My brain is telling me that something is wrong and that my dad is going to die even though there is nothing wrong. My brain is finding everything that could be evidence that something is secretly wrong with him. I have been struggling with this thought loop for months. Please help. I don't know if I can handle this today 😭
I’m sorry to hear you’re having a tough time. Remember OCD is the doubting disease. It loves to cause as much angst as possible and to attach to things that are important to us. Ultimately, the best way to handle these thoughts and obsessions is to try to limit your engagement with them; don’t try to determine whether or not they are valid. Instead let them pass through your mind; limiting your response to something neutral like “maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not” or “thanks “OCD”. I know easier said than done, but with time and practice it does get easier. ERP (exposure and response prevention) therapy has helped me Learn how to do this. Are you currently in therapy for your OCD? If not, please consider reaching out to the NOCD care team for a free 15 minute consultation. recovery is possible. please be patient and kind of yourself.
@Lisa LeeLou I think Lisa summed it up perfectly. Think of how many times you have had these thoughts over these months. Has this thought ever come true? Or was it just OCD messing with you?
As Lisa said, OCD is the doubting disorder; it can make you doubt almost anything and everything. OCD is also a bully; it attacks the things you care about the most and makes you feel/think you HAVE to do something to solve it or make it go away. But trying to solve or make something go away will only make it stay harder. Non-engagement is the best response we have; maybe something is wrong with your dad, maybe it’s not. But continuing to think about it won’t get you any closer to an answer. When these thoughts come up, hit them with a “hmm maybe” and return your attention to whatever you’re doing in the present moment. You don’t have to let OCD bully you, you can tell it to back off. I believe in you!
Thank you so much. Your words are helpful
For the past month and a half I’ve been getting horrible thoughts that I’m going to die soon and I keep seeing things on the news about 18 year olds dying and I’m scared it’s a sign because I’m 17 and my head keeps telling me somethings going to happen before I turn 18 or when I turn 18. I’ve also got a constant feeling in my gut that something bad is going to happen to me and it never goes away it’s a horrible feeling and I don’t know what to do. My head also keeps telling me I’m ready to die which I’m not I don’t want to, I’m living my life in fear and I’m really scared it’s not anxiety. Could this just be my mind daring me to think these things like the feeling I’m ready to die etc or is it my gut trying to tell me something and it’s sending me signs. I’m really scared. Please help.
So, I’m spiralling right now. My dad was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma 5 months ago. Since then, my anxiety has been all over the place. 2 weeks ago I got a swollen node under my jaw, no other major symptoms. It was movable and painful to the touch. After a week of it not going away, I went to the GP and she said not to worry, it’s probably some kind of an infection, otherwise it wouldn’t be painful and it my throat wouldn’t be red. She gave me antibiotics. Now, I’m almost done with the antibiotics, and I can still feel the node. I think it decreased in size, but I’m really not sure and I keep touching it (it’s a compulsion, I know :( ), but it’s not painful anymore. I’m really anxious and my dad’s diagnosis is just making everything seem more real :( But, at the same time, the rational part of me knows I’m overreacting. Aah, this is so idiotic :(
I got triggered today and spent a big chunk of the day trying to sit with the discomfort. I started to feel better but then I gave in to my compulsions. I think it was about an hour or so of doing it. I’m exhausted now. I feel like I’m going mental. Details below.. skip if you can’t be bothered to read.. I just fixate and struggle with every little thing I see on my son.. like are these white marks on his skin related to the condition I read about. Are these brown marks related? His black hair has browny red through it, so my thoughts were what if these patches turn white per symptoms of this conditions? What if this happens? What if that happens? While he slept I spent the hour combing through his hair trying to see where it was lightening to see how light it is in case it turns white. He has two strands of hair that did this. So my mind connected the dots incorrectly and is running wild thinking more of this will happen thus indicating he has this condition. Anxiety/ocd is about accepting uncertainty but I guess today is just a hard day for me, and this makes me feel hopeless and sad. Could use some advice especially from parents who’ve been through something similar
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