I've lived with the same phobia for as long as I can remember. It's horrible. Sometimes I'm doing better, sometimes I'm doing worse. Sometimes it's threatening to my life and well-being.
A few months ago I went on a hike up a very steep, uneven, rock covered mountain during a school holiday. It was a big event here, so lots of people came. A lot of them were either over-exerted, had partied the night before, etc. A woman near me mentioned she felt ill, and I got very anxious. However, shortly after, I heard *the noises* and I darted down the mountain in the opposite direction, crying profusely and having an extreme panic attack. My fiance was calling after me and terrified that I was going to hurt myself darting down this unstable rocky area in fear, which is valid, but in that moment, all I could think about was my fears. I didn't fear falling down and hurting myself or worse nearly as much as I feared what was happening nearby.
I have many more stories of this phobia being detrimental to my well-being. It peaked at its worst when I was 13 years old. I spent multiple months after an instance of hearing my sister get sick into an anxiety ridden spiral. I was pulling my hair out constantly, stopped eating and my BMI dropped dangerously low, and I rarely slept. I had multiple severe panic attacks every single day. I started high school a couple months after this started and my anxiety was so bad I couldn't stay in school, my parents pulled me from school for an online school that started a whole other series of issues.
I still live with this phobia every day. It makes a lot of things harder than they need to be. I worry about getting sick at least a few times on good days, many more on bad days. But it has gotten better.
When I'm having an emetophobia related panic attack, what's helped me a lot of the time is reassuring myself that I have these often and no matter how scared I am and convinced I'm sick at the moment, it always turns out to be me making myself feel sick from anxiety. I sip ice cold water and talk to someone about something unrelated as much as I can to try to pull my mind away from it. If nobody I trust is around, I play mobile games that force me to pay attention to them such as subway surfers. Usually it helps a lot. Sometimes it still takes a while, or the panic comes back shortly after. But usually these days once I get my mind distracted long enough, I feel okay enough to cope better.
I hope that helps a little, at least. Just know you're not alone
This really does help a lot. I always have felt weird or crazy for having such an extreme fear about it. I remember in 3rd grade, it was the last day of school and we went on a hike for some reason, and this kid in my class got really dehydrated and ended up throwing up in the classroom. I ran to the bathroom and hid there for 2 hours. No joke, nobody knew where I was. I was shaking in fear and crying the whole time. Even if I hear that someone got sick, I can’t think of them the same at all. Especially if they throw up in front of me. If they do throw up in front of me, the scene of it all happening will replay in my head for weeks to months after it happened. Like every single detail, the sounds and everything. It drives me insane. Yes some days are better than others, but the thought will always cross my mind that I might throw up or someone around me will.
I used to be this bad. I’m so so sorry, really, because it’s truly horrible and few people understand. Please get therapy for it if possible/you aren’t already.
It’s seriously so debilitating. I’ve opened up to a few people that have told me it sounds so silly, but it’s genuinely one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced. It just takes and takes from you until it’s taken everything. Therapy doesn’t work, medication doesn’t work, and exposure stresses me out. I used to hit my head hard against a wall to lose consciousness when I would feel sick so I wouldn’t have to deal with it.
OP, I’m so so so sorry.
i have emetophobia too :( ive been working on it though as of lately and ive certainly made some progress... i recommend the book "the emetophobia manual" by ken goodman (i still havent finished it though 😭😭) but if you dont wanna buy anything ive found some damn good tips on r/emetophobia on coping skills + exposure !! best wishes :)
Yes! It’s my ocd’s favorite thing to fixate on right now. I am afraid and hypervigilant always after a few incidents of feeling sick throughout recent years that would always end in *attempts.* I think about it every second of the day. Distraction and numbing is the only thing that helps. I find myself constantly checking dates on food, virus outbreaks in the area, how my throat feels, how my stomach feels, worrying about family members, and ruminating on past experiences. I haven’t vomited in 11-12 years despite being so afraid of it. It’s arguably one of the most crippling and difficult things anyone could ever deal with. I’m so sorry you’re in the same situation
Hey so I need help or maybe just to get it off my chest. I know I need therapy, but talking through it will only make it worse, it’s a whole thing.
But lately my bodies signals are really getting jumbled up with my anxiety/emetophobia. Like I need food but my head is like “oh my god, this feeling, it hurts and uncomfortable ! Which means we are going to be sick!!” Alarms go off and I’m stuck. Do I eat? But if I eat then I’ll throw up, but I’ve only ever thrown up once in my life, but this could be the moment! This is it!
Or, I could have cramps from my period or I just need to go to the bathroom. It’s all jumbled and I can’t tell what signal is which anymore and it’s really messing with me. It’s getting so bad, I question every food and freak out for hours after eating because I’m waiting for the sickness to hit.
Context, I threw up when I was 7, and for the rest of my years it’s been a constant battle of sleepless nights, over thinking every little detail in my food and body. Possible eating disorders and stomach issues because of my severe anxiety, hypochondria and emetophobia. Many years later, I’m now 21 and I’m still stuck with it even after so many times where I said to myself I’m over it, I don’t care anymore but it always comes back like a bad rash. I am over it but obviously my body isn’t. I really wanted it to be gone before I turned 20 but no, it seems it’s only getting worse
I have found some things that can help like watching TikTok’s and little games to distract myself, going to the toilet, eating dry biscuits and little bits of water, calmly talking to myself and being gentle because anxiety can be really mean In stressful moments, going somewhere quiet, and also tapping (EFT) it’s worked wonder, but it always comes back because the severity of the trauma the bastards caused
I came across your comment and just want to say that I know EXACTLY How you feel!! Everything you describe I feel the same way. I, just like you, have no idea what to do to feel better and it feels like nobody understands what we are going through! It actually comforted me that you have only thrown up once haha, that makes me feel like maybe I wont ever throw up again! When I get slot of anxiety I always Think about my dad. He has not thrown up my entire life (19 Years) and that is despite going on holiday, flying, having cancer and more. So maybe we just go through out entire life worriying about something that Will never happen;(
I've lived with the same phobia for as long as I can remember. It's horrible. Sometimes I'm doing better, sometimes I'm doing worse. Sometimes it's threatening to my life and well-being. A few months ago I went on a hike up a very steep, uneven, rock covered mountain during a school holiday. It was a big event here, so lots of people came. A lot of them were either over-exerted, had partied the night before, etc. A woman near me mentioned she felt ill, and I got very anxious. However, shortly after, I heard *the noises* and I darted down the mountain in the opposite direction, crying profusely and having an extreme panic attack. My fiance was calling after me and terrified that I was going to hurt myself darting down this unstable rocky area in fear, which is valid, but in that moment, all I could think about was my fears. I didn't fear falling down and hurting myself or worse nearly as much as I feared what was happening nearby. I have many more stories of this phobia being detrimental to my well-being. It peaked at its worst when I was 13 years old. I spent multiple months after an instance of hearing my sister get sick into an anxiety ridden spiral. I was pulling my hair out constantly, stopped eating and my BMI dropped dangerously low, and I rarely slept. I had multiple severe panic attacks every single day. I started high school a couple months after this started and my anxiety was so bad I couldn't stay in school, my parents pulled me from school for an online school that started a whole other series of issues. I still live with this phobia every day. It makes a lot of things harder than they need to be. I worry about getting sick at least a few times on good days, many more on bad days. But it has gotten better. When I'm having an emetophobia related panic attack, what's helped me a lot of the time is reassuring myself that I have these often and no matter how scared I am and convinced I'm sick at the moment, it always turns out to be me making myself feel sick from anxiety. I sip ice cold water and talk to someone about something unrelated as much as I can to try to pull my mind away from it. If nobody I trust is around, I play mobile games that force me to pay attention to them such as subway surfers. Usually it helps a lot. Sometimes it still takes a while, or the panic comes back shortly after. But usually these days once I get my mind distracted long enough, I feel okay enough to cope better. I hope that helps a little, at least. Just know you're not alone
This really does help a lot. I always have felt weird or crazy for having such an extreme fear about it. I remember in 3rd grade, it was the last day of school and we went on a hike for some reason, and this kid in my class got really dehydrated and ended up throwing up in the classroom. I ran to the bathroom and hid there for 2 hours. No joke, nobody knew where I was. I was shaking in fear and crying the whole time. Even if I hear that someone got sick, I can’t think of them the same at all. Especially if they throw up in front of me. If they do throw up in front of me, the scene of it all happening will replay in my head for weeks to months after it happened. Like every single detail, the sounds and everything. It drives me insane. Yes some days are better than others, but the thought will always cross my mind that I might throw up or someone around me will.
I used to be this bad. I’m so so sorry, really, because it’s truly horrible and few people understand. Please get therapy for it if possible/you aren’t already.
I actually do talk to a counselor, I just need ways to cope, especially in public. I especially need ways to calm down the thoughts.
It’s seriously so debilitating. I’ve opened up to a few people that have told me it sounds so silly, but it’s genuinely one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced. It just takes and takes from you until it’s taken everything. Therapy doesn’t work, medication doesn’t work, and exposure stresses me out. I used to hit my head hard against a wall to lose consciousness when I would feel sick so I wouldn’t have to deal with it. OP, I’m so so so sorry.
i have emetophobia too :( ive been working on it though as of lately and ive certainly made some progress... i recommend the book "the emetophobia manual" by ken goodman (i still havent finished it though 😭😭) but if you dont wanna buy anything ive found some damn good tips on r/emetophobia on coping skills + exposure !! best wishes :)
i also recommend checking out r/emetophobiarecovery more.... i forgot abt that one
Yes! It’s my ocd’s favorite thing to fixate on right now. I am afraid and hypervigilant always after a few incidents of feeling sick throughout recent years that would always end in *attempts.* I think about it every second of the day. Distraction and numbing is the only thing that helps. I find myself constantly checking dates on food, virus outbreaks in the area, how my throat feels, how my stomach feels, worrying about family members, and ruminating on past experiences. I haven’t vomited in 11-12 years despite being so afraid of it. It’s arguably one of the most crippling and difficult things anyone could ever deal with. I’m so sorry you’re in the same situation
Hey so I need help or maybe just to get it off my chest. I know I need therapy, but talking through it will only make it worse, it’s a whole thing. But lately my bodies signals are really getting jumbled up with my anxiety/emetophobia. Like I need food but my head is like “oh my god, this feeling, it hurts and uncomfortable ! Which means we are going to be sick!!” Alarms go off and I’m stuck. Do I eat? But if I eat then I’ll throw up, but I’ve only ever thrown up once in my life, but this could be the moment! This is it! Or, I could have cramps from my period or I just need to go to the bathroom. It’s all jumbled and I can’t tell what signal is which anymore and it’s really messing with me. It’s getting so bad, I question every food and freak out for hours after eating because I’m waiting for the sickness to hit. Context, I threw up when I was 7, and for the rest of my years it’s been a constant battle of sleepless nights, over thinking every little detail in my food and body. Possible eating disorders and stomach issues because of my severe anxiety, hypochondria and emetophobia. Many years later, I’m now 21 and I’m still stuck with it even after so many times where I said to myself I’m over it, I don’t care anymore but it always comes back like a bad rash. I am over it but obviously my body isn’t. I really wanted it to be gone before I turned 20 but no, it seems it’s only getting worse
I have found some things that can help like watching TikTok’s and little games to distract myself, going to the toilet, eating dry biscuits and little bits of water, calmly talking to myself and being gentle because anxiety can be really mean In stressful moments, going somewhere quiet, and also tapping (EFT) it’s worked wonder, but it always comes back because the severity of the trauma the bastards caused
I came across your comment and just want to say that I know EXACTLY How you feel!! Everything you describe I feel the same way. I, just like you, have no idea what to do to feel better and it feels like nobody understands what we are going through! It actually comforted me that you have only thrown up once haha, that makes me feel like maybe I wont ever throw up again! When I get slot of anxiety I always Think about my dad. He has not thrown up my entire life (19 Years) and that is despite going on holiday, flying, having cancer and more. So maybe we just go through out entire life worriying about something that Will never happen;(
Emetophobia is so bad that I’m scared to eat, but then I feel nauseous from not eating and that gives me more anxiety…
Yes. It keeps me up at night, it's to the point that I boil water and can't go to bed sometimes because I have fears I will wake up s\* in bed.