Struggling with overthinking and anxiety in highschool

Hi everyone! I’m a high school senior, and I’ve been struggling with something for a while now that I don’t really know how to explain to people.

It started during my junior year, around March, when I was sick and had a really bad sore throat. I kept swallowing because it helped soothe my throat, but some guys in my class started making fun of me for it. Ever since then, I’ve become extremely aware of swallowing, and it’s been so hard to stop thinking about it.

I constantly notice the saliva building up in my mouth, and I feel like I’m always aware of when I need to swallow. It’s especially frustrating in class because I want to focus on my lessons, but my attention keeps going back to it. Sometimes I worry that other people can hear me swallowing, so I’ve even asked my friends if it’s loud. They tell me it’s not, but I still feel anxious about it.

The weird thing is that when I first wake up, I’m not immediately thinking about swallowing. I usually notice it again after I get up and start my day. I can also become less aware of it when I’m distracted, but it never feels like it completely goes away.

It’s honestly exhausting because swallowing is something that should happen naturally, but now I feel like I’m constantly thinking about it. I’ve come across people talking about somatic OCD and swallowing hyperawareness, and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar. I’m not trying to diagnose myself; I just want to understand what’s happening to me.

If anyone has gone through something like this, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience and what helped you cope with it. I just want to feel normal again and be able to focus on my life without constantly thinking about swallowing.