- Username
- Evelyn4416
- Date posted
- 4y ago
this is a hard one! i struggled with it too! Exposures exposures exposures. the OCD stories podcast has a great episode on this called " existential ocd" it helped me alot..eventually i just had to say " okay so what if it isnt real "
I completely forgot about existential OCD! I’ll have to check out that podcast for sure, thank you!
that is exactly what you have....
Thank you so much like once you said that I was like yup there it is!
Perhaps there's a way you can turn those thoughts into positives or neutral ideas. I'm not sure in what scenario we could say that life definitely "means" something. So perhaps if it might not be real, that could be a motivation to take risks rather than avoiding, and live life to the fullest. I don't have existential OCD, but I do think about this topic a lot and have some mixed ideas and, of course, no answers, as it can't reasonably be solved. I find I live my life best when I think of life as a game, rather than taking it too serious. After all, none of us get out alive. Some people win, some people lose, for most of us it's a combination. It's still best to play the game now that you're here. It's an opportunity.
Hey there! I’ve also been struggling with these thoughts the past few weeks! It can be pretty distressing.
How have you been managing and coping? It’s really messing with me :(
@Evelyn4416 And it really doesn’t help the suicidal OCD I have either ?
I’ve been focusing on things that bring me joy like gardening and spending time with my dogs. I know it’s scary, but keep your head up! What I learned in ERP was to “egg on” those thoughts. For example, if I were to get thoughts like, “nothing matters” or “what’s the point” I’d simply respond with maybe there is no point or maybe nothing matters - and carrying on with what I was doing! It’s all uncertainty. I hope this makes sense?
Thank you yes that makes sense, it’s all about uncertainty!
How do you go about your life when ERP therapy is so stressful. I have harm ocd and by making me watch horror movies etc . is just making it worse. I'm really worried I'm being brainwashed into being what I dont want to be . Does this mean ERP is not for me? I also have no compulsions just pure O .
I think that basically the thought right now is a fear of being alone both physically/literally and philosophically. It feels like an excess of awareness that I am an individual, I am me and only her, always and forever. And who am I? Can I trust myself? Am I 'trapped' inside myself? Anyway, a lot of thoughts about self-worth and identity. Then I get scared of not being able to trust myself, of depending on myself to do things from the most basic like brushing my teeth to, I don't know, working and supporting myself, controlling myself, etc... and then I feel scared of going crazy because I don't think these thoughts are normal and that makes me feel even more alone, even less connected to others.
Happy Tuesday friends. Question for you all: I have recently started ERP therapy (about one month ago) and I feel in a way it has helped. But I also notice that I feel the thoughts I do have are SO intense that I feel like I’m gonna explode and then I’ll cry and get upset but then feel better after having a “freak out”. Does this happen to any of you guys? Also, I told my therapist yesterday some of the exposures we had been doing made me uncomfortable. Like really really uncomfortable. She made me feel a little bad about not doing it and stated this would prolong my progress if I didn’t do it. I’m not sure if I should push my self to do this exposure because she told me to or to stick up for myself and move at my own pace. Thanks everyone.
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