- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
We're both commenting in another thread at the moment, but I just wanted to respond here too. YES. You're spot on the ERP- just gotta live with the uncertainty. There are no answers. I've dealt with many themes but Existential has been one of the toughest for me throughout the years because "you were born so you have to exist until you die and it's all meaningless except for the liminal meaning you create" is pretty, uh, definitive lol. I suppose religion and afterlife beliefs help some people with that, but when I get into such ideas, I just swing into scrupulousity. Yikes. Such is life with OCD. Cheers :p
- Date posted
- 5y
Oh my god this is me constantly. Thank youuuuuu. I've been wondering whether this was part of my OCD or not, and assumed it was, but I haven't seen anyone touch on what I go through quite like this. For example, if I think about going to the gym, and I don't feel like doing it, I wonder if I'm just doing it because society wants me to look a certain way. And then I'll think, no but it helps my body stay healthy, but then I think, but I could be doing other hobbies and it's not like my body is going to improve in one session, and on and on. It's like this for the littlest things I want to do, like just choosing a movie to watch sometimes, or deciding whether to read or play a game. It's so fucking annoying!!!!!!!
- Date posted
- 5y
I'm glad you liked it, i was genuinely going to do me and my brains argument about going to the gym ??♂️?
- Date posted
- 5y
@DrBurnzz The gym one is one of my most challenging mental exercises FOR SURE
- Date posted
- 5y
Cheers for the reply. Ye, i'll stick to ERP. It's a strange one E OCD because an existential crisis seems so close to it. Which plenty of people go through and can come out better on the other side but like someone said on the other post E OCD seems to be never ending with no conlcusion.
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 15w
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
- 8w
I’m currently reading existential psychotherapy by Irvin yalom. In his chapter.. “meaninglessness” the first paragraph he describes about a man who ended his life because he truly was overwhelmed with the “meaninglessness of life” and how doing absolutely anything was meaningless because it ended it death. The questions drove him insane and he committed. This was stated in this book and he also stated multiple people did end there life’s during an overwhelming meaning crisis. Please help. If anyone has been through this please reach out. I have stopped going to my nursing shifts. I’ve lost all hope. I believe I’m going through a horrible existential crisis. I’ve suffered from ocd my whole life but I think this might not be existential ocd. I can’t seem to create meaning in my life. I can’t seem to live without us having an inherent meaning. No answers or anything is helping. I’m really struggling. Please.
- Date posted
- 6w
Hi - just for some context, I have OCD and ADHD. I hate bringing this up, but with these diagnoses, when intertwined, there is ALWAYS a thought. I never stop thinking. This is really hard, especially because I feel like I always need to be talking to someone. Whether it’s my friends or family, talking to people brings me down to earth from certain kinds of thought spirals. However, when I’m alone it is the hardest. When my friends don’t reply I have this compulsion to text again or I need to constantly check my notifications so that I have none left to check. But then to them or new people I talk to, this behavior probably comes across as overwhelming or too much. I’m trying to control it and use erp, but also, I have my moments where I’m just vunerable and give into the compulsion. It’s genuinely so embarassing and maybe not as big a deal as I’m making it out to be but, how do I manage? And how do I relax?
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