Has anyone actually overcome existential OCD? This theme has seriously not only caused dpdr but its just scary. Like i constantly feel like im living ina dream and nothing is real. Its definitely alot worse at night as it used to be all day. But its so draining makes me not wanna even live if im gonna deal with this forever. Also makes me scared ill get pyschosis or something too. UGH
commented this on another thread, but honestly the best thing for existential OCD is accepting it and not engaging it. i think you should talk to someone about the DPDR since it’s another thing that has developed. for now, if you don’t feel ready, try and find ways to distract yourself from it. the more you fight with the intrusive thoughts, the stronger they become. if you keep your brain busy, you won’t have as much time for intrusive thoughts and you can unpack them later. find something you like to do, engage your senses, spend time with someone. ⚠️tw this might make you anxious if you feel like you’re still vulnerable or easily triggered⚠️ in the long run, the best thing for existential ocd is to accept uncertainty. ocd wants us to look for control and answers when someone times there just isn’t one, and trying to solve it or avoid it will just make it more scary and intense. it sounds cliche’d but once you can start to center your focus outward on the present moment and not inward on existential thoughts, it’ll really help you feel more aware. engaging in existential thoughts, trying to fight them or reason with them is a compulsion and does make it worse. i understand the struggle, i’ve struggled with existential ocd and death ocd since i was a kid. i felt like i was plagued with the questions of the universe, and i spent so so long trying to find a way to reason with it, think it through, or convince myself to not worry about it. eventually, i found out that i can’t. i can’t fight it, i can’t get rid of it. it sucks, it hurts, but i can at least make it better. by acknowledging the worry, validating it, and trying to refocus on what’s in front of me i can retake the power that fear has over me. it’ll always be a part of me, but it doesn’t have to control me. same to you, i know that it seems impossible now, but i promise it does get better. it’s a hard, long journey (one i’m not even done or nearly done with) but it’s possible.
and if the thoughts are sudden and unexpected, try connecting them to an outside source. for example, like a really annoying hamster that lives in your brain or something. personifying a feeling can really help you detach from it and see it as an intrusive thing and not just “my brain being dumb”. if you attach emotion to it, it also makes it worse. :((
@citrusy_ Thank you for this!!!!
Hey everyone, I’m one of the advocates for the OCD program and I deal with existential themes and depersonalization. I would not say I’ve overcome existential OCD, BUT I’ve learned to be comfortable with the uncertainty of it. There are still plenty of days I don’t feel real or have existential dread. Especially with the way the world is right now 🤦🏼♀️ There really is no certainty of what is next or real for us! ERP has helped a lot with this for me. There are some days I don’t feel real and feel like I’m watching my life. I’ve learned to breathe through these days and be gentle with myself. Maybe the next day will be different, or maybe it won’t be. We don’t really know! I’ve learned that the more comfortable I’ve gotten with the uncertainty of it, I start to not even notice when I shift back to “normal” or what IS normal to me 🙂 I hope this helps!
Yes this helps!! I feel as if this is one of the most difficult themes because there’s no answers.
@Anonymous Exactly! We have no idea. Just need to lean into it.
@Jesse Miller Mine started with harm first and i got over it in like 2 weeks because i KNOW that’s not who i am as a person. Questioning my existence tho? There’s so much to it haha.
@Jesse Miller Its absolutely terrifying. I hate feeling like im constantly in a dream.
@Anonymous But it’s ok to question it, but doesn’t mean the answer is right. Maybe none of it is real, maybe it is. Maybe it is all a dream 🤷🏼♀️ what would be so bad of not knowing?
@Jesse Miller Sometimes the way ill calm myself down is, “if this wasnt real, you wouldnt even know what dreaming is so obviously its real”
@Jesse Miller But man its just hard. UGHH i hate the panic i get so scared ima thinking im dreaming and shit to the point i cant snap out of it and i go crazy or something
Following in case someone answers. I’m going through the same exact thing. Sorry you’re suffering.😞
Its rough!!
i have the same exact thing man! it’s really tough. I get scared of schizophrenia on top of that aswell. dpdr makes it so scary
Hopefully we get thru this!!
Wow I have the exact same symptoms about not feeling real and existentialism. And very scared if it will progress to something worse. Any tips on beating this?
I have been going through a really hard time lately in regard to my existential ocd. Not only that but my health anxiety has been horrible. What I wanted to bring up to see if a conversation could be had was my derealization. I have been having severe random bouts of derealization that are genuinely starting to feel debilitating. The best way I can describe it is I get sick to my stomach when I think about life, being alive, I convince myself im in a dream, that im stuck in a time loop and nothing around me is real and that ive been making up my entire life. With this also comes the intense feeling that everything has already happened before, its like deja vu but almost worse. I will be in moments lately and every single thing feels like it already happened, then that spirals into me believing nothing is real and im stuck in some kind of dream. Everything feels familiar, everything had already happened, sometimes stuff feels so familiar it genuinely will make me start to throw up because im so scared. Can someone please have a discussion with me and just let me know if theyve felt this way, what I should do, and if itll ever get better? Im genuinely convinced life will feel this way forever and im never going to be okay with being alive again and it genuinely makes me feel insane and so terrified. Thank you.
how to stop existential ocd? I developed dpdr (depersonalisation and derealisation) from this. my toughts are horrible I can't even explain them. I think no one can understand this, just people who also go trought this. everything I think about turns into a horrible existential crisis and I loose connection with my body I see myslef from 3rd position, everything goes blurry and U can't hear properly. I feel so disconnected from reality. sometimes I just feel like I don't have to do anything or I can do anything because I don't even exist, nothing is real. I literally saw a car coming my way amd i had a tought it doesn't matter I can go through the street because I'm not real, i dont exist, so i did that and then later I realised what happened and im really scared now of what I am capable to do. how do I stop this? I'm on meds but I don't think they work, I've also tried many different therapists but I don't feel comfortable with anyone and nothing seems to work
does anyone else struggle with this? the last year has been awful. i feel like im the only one that deals with this, and its so scary and isolating. i feel like i dont recognize myself or other people anymore, and i find myself obsessing over the what ifs & i spiral into a panic attack almost everyday. i’m so exhausted.
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