- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
Literally. 100%. Same. I think the best thing to do is talk to your therapist and psychiatrist IMMEDIATELY about this, I think this is one of the worst OCD themes and it really makes everything harder because like, why try to get better if nothing matters in the end? I've been dealing with intrusive thoughts about this by just thinking "who knows whatll happen? not me!" and just letting myself sit in the anxiety every time it flares up. This one is definitely gonna change you more than the other themes. Embrace that change, embrace fear, and just remember that we have to enjoy the time we have
- Date posted
- 5y
I know everyone thinks their particular theme is “the worst” and really, they’re all awful, but the existential/religious beliefs ocd has been the worst for me and the most difficult to deal with. I’m trying to do CBT/ERP for it, but it hasn’t helped very much. It seems so difficult because, while I can resist the compulsion to wash my hands and eventually my brain will learn that I don’t get sick, I can’t die a little bit so that I stop being afraid of dying. I’m not sure how to deal with this. The ache feels so, so heavy—so acute. But what helps me is that no one knows the answers, and that in my uncertainty, I am joining many other great minds who have come before me. We are small, but that doesn’t change what it feels like to hear the birds singing outside, or to eat pizza, or to laugh with those you love. My hope is that learning to treasure those things can help with the despair.
- Date posted
- 5y
I think with the fear of death, that's natural, but its how the brain dwells on it like it's solvable or that its "good" or "bad." With ERP, have you watched any videos about death and dying and all that? That was my first exposure because I'm a glutton for punishment and it did help quite a bit. If you want a recommendation, Ask a Mortician on Youtube was a good source for me. I'm not glad this is something so many experience, but I am glad some of us can open up about it.
- Date posted
- 5y
I’ve tried documentaries about the universe and time and stuff like that and it rlly helped. I watch a lot of murder docs too just because i love forensic science and they seem to keep me off of the topic for the most part. But i’ll try something like that!
Related posts
- Date posted
- 25w
Really bad theme right now is death, I keep thinking about how one day or at any moment my heart will stop my brain will stop & my memories & everything I know will all fade away. It is giving me so much anxiety I’m only 18, but I realize it all happens to us it is bound, we are born to die. I know it’s a silly thing to be scared because it’s not helping the quality of my life worrying about it and even when I do die, I won’t care , if you don’t have a working brain then how can you care 🤷♀️. It is tainting my everyday life currently & honestly making me terribly depressed & it is giving me derealization & making me feel nihilistic, I’ll remind myself it’s okay but then with my ocd i don’t stop thinking and thinking about it and it’s seriously so hard to stay present in the moment because this thought just feels like I can’t scrub it away it’s miserable I struggle with religion, but I do pray to anything that’s out there possibly listening, because it is comforting, it just feels like this whole experience Is pointless & I am afraid of the unknown and what is to possibly happen but I’m subjected to it anyways so why should it matter
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 14w
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.
- Date posted
- 12w
so i have ocd but this is the main theme ive been dealing with for the last few months, im obsessed with my mortality and i feel trapped by the reality of death. i dont really believe in an afterlife which makes it scarier, not that i dont wanna my brain literally just wont let me. but i have daily panic attacks thinking about death all day, its honestly the toughest thing ive ever dealt with. does anybody have any tips on how they manage this if they have ever dealt with it? not looking for reassurance, just some non compulsive ways to kind of lessen the grip of the fear.
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond