I’m having disruptive thoughts about my car alarm going off when I’m away. For background, I’m a college student that commutes to class. Lots are huge and I spend hours at a time away from my car. My biggest fear is that I’ll press the panic button on my car, and that it will go off until the battery dies, or be a nuisance to others. I’m sometimes late to class because I compulsively check every aspect of my car to make sure it is okay, as well as continuously going back to my car to check if I accidentally pressed the panic button.

Username: MaroonedDreamsMaroonedDreams

Date posted: 5y ago

I meant to say there's a such a miniscule chance of that happening that it's not rational to worry about. On the other hand, you'll never have 100% certainty. So you should practice accepting that "maybe" the car alarm will go off. And you can deal with that. Accept the uncertainty! We all live with different kinds of uncertainty; it's only people with OCD who blow them out of proportion. I struggle with it too, so don't think I'm up on a pedestal. I know it's hard

Username: MaroonedDreamsMaroonedDreams

Date posted: 5y ago

It's like me leaving the house and irrationally thinking I didn't lock the door, when in fact I know with 99.999% confidence I did. Instead of obsessing over 100% certainty, I just think "eh. oh well. if I get robbed then I can deal with it." It's an uncertainty that's inevitable. In some sense getting robbed (or having your car alarm go off) is better than being crushed under OCD ?

Username: Sunshine ☀️Sunshine ☀️

Date posted: 5y ago

Thank you for the thoughtful feedback, you are right, there is a very narrow chance that the situation were to happen. I’ll have to work on accepting the uncertainty.

Username: MaroonedDreamsMaroonedDreams

Date posted: 5y ago

*oops didn't finish

Username: JCMJCM

Date posted: 5y ago

I was obsessively checking my automatic car windows so bad to make sure that they were closed that I broke the switch. Now I've had to use another switch to close it. I don't check anymore because I fear that I will break another switch. I stopped pulling hard on the door knob (I have had intricate rituals involving the door knob)because I don't want to break it. If I feel the need to check, I just tell myself, "Once is enough. It's another OCD trick. Moving on..." Still having problems with checking the stove, though.

Username: sidneyrae7

Date posted: 5y ago

Does anyone else have irrational fears? Every time I arrive somewhere after driving, I have a lot of anxiety thinking I may have hit someone with my car. Even though I know I would surely notice if I did, I can’t shake the feeling ?

Username: Dussaultalex

Date posted: 2y ago

I can barely leave the house

I have horrible checking intrusive thoughts where if I don’t check something before leaving the room/apartment/building, I’m convinced the worst will happen. I believe the .1% is more likely than the 99.9%. I’m worried if I don’t check the stove there will be a gas leak or fire, if I don’t check the outlets there will be an electrical fire, if I don’t check the faucets there will be flooding. It’s like my brain doesn’t believe me. I check hundreds of times before leaving and still I don’t feel secure in everything being good and end up rechecking. I take pictures and it’s like I don’t believe the pictures. I’ll go to my girlfriends but have to Uber back just to check something that is most likely okay and it’s Eating up my life. It is ruining my life and I have no idea how I can be an adult or hold down a job with this. I’m terrified of causing some horrible thing cause I didn’t check. I feel hopeless

Username: PurelyMe

Date posted: 1y ago

Can you share your stories if you relate?

I always worry I’ve accidentally cut someone off in traffic and caused a major accident that I didn’t see. I always feel like I’m on the verge of being arrested at any moment for having unwittingly harmed someone. Sometimes I’ll turn around, others I’ll look online for traffic accident reports. Other times it just won’t get out of my head, and I just try to remember every detail to quell the anxiety. Sometimes I worry it’s not OCD, it’s paranoia…budding psychosis. If you feel safe/comfy, would you share your similar experiences?

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