- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
I want to help you but unfortunately I don't know how😔😣 but I want you to know that I have similar thoughts, so you're not alone in this
- Date posted
- 3y
I understand you and you are not alone… it’s very hard not to think about because unfortunately it is the only thing certain in life… is death.. but I think with some therapy and maybe just some comfort and support from your loved ones you may be at ease for awhile about it… I know it’s so hard I’ve been dealing with the intrusive thoughts so much lately and I know how it is…. Just breathe and be in the moment for now. It’s all we can do. Just know you are not the only one. Do you believe in a higher power (if you don’t mind me asking)?
- Date posted
- 3y
I think I do. I’m hoping that’s not just a compulsion tho
- Date posted
- 3y
I just think by the time I’m 85 , I’d probably have enough of life but I also am very spiritual
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 3y
I read a post once that said “make lemonade, don’t ask why you were given the lemons.” I think you just have to engage with life as much as you can and try to enjoy it. I have this kind of fear as well but I just try to go out and live rather than ruminate about it. I also find comfort knowing we’re all in the same boat. I don’t know how old you are, but evolutionarily we’re supposed to fear death the younger we are. One day our fears will change. I remember when my grandmother was alive, she couldn’t wait to die because she was 97 and had already lived such a long and fulfilling life. Death anxiety right now is normal and can be healthy, but don’t let it ruin the rest of your life.
- Date posted
- 3y
True they say as you get older death anxiety decreases saying at 20 is when it peaks , my nan also lived to 92 and she said she was ready to go , she lived through both World Wars
- Date posted
- 3y
I cant give a definitive answer on how to help it but please know that it does get better. I used to obsess daily about death and eventually it went away and doesn’t bother me anymore, hang in there :)
- Date posted
- 3y
I’m bad today cos I did ERP watching all Final Destinations
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w
I struggle so bad with intrusive thoughts. They can be so bad that I'll cry because I KNOW that's not how I feel or want to do. (Too embarrassed to say what they're about) I'll constantly try to figure out why I have them, and constantly figure out what they mean, causing me to constantly circle around and around. I had to get on anxeity meds, which helped a little but the thoughts still happen. How do you help yourself with this? How do you know that you're just not some physcopath? 😅
- Date posted
- 20w
OK, this might sound really dumb, but when you guys get intrusive thoughts, do they just come once and then go away? I’ve heard that repeatedly thinking about an intrusive thought is considered ‘checking,’ but it doesn’t feel like I have any control over how many times it comes up in my head. It’s not like I’m trying to check anything—it just keeps showing up, almost like it’s terrorizing me every time. I can’t seem to stop it from looping, stop remembering it, or prevent it from coming up. Every time it does, I feel horrified, and I already know it’s going to horrify me. I don’t think I’m actively trying to see if my feelings have changed, so is this still considered checking? How do other people get an intrusive thought and just move on? Doesn’t it pop up a million times for them too? I always thought that was normal, but now I’m hearing this could be a compulsion, and I feel really confused, scared, and lost. Is this why my OCD feels so extreme? Because I really don’t feel like I can control how many times the thought pops up.
- Older adults with OCD
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- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 15w
I used to get caught in a loop with existential thoughts very frequently. Every question made my stomach drop: (TW: existential questions) … … ... "Why does anything exist at all? What will death be like? Is anything even real? Is there any meaning to this? Is the universe infinitely big, and if not, what's beyond it? Are there multiverses? Has the universe been around forever? Will the universe end for good, or will it keep going forever? What is forever like? What even IS reality?" It would get so overwhelming that I remember lying on the floor in a fetal position for hours because I felt like there was no escape. I spent most of my days reading articles and watching videos about theoretical astrophysics and philosophy in a desperate attempt to "figure it all out." Of course that only made me more anxious, raised more questions, and kept me trapped in the cycle. Things started to improve once I learned to turn TOWARD reality, rather than away from it, and ERP really helped me do that. I learned that these questions weren't the problem. I learned that I can actually handle the anxiety that arises when exposed to these ideas and concepts. I don't have to figure anything out to make the anxiety go away; it arises and passes away on its own. Ironically, bringing myself into the present moment and becoming more aware of reality helped me escape the cycle of existential dread. Because of that, this topic no longer takes over my life. If I'm triggered by something I see, hear, or think, I may still feel a little twang of anxiety, but then it just goes away. "Maybe, maybe not" has been the single most useful phrase of my life. Do you ever get trapped in a cycle of existential questions? Are you worried that the ERP approach would be too scary to handle? If so, I'm happy to give my advice.
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