long . I really thought I was past all these mental games I play with myself but I am trying to find motivation to deal with this on my own.

 

[adaptive1]

I am sorry I have had some anxiety ridden posts on here lately. I am on vacation in Ontario which has given me ssome perspective away from my normal routine. The past few months have been rough. I have been before I left to a therapy session which made me even more obsessed and I felt so consumed with my obsession. I have reading on mindfulness again and trying to enjoy he moment. I need to start thinking of myself as a healthy person but that's hard to do at times. Anyway. Thanks for letting me have a place to record my thoughts.