Some tics can be carried out whilst doing other things. But when tics affect breathing it’s a big deal. Very uncomfortable at best and at worst, make you feel like you’re suffocating.
My first experience of this was in high school. I became hyper aware of my own breathing (as an overlap with OCD) and I had a strong urge to inhale deeply.
You know when breathing goes from automatic to manual? When you remember you have to breathe to survive and then it stops being this automatic thing that happens subconsciously.
I’ve realised a lot of people have this, and it feels like you have to drop everything you’re doing to take over the role of breathing. It’s scary.
Now in my thirties, breathing tics almost exclusively affect me when I’m swimming. I can’t go too far underwater because of the urge to breathe in. The sensation of being underwater has always been uncomfortable for me.
But for you the tic may manifest elsewhere. It could be when trying to sleep or when you’re around strangers. It can vary a lot. But what we all have in common is how it makes us feel. Scared, uncomfortable, tired. And that it feels like it will never go away.
You’re not alone in this, and as one of the websites most viewed articles, there’s many people sharing this exact same experience.
For anyone wanting to contribute lived-experience to the tic log, ‘vocal or phonic tics (random sounds)‘ via ‘throat‘ or ‘respiratory system‘ is probably most accurate, although I will leave that for you to decide!