Help! Need advice :(

I don't know what to do or how to stop this : ( if anyone has advice please, please let me know! It's happening to me that whenever I watch/read TV at night, get into an argument with a loved one, or haven't talked to them for a while I start to have intrusive thoughts/images that they're gonna get fatally hurt. For example, about seven months ago I had a car accident. I don't think I was left necessarily traumatized, but rather every time I have (the previously mentioned) intrusive thoughts I begin to reimagine my loved ones in that same (or similar) situations... and no matter how much I try to NOT acknowledge them...they often lead me to having anxiety or panic attacks. The only way that I seem to be able to stop these intrusive thoughts is by sleeping it off… but then that leaves to lack of productivity throughout the day and affects my life… I try my best to not give in into compulsions…especially because I also have dermatillomania so I KNOW that if I DO give in…it’ll end up bad. I’ve tried writing things down to see if it helps to calm me down. Although that did work for a while, I’ve started to feel/think that if I write my thoughts down they’ll increase possibility of actually happening :( so I’ve stopped doing that for a while now. I don’t know what to do anymore!

Username: UH52UH52

Date posted: 43w ago

Totally get it, it’s indeed so difficult to feel that way especially when we are trying to resist falling into compulsions and it’s loops, but no matter what, our thoughts and the actual reality have no direct relation at all, I clearly know it might definitely not feel that way now, but thinking or even writing down something never have any direct cause or consequence to the real world or situations, we just “feel” that way due to OCD and anxieties that clouds our judgement, it’s definitely not a cause and effect, reality is indeed independent of all this. So by understanding that what we feel are definitely not facts and have nothing to do with the actual reality would help us keep a perspective in the long run, and moreover just being kind to ourselves, it’s cliche, but still completely forcing ourselves to “not” do anything, even compulsions, would actually backfire and work paradoxically making us more in distress, so understanding it’s not on us and it’s the nature of the disease so be gentle towards ourselves as it’s never our fault to control it, might help a bit to gain a bit more clear picture on the issues at hand as time passes!!

Username: Mang0c@ttoMang0c@tto

Date posted: 43w ago

@UH52 Thank you :) Yeah! I agree. I feel like part of me knows all this already, knows that neither my loved ones or I are in actual danger…but another part of me cannot let go off that thought. I didn’t mention this in my main post, but that day of the accident I was having a really bad feeling/intrusive thought that something bad was going to happen. Coincidentally, the accident happened that exact day..so it’s been making me think that my intrusive thoughts could happen :/ despite how much I try to reassure myself that it isn’t the case

Username: UH52UH52

Date posted: 43w ago

@Mang0c@tto I can completely relate to this, like I personally even knowing that my loved ones are “technically” safe, won’t even let them leave alone fearing about their safety, like what you pointed out is the essence, like just “knowing” things won’t help a lot especially because we are dealing with OCD and intrusive thoughts that don’t deal with logics but pure emotions!! And definitely such coincidence that seems too real like having an intrusive thoughts and then that happening might be next to impossible to reason, like technically it happens due to our own confirmation bias and pure coincidence, but sadly such logical arguments hold little value in front of irrational OCD!

Username: Mang0c@ttoMang0c@tto

Date posted: 43w ago

@UH52 Exactly 😓

Username: Don’tLoveDrama-itLovesMeDon’tLoveDra...

Date posted: 43w ago

I get it sometimes writing it down makes it more real. Also I actually sorta relate to this post in a way I didn’t know others felt so thank you for posting it. Anyway, this is simple but hard to apply: You cannot think your way out of rumination. Another thing is Diaphramic breathing (look up a video on it) Breath in though nose for 5 seconds Then HOLD for 5 (trust me the hold makes ALL the difference) Breath out through mouth for 5 seconds REPEAT each time in-between trying to find: 5 things you see 4 things you can touch 3 things you can hear 2 things you can smell 1 thing you can taste Tip: try to look at BOTH sides of the room your in/alternate when finding the 54321 stuff This will be like bilateral stimulation and get the LOGICAL side of your brain working👍 I know this is WAY easier said then done especially after a fight with a loved one etc. but calming down is the only way you can have a reasonable conversation💗

Username: Mang0c@ttoMang0c@tto

Date posted: 43w ago

@Don’tLoveDrama-itLovesMe Thank you SO much for explaining this…I’ve heard of it before and tried doing it but it never really made sense on how it ACTUALLY worked…so thank you. I will try it next time..!

Username: Don’tLoveDrama-itLovesMeDon’tLoveDra...

Date posted: 43w ago

@Mang0c@tto I’m glad!!!! Yeah I also don’t really try methods to help unless I understand how they work

Username: jelpk

Date posted: 5y ago

LONG POST: Can someone help me by answering this? I’ve had intrusive thoughts before but I used to just push them away. In September, I had intrusive thought about life after death and it sent me into a spiral of fear and anxiety. I had trouble falling asleep and focusing during the day. I went to see a therapist a month later. It was a walk-in session and they told me to do CBT. Accept uncertainty and move on. This gave me even more anxiety. Eventually, with meditation, i was able to keep the thoughts at bay. Then in December, I began to have intrusive thoughts about my sister. They were sexually disturbing and I even wished that I could have intrusive thoughts about death again. I then it switched to sexual thoughts about my brother and he’s only a kid so I feel even more disgusted by myself. It’s been like this for three months now. I’ve tried meditating but it’s not doing much. I’m ashamed to tell my parents and I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid I’ll act on the thoughts all the time. Then I wonder if I actually want to have them. It’s so draining. I hate waking up each day to these thoughts. I wonder if I actually want to have them since I have had them for so long. I’m so frustrated with myself.

"Pure" OCD

Username: Anonymous

Date posted: 16w ago

(PLEASE READ) feeling helpless

*PLEASE READ* I’ve been struggling with bad harm intrusive thoughts for a couple years now. They’ll go away for a couple of months then get triggered by something and start all over again. As much as I try to tell myself that I would never act on these thoughts I have a memory from when I was little that I was going to hurt my parents in their sleep and that memory has haunted me till now. Of course I didn’t hurt them but I thought it and I feel so guilty about it today that it makes me sick to my stomach. I love my parents so much and would never want to hurt them or anybody. I just want these thoughts to go away because they don’t line up with my values of who I am. But every time I tell myself that my thoughts are not facts that memory pops up making me feel like an awful person. I feel right now as if I don’t deserve any love from anyone because of these thoughts. I’m a believer of God and I feel as if I don’t deserve his love as well and that he has given up on me. These thoughts have also turned into a new theme of being scared I’m actually crazy and going into a psychosis. I’m just so scared and just want to be normal. As much as I tell myself ocd lies to you these thoughts have really scared me and I haven’t felt like myself in days. I’ve also struggled with health anxiety and intrusive suicidal thoughts. I know seeking reassurance isn’t good but I’m so scared.

Username: frannyb

Date posted: 7w ago

Crisis, I really really need help, please respond

I'm so scared that by thinking about things I can make them happen. I know that's a central thing in OCD but I googled it and a lot of people actually say that if you think about stuff you can make it happen. I've been processing a lot of trauma and having intrusive thoughts about it and I'm so scared that if I think about people who hurt me it will make them contact me and it's making me feel really paranoid and scared and panic and I'm just so scared that I'm somehow conjuring bad people to come into my life and that I'm going to somehow get sucked back into my past or that I am somehow calling people close to me who could hurt me or that something bad is going to happen to me because my thoughts have been so scary and triggering. I'm also feeling really dissociated and I'm worried that these thoughts are actually me starting to have some sort of a psychotic break or something. Please help I'm so scared.

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