I never feel fear when getting into a car even though car accidents are very common, but as soon as I figure out Brian eating amoebas exist I get all scared. One is way more likely than the other but I only fear the one that has an extremely rare chance of ever happening.
I truly relate to your post, I spent a lifetime doing this. The way out is just as you allow the uncertainty around driving, allow it around health too. I used to feel those risks around health were simply to great. However, when my OCD was going strong, it was like I wasn't living anyway. It's so worth taking the risk! Take care!
I understand your struggle. That is the world of OCD. If I told you what triggers my OCD it most likely wouldn’t even bother you. OCD goes after what is important to us and OCD’s argument is not based on logic but uncertainty. So I can throw all kinds of facts at my OCD sometimes it might help but for most of the times logic never works because OCD isn’t using logic. I fully understand your struggle.
The truth is, that most fears are the sum of the worst things that have happened at some point to someone, and that is what makes them so terrifying. The idea that this very ‘thing’ is possible can be horrifying. Especially when you have OCD. OCD demands 'certainty'- it wants to know that you will always be safe from whatever the feared things are. Why it latches onto some things and not others- I do not fully understand, but perhaps it is the loss of control aspect- in a car, for example, you have some resemblance of control (though many people with OCD have fear surrounding cars), but a brain-eating amoeba...well how can you possibly control that? I think that OCD just likes to torment, whatever it can use to get your attention, it will. https://www.treatmyocd.com/blog/the-strangest-things-ocd-symptoms-caused-me-to-do
The brain eating amoeba has been a big one for me. I’m afraid to get shower water up my nose.
I used to not be able to sleep out of fear someone would break into my house. Luckily, I was able to conquer my fear by just keeping the lights on so I can see everywhere :)
1000% agree. I do this all the time! I worry about things I can’t control.
Can anyone relate To being anxious to watch a movie or tv show out of fear of being triggered OR fear that your mind will latch onto to some weird idea you got from the movie and it will become a new obsession.. like for example… my hubby wanted to watch lord of the rings tonight. I’ve never seen it and for some reason I had the thought that I didn’t want to watch it bc what if it made me scared of creatures or some weird shit like that lol. Or like I’ll think about watching some Si fi show but then I have the thought “hmm better not in case it makes me believe in aliens or something”. I know how crazy this sounds but why do I think like this lol
Since two days ago, I’ve had this new theme spiraling in my head. I have two cats and I recently just had a fear of getting r*bies (I’m scared to type it). It’s stupid, I know. I haven’t been scratched, bitten or anything of that sort, but I’m terrified that I could get it or that I have it, even though nothing happened. My cats are indoor, and we they are two years old, we are going to get them their shots soon (they had been up to date when we got them, but it’s been about a year). There’s no animals or anything and we don’t let them outside but there’s still that ‘what if.’ I don’t want to touch my cats and I’ve been monitoring myself every second I can. I wash my hands a lot more and I have such extreme anxiety and sensations that I can’t sleep at night (which worsens my anxiety because that’s a symptom of it.) please if anyone can help me or has gone through this, how can I calm down from this?😖😖
I saw a post saying that thinking about something for a while will bring it to you. Now I’m scared and panicking because I think about illnesses and getting a disease almost everyday. What should I do? Im very scared
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
