Preparing

I also struggle with this - I’ve cried about my soul dog passing since he was a new puppy. Just looking at him and I sob trying to “prepare my heart” to be broken. I have a complicated relationship with my family but I think/ stress about any of them passing. I believe it’s a type of “magical thinking” OCD. Like “if I just be sad enough now, it won’t destroy me later”. I’m not sure / I’m new here so I apologize if I went about this reply incorrectly!

Yeah I do this. Gives me a sense of control. But gets out of hand...

Theres an idea from Stoic Philosophy rooted in Ancient Rome that has a practice called negative visualization. Basically imagining the worst case scenario as a way to build strength or resilience, yet always hoping for/expecting the best and working towards the upward direction, but it can be helpful to an extent to consider the hells and fears that are pushing you forward and to run away from

Absolutely 💯

I also do this. I can't answer if its an OCD thing, I also want to know because I definitely do this.

I struggle with this too

All of the time. At least if I'm not physically preparing, I am mentally rehearsing things in my head all the time to prepare me for worst case scenario. Especially around my health themes.

Yes, this is a tough one for me too

Yes totally can relate. Definitely an OCD symptom of control.

idk if it's an ocd thing or not but I've felt like this before. like i literally imagine a certain person is dead and start crying as if they really are. I'm sorry you feel this way but I definitely understand it

I think it would depend how you're walking away from these. It's extremely normal for people to toy with the idea of mortality and even spiral a little thinking about the future. Plus, there's plenty of country songs that make even the most mentally stable person weep about the thought of their loved ones aging and life as you know it changing. BUT the key difference when it comes to OCD is that OCD will make our minds hold on or take painful and scary thoughts much further than an average brain would. Other people might get lost for a few minutes thinking, "Man I am gonna be so sad when grandpa passes away eventually. Oh my gosh, what will Sundays be like without dinners at his house? I could cry thinking about it." But then, they'll say, "Well, that's making me sad and luckily, he's still kicking right now. I'm going to give him a call." For those of us with OCD, it might go more like, "Man I am gonna be so sad when grandpa passes away eventually. I won't be able to live in a world without him. Oh my gosh, my heart is racing so much thinking about it. I am so afraid of what life is going to be like without him or how much it is going to hurt. I wonder what is going to kill him, what if it is really sad and painful? Oh no, what if he just died because I was thinking that? My whole body is tense and now I can't breathe and I don't know how to talk to grandpa without thinking about him dying now." If you're doing anything close to the second one here, it's OCD.