- Username
- DimitrisH
- Date posted
- 4y ago
I think managers should upload an erp exercise for that. It's really hard
Me, too!!! I had this really bad for about 3-4 years maybe. It was really awful. It faded eventually a couple years after I met my husband. I think part of it was I was afraid that no one else existed and it was all in my mind and I was completely alone. So I think building a relationship with my husband helped me get past it. At the time that it started I wasn't very close with any of my friends and family because of various things that caused me to become more anxious and isolated over time, but the existential ocd shook me to my core to think that none of my loved ones were real, and I think creating relationships and new friendships, and cultivating relationships with the people I already had in my life helped me feel like everything actually is real. It was really awful though, it was terrifying and was with me all the time for a long time. Now it's mostly gone, except once in a great while or if I should weed, which I don't do anymore because of the panic attacks. Now I have contamination ocd that makes me scared I'll accidentally kill my baby by giving him germs. And it's wrecking my life. Buuuuut... The existential ocd is gone, which is nice at least. I hope you have relief soon. I will never forget the torture and fear and panic of that time of my life. ❤️
I’d like to know as well!
Me too!
Me me me me
i overcame these thoughts about 2 years ago, i had nights where i would break down and panic thinking everything was fake and i got so afraid that when i died i wouldn’t remember my family or friends and it caused so much panic that i would have heart palpitations throughout the day. just like all my other ocd themes, it suddenly went away after a few months...like my brain just attached itself to something new, now it doesn’t bother me at all, i’ve come to terms with uncertainty and death and i feel much better about it. i would spend hours researching people who’ve died and had near death experiences because i wanted to know if i would see my family or friends when i died and if any of this actually was real or mattered...my advice is to sit with the anxiety, let it sink in and you will get use to it and after a while your brain will move on. no matter what happens, you’re here NOW. you exist NOW. being present is so important, you deserve to live in the moment and your brain obviously is gonna question things it doesn’t understand and that’s normal, but don’t lose yourself in the process. :)
Thank you so much for your answer I absolutely love it and it kinda helped me calm down. My existential ocd started back in Feb/March and at the end of March it got worse and took on the whole “am I real” thing the day my grandpa passed away. Today has been so horrible with this because I keep thinking what if I’m not real or what if nothing around me is real, plus I keep thinking what if I’m not seeing what’s around me clear enough to know it’s real and it’s messing with my eyes. I’m so glad to here you moved on from it because it gives me hope this is temporary and it’ll pass as well. Did you do any specific exposure exercises to combat this? I’d love to know
@Evelyn4416 i am glad to hear my comment made you feel more hopeful, this disorder does a great job at making people feel lost and afraid. i also relate to you because when my uncle passed i suffered a really bad ocd spike so i am very sorry to hear that you’re going through this :( some things that really helped me was realizing that the more i gave my existential ocd time and focus, the stronger it got. i was obsessed with googling what happens when we die and what is the meaning of life and i tried to look for answers to ease my panic, but i never found answers so it would get worse and worse each day, i kept feeling more distant from everyone, until one day i realized that i was focusing so much on what didn’t exist than what actually existed and the only thing that exists is the present. we don’t need to worry about the unknown, all that matters and all that is real is the present because you’re experiencing it. the biggest thing is to stop trying to find answers and to look at the things around you and realize that you’re real and that you exist in this moment and all the anxiety inducing questions and thoughts your ocd throws at you don’t need to be taken so seriously. <3
@havinghope Yeah, my first bout of existential ocd came a little while after my grandma passed. She was the first person I was really close to that I lost. And you're right, it's just ocd, it's best to just focus on what's around you. It is real. It's hard to do, I used to spiral out really bad on these scary thoughts, but eventually they faded.
@Groovymama i am so sorry to hear that :( i am happy you are better now, it’s so hard to stop taking the ocd thoughts and questions seriously, but when you do, it makes such a difference. this disorder is the beast and you have to starve it by not giving it the reaction it wants.
No erp or medication;
@DimitrisH i practiced erp by confronting my existential thoughts but i didn’t give them the reaction it wanted, i didn’t panic and i didn’t google answers, i simply sat with the anxious thoughts until they faded and they lost meaning and my brain moved on. it was very hard at first, but after time, it works. your ocd is feeding off of the response you give it, if you give it no response, it eventually fades. i never took medication for my ocd, but i know it helps a lot of people. :)
Does anybody here struggle with existential obsessions? Like ruminating on issues like morality, the meaning of life, etc?
Is anyone experiencing existential OCD as well?
Has anyone had success recovering from existential ocd? I’m so sick of the constant thoughts and anxiety around death and non existence. I’m doing ERP but I’m finding it challenging to find good exposures. Just looking for some hope that it’s possible to get better to keep me going. Also and tips on exposures would be appreciated!
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