- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
I have times when I feel like I’m looking through glass, like I’m not all the way here. This is not per say my struggle with OCD but just thought I’d share.
- Date posted
- 4y
Ooohhh yeah, you’re not alone. This was a main theme of my childhood OCD. I still have other forms but I was eventually able to pull out of the existential dread by accepting I may never know the “truth”, so I may as well enjoy the ride of life while I’m here. Don’t know if this helps, but it can get better! Hope you find peace.
- Date posted
- 4y
Now that I do have! Just constantly trying to understand the world, and trying to find incentive to for it when I don’t know everything I feel I need to know. It leaves me mainly depressed and feeling without purpose.
- Date posted
- 4y
@jspaw Yes, it does help. It’s just so hard to accept uncertainty, but it’s also the only way to break free. The worst part is feeling like everyone else “knows” they and everything else exist with certainty, and like I’m the only one who doesn’t. The truth is, other people just accept uncertainty whether they know it or not and assume they and everything else exist. I can’t imagine having this theme as a child. :( I even question logic and whether there are even concepts since this theme has me question everything. Any more tips are appreicated. Doing ERP, but it’s hard.
- Date posted
- 4y
I get it, I always want specific, solid answers. I’m trying to accept that the world is full of uncertainty.
- Date posted
- 4y
This happens a lot when I dissociate. Those thoughts also cause me to dissociate lol
- Date posted
- 4y
*appreciated
- Date posted
- 4y
I’m having a hard time with uncertainty in other areas, so I totally get it. I also used to feel annoyed by people who weren’t concerned about reality, it seemed so easy for them! I think a lot of people just take life at face value and don’t bother to think about it much. When existential worries come back, I just try to concentrate on what I like about life, and thank the universe for giving me any positive experiences at all. Even little things, the taste of coffee, sunshine, rollercoasters, etc... I don’t know how or why I get to experience them, but I do!
- Date posted
- 4y
I feel like a nut job for doubting whether we are ACTUALLY experiencing anything. I’m so ashamed.
- Date posted
- 4y
I hear you and have totally been there. Hang in there and try to enjoy what you can. 💗
- Date posted
- 4y
@jspaw Thank you, friend. It’s so hard when I try to prove I am thinking and existing, and then to realize no proof will ever be enough for OCD. It will never stop. The only thing I can do is tell myself it isn’t worth wasting a possibly real life. The stakes are too high.
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 19w
Hi guys! I’m new to the community and I’ve recently received my OCD diagnosis (tho I’ve known about it since childhood). I’ve been somewhat spiraling lately as I wait for my first ERP session (hooray!) I was just wondering if any of you guys have received ERP for existential OCD and if it was successful? My existential OCD compulsions are more so mental and have been affecting me in the sense of dream/memory flashbacks and giving me a sort of “uncanny” feeling about everything around me. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you❤️
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 14w
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
- 12w
Does anyone struggle with feeling like their ocd issues are not ocd enough compared to other peoples ocd? Is this an ocd thought itself lol
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