i really wanna read more experiences with these subtypes, i feel like ive struggled with these for a long time and misunderstood them as plain indecisiveness or something else.
I also have these anxieties - a weird thing that helped a bit is an episode of Phineas and Ferb called "Primal Perry." In this episode, one of the characters struggles with not just making decisions, but the long-term improbable and unprovable outcomes of "simple" decisions like which ice cream flavor to choose. The biggest takeaway (and something that I still struggle to remember) is that there is no way to know what choices lead to what ending. We can't look up spoilers for life, or walk-throughs like a video game, so taking a minute (or several) to remember that there are other factors at play that likely don't even involve me lets me accept some of that uncertainty.
@Anonymous this is so cool! it’s fun to realize how many life long lessons are in our childhood shows. thank you for sharing this 🩵
@Anonymous I love this, thanks for sharing. The fact that there are outside factors at play is a great reminder. My OCD likes to make me think everything is my fault and I'm a terrible person because of it. I hope you're having a great day 💛
I'd be interested to hear more about this. I've been struggling bad with a decision I am making and just this morning recognized that the panic I am feeling about it is OCD. I feel like I'm totally screwed trying to make this decision now. And I'm upset that OCD has it's fingers wrapped around the throat of yet another part of my life. It seems like every time I turn around it's there, and things are just so overwhelming right now. I'd love to hear about your experience with it, strawbmuffin.
@Amy B. thank you for sharing!! 🩵 for me i feel like making decisions has always been just a step above way too difficult. i can’t pinpoint when it started, so it must’ve accumulated when all of my other symptoms began, but ive struggled to pick things like food, clothes, shows to watch, etc even down to things i feel i know i should like, or things that i have liked in the past. they always feel like life or death decisions, and they frequently make me so stressed out that i will cry or refuse to choose completely. this often results in negative consequences regardless, (ex. i can’t decide what to eat so i don’t eat at all.) i dont know if they all relate to the future but i do know that most times i just feel like i don’t know myself or i want to try different things but think/know i will hate them. then there’s something about making decisions infront of other people that adds to the stress, im worried im taking too long or making myself look stupid for not being able to make a choice. i want to pay attention to this more and see if i can point out a trigger, other than just being indecisive.
@strawbmuffin Thank you so much for sharing. I'm sorry you are going through this, OCD can make our worlds so small and it's heartbreaking. I have been struggling with decision making for a long time, but realizing that my OCD is latched onto it is new for me. Things are especially intense when I need to make decisions about my kids, and I can see now that this is another way OCD has come between me and my family. It's also interesting how different themes intertwine. I have difficulty spending money and worry about things being contaminated as well, both from OCD. Throw in that making a decision can feel like life or death, and then it's obvious why buying something for my kids feels like I'm being dipped in lava. And my OCD is always telling me I'm a terrible person and bad mom, so that weaves in as well. Frankly, it's kinda amazing I'm as functional as I am (or as I think I am... it all probably shows a lot more that I realize. I wish I didn't feel like I had to hide it from everyone).
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
