Eye Issues

G

GTfan

Well known member
Here's a new one. Can eye problems be TMS related?

After healing a broken hand, and not having issues from achilles tendonitis anymore, now I'm being driven crazy by eye issues! I have a history of getting styes and in grown eye lashes in my left eye. But this time around, I just have the constant feeling like I have something stuck in my eye. I've checked and my usual eyelash that grows into my eye is not the culprit, and I don't really see anything wrong with my eye, no swelling or redness really.

I've been keeping my eye clean, using dry eyes drops, and using heat compression. Its just wild because I can't find anything wrong with my eye and I don't even have any vision issues. Its just that constant feeling of something being stuck in my eye! Its been going on for like 4 days now.

Maybe TMS is just using a common issue area to fire up some nerves and drive me crazy for no reason??? Lol
 
Yes, it sure can be. TMS can be ANYTHING at all that gets your attention.
You talk about treating your eye physically, but have to done any emotional inquiry? Asked yourself how you were doing BEFORE the eye grabbed your attention? Did you NEED a distraction from any internal stressors? You mention "wild" "fire up nerves" and "drive me crazy" - those are strong reactions of irritation. Do you find yourself so reactionary to things usually or have you been on edge lately?
 
Cactusflower said:
Yes, it sure can be. TMS can be ANYTHING at all that gets your attention.
You talk about treating your eye physically, but have to done any emotional inquiry? Asked yourself how you were doing BEFORE the eye grabbed your attention? Did you NEED a distraction from any internal stressors? You mention "wild" "fire up nerves" and "drive me crazy" - those are strong reactions of irritation. Do you find yourself so reactionary to things usually or have you been on edge lately?
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Starting having issues when I did a 14 hour roundtrip drive for my side gig (football referee). I've got a 3 month old at home who demands a lot of attention currently, and my wife lets me know when she doesn't think I'm pulling enough weight (as she should). My side gig also demands a lot attention, and these TMS symptoms are certainly good distractions, because vision is very important.

So yeah, I'm sure the id is "fired up" about having to take care of a baby while also the high demand and travel needed for my side gig. I really enjoy it, but I also put an enormous amount of pressure on myself. I'm a textbook perfectionist TMS personality. I could just think about my eye hurting on Monday and start worrying about my vision not being 100 percent for my game coming up on the weekend and it causing me to miss a call or screw something up.

I should definitely look into some techniques to try to ease my anxiety, fear of failure, and perfectionism. On one hand, my drive for perfectionism has made me great at what I do, but it can be really enraging to the Id to constantly be beat up like that I understand...
 
"I also put an enormous amount of pressure on myself"

It's not your job, your wife, your baby, or your referee stuff, it's how you think about yourself in those roles, and the pressure that you put on your self in that intense way it sounds like you might have.

A great first step would be to notice the intensity and learn how to dial it back. You don't have to be a perfectionist about putting the perfect pressure on yourself ! Every once and while just sit down and write out all the enraging gunk you do to yourself, how you feel about everything and just let it go - that is the perfect place for intensity! Then go snuggle your sweet baby and yell at the idiots on the field!!
 
GTfan said:
Its just wild because I can't find anything wrong with my eye and I don't even have any vision issues. Its just that constant feeling of something being stuck in my eye! Its been going on for like 4 days now.

Maybe TMS is just using a common issue area to fire up some nerves and drive me crazy for no reason??? Lol
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TMS involves symptoms in the absence of a structural cause, so it makes a lot of sense!

Re your last sentence, it's never for no reason :) @Cactusflower has highlighted one of the main likely reasons.
 
Money has also become an issue now since my wife went on maternity leave with no pay and now the daycare expensive are starting to hit. I can definitely tell I'm enraged at my wife for making me take on such a financial burden and still demanding me to spend more time with them and do more to help with the baby care stuff, but obviously the mind wants to protect you from those feelings reaching the surface.

Obviously, a lot to unpack there. I'm sure I could benefit from some kind of therapy, but hey just venting about this stuff on this site has helped my physical symptoms go away completely today lol

I'm sure this kind of stress is not uncommon for most first time parents!
 
@GTfan
I'd look further than just being enraged at your wife. You are aware of that, and not always, (but in general) it's more about how that reminds you of things in your past, and how you are feeling about things eg. like you "allowing" your wife to stay at home etc (how you are thinking about yourself in this situation and how that gets turn around into anger and rage at your wife for the situation). It's usually some tangle of things but we ourselves are usually always at the center of it all.

I don't think you necessarily need therapy, but I do think a bit more awareness about how deep this stuff goes, the patterns in your life and the cycles that happen would be a benefit to you. The breadth or mix of your emotions which you are noticing (rage and love) or the things your mind doesn't even want you to look at (perhaps some rage mixed with love for your daughter who's presence has upended your life). I think you hit the nail on the head when you mention parenting - Nichole Sach's entire career is pretty much built on the moment she recognized her unconscious rage at her children and how her conscious mind loves those kids and the emotions that are unseen, and how journaling opened her up to feeling more free to explore the intensity of her emotions and thoughts.
 
Cactusflower said:
@GTfan
I'd look further than just being enraged at your wife. You are aware of that, and not always, (but in general) it's more about how that reminds you of things in your past, and how you are feeling about things eg. like you "allowing" your wife to stay at home etc (how you are thinking about yourself in this situation and how that gets turn around into anger and rage at your wife for the situation). It's usually some tangle of things but we ourselves are usually always at the center of it all.

I don't think you necessarily need therapy, but I do think a bit more awareness about how deep this stuff goes, the patterns in your life and the cycles that happen would be a benefit to you. The breadth or mix of your emotions which you are noticing (rage and love) or the things your mind doesn't even want you to look at (perhaps some rage mixed with love for your daughter who's presence has upended your life). I think you hit the nail on the head when you mention parenting - Nichole Sach's entire career is pretty much built on the moment she recognized her unconscious rage at her children and how her conscious mind loves those kids and the emotions that are unseen, and how journaling opened her up to feeling more free to explore the intensity of her emotions and thoughts.
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I actually just started her podcast!
 
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