I’ve been experiencing paranoia, for example I would compulsively check if the people I’ve blocked on social media are still blocked, check if a text I sent isn’t deleted, and worry if I’ve accidentally sent a text to someone etc.
I would also be extremely afraid at the uncertainty regarding my past actions and by that I mean I’d be fearing that I did something wrong but don’t remember
And my brain is convinced that I actually did something wrong. Is it common to experience this?
Hey @user7467,
That part where your brain keeps telling you “maybe I did something wrong”, it sounds more like your mind trying to protect you from mistakes than suspecting others. That’s something anxiety does: it traps you in loops of checking and doubting, especially when your system doesn’t trust memory or safety anymore.
People often call this the “what if” cycle, not paranoia, but the mind’s way of searching for certainty it can never quite find. You already showed good insight by noticing the pattern and asking if it’s common. that awareness means you’re not losing touch with reality; you’re fighting with your own fear.
Perhaps maybe try noticing what happens in your body before you check, the quick pulse, the tension, the tiny drop in the stomach and name it as “my anxiety checking again.” that’s how you start reclaiming control.
If these checks start to consume your sleep or focus, please reach out to someone who can guide you through it, a counsellor or psychiatrist can help retrain the brain’s need to overcheck and if ever it gets too much, you can call 1-767 (SOS) or message Mindline 1771 on WhatsApp, you don’t have to wait till it becomes unbearable.
Thanks for writing :))
Yeah, it definitely trapped me so much such that I don’t even trust my own memory.
right now I have the strongest urge to download an app again and check if I posted anything that would put me in danger even though I’ve checked a long time ago and I did not actually post anything. Since it was a while ago since I’ve checked, I’ve lost the certainty that I did not in fact post anything.
And now, I feel like I want to delete my account, but I’m not sure if I already did. I just couldn’t trust myself and live with the uncertainty.
Should I just let this thought fly by and not entertain it? I don’t know what to do, I can’t tell if this is a real threat
Hey @user7467,
That urge to check again and again, even when you already know the answer, isn’t about being careless or paranoid; actually your brain’s been trying a bit too hard to keep you safe. When anxiety gets loud, it starts treating “not knowing” as danger.
Maybe you can try this for a start, when you feel ready, instead of deciding whether the thought is true or false, try first to steady your body before reacting. Here’s a small routine you can practise whenever that checking wave hits:
S – Slow your body. Drop your shoulders, take a slow breath in through your nose (4 counts) and a longer exhale (6 counts).
A – Acknowledge the urge. Say quietly, “this is my anxiety telling me to check.”
F – Focus on the present. Name three colours or sounds around you to bring your senses back.
E – Exit the loop safely. Tell yourself, “I’ll wait 10 minutes, then decide.” usually the intensity fades a little.
You can also keep a short “done list.” Each time you check something and it’s fine, jot it down. When doubt creeps back, look at that list instead of reopening the app. It helps your mind relearn that memory can be trusted.
These habits take time to build. If the checking keeps coming back or starts to interfere with rest, it’s worth talking to a behavioural therapist or mental health medical practitioner. They can guide you through practical steps to reduce these loops safely and teach ways to live with uncertainty without fear.
Avoid having to “fix” the thoughts in a rush, the goal is just to stay steady and give yourself small moments of calm until the fear passes. Every time you wait a little longer before checking, you’re already making progress.
Thanks 
Right now, I’m afraid that I scheduled a message to send to someone a long time ago and is now set to send at any time in the future. Should this be worth something to worry about,?
Hey,
What you just did, it’s a classic example of how anxiety sneaks in new forms of the same fear: the fear of doing something wrong without realising.
You said you scheduled a message to send to someone a long time ago, if you knew it was critical, you’d have done something about it. If you didn’t knew, there’s no other way to know it.
You can treat it the same way as the earlier urges. You can add it to your done list, “had the thought about scheduled message.” that helps the brain see it’s a thought, not an emergency. For now, focus on something grounding (music, stretching, petting a pet, a short walk). Once the body calms, decide if there’s any real evidence that a message exists.
You’ve already shown insight that this fear might not match reality, that’s progress. But because these worries keep resurfacing, it’d be really good to have a mental health professional walk beside you to help you learn how to recognise when anxiety is pretending to be logic and build a plan that slowly retrains your brain’s safety signal.