- Date posted
- 6y ago
- Date posted
- 6y ago
Extreme anxiety over owning too many items Wanting to get rid of everything I own Fear that I can’t relax until I own less Items are usually categorized as contaminated, wrong brand, color, etc. irregular in my mind Wanting to own a “perfect” amount of items Extreme anxiety when I’m gifted something in fear that it’s wrong Shame, anxiety, panic around owning items that are linked to the global eco crisis
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I love throwing things away because it gives me a temporary sense of extreme relief (from anxiety) . The idea of abandoning all my possessions is a relieving thought. But when I get rid of everything, my house feels like an empty shell. People can't believe I've lived in my house for 6 years. Because the empty shelves. I declutter for anxiety relief. My mom loves it when I come over and help her with her closets. So I'm glad I can hello someone else, but I'm still ashamed of my own home and lifestyle. I don't want to be controlled by my anxiety. But I don't know what my anxiety is exactly about. Possessions feel heavy to me, restricting, I am afraid of a lack of freedom. Of being burdened by things that don't actually have any use or meaning in my life. I'm clearing out apps on my phone, keeping my email inbox empty at all times, deleting contacts on my phone I haven't talked to in years or I have any negative unresolved feelings about! Deleting friends from Facebook, deleting my entire Facebook account, moving, making commitments when my energy says yes, then when I feel any NO or stress, I cancel or break the commitment. This affects so many areas in my life. Anyway, spartanism is one of them for me, just not with only my possessions. Relationships, commitments, etc People in my life know if they gift something to me, I'm likely not to keep it...
- Date posted
- 6y ago
wow so so unreal to think that I was the only person that’s felt like this! So how have you learned to deal with this? Do you have any specific methods? Does it feel all consuming sometimes that you can’t even imagine even doing anything until you get rid of things? Like I avoid absolutely everything until I can get rid of all the items I feel necessary. Always temporary relief but
- Date posted
- 6y ago
You're definitely not the only one, as I've read about other people online. I searched "the opposite of hoarding" and found lots of examples. My anxiety and compulsions come in waves. I can be pretty fine for like a month and then have what I'd call a meltdown. My thoughts spiraling down about things in my life, wanting to move, being isolated, financially dependant on my mom, not feeling any meaning our purpose in my life, etc etc, feeling trapped and powerless. So I think throwing things away is one way of relieving that feeling, something I have control over. And while it feels good in the moment, I don't think it really helps anything. I just created an exposure technique for myself, to put something in my room that would bug me.... When I don't use stuff, it bothers me to see it out.... I do still every day constantly see my possessions with distaste and tighten into anxiety, but not so much that I can't just walk by it. I go through phases of letting things pile up because I can't deal with the stress of everything around me, and then purge big time all at once. But yes, no matter how much I get rid of, I have realized I can't get rid of myself, and this physical reality. And that's what I have the problem with. I even think about getting rid of my cats and giving my kid to my mom. I doubt I woulc, but I feel anxiety about it, and feel trapped by the responsibility. And also have a huge fear that if I get rid of everything and just travel around like a gypsy or something, that I will still feel the same, that I will never be happy, and my anxiety will follow me wherever I go. I'm not really thinking I have any methods so far that are helping me, I just started this app and just started the exposure idea, so we will see how that helps, to intentionally sit with the discomfort for a specific time. And my plan is rye next time I have a major meltdown, to restrict myself, and stop myself from throwing everything away. And just wait it out. Tell myself I can still throw it away when I'm feeling more calm, if I still want to do it, then.
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I haven't ever heard of this but honestly, it kinda sounds like me sometimes.... ?
- Date posted
- 6y ago
I sort of get this, but more tied into an existential theme. For example, I’ve had thoughts like, all possessions are pointless, etc.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 23w ago
Hey, I’ve been doing some research on OCD and think I may have it. I’m not 100% sure, but I have a lot of the symptoms. I want to get myself diagnosed, but my parents won’t let me. They agree that it’s very likely that I have OCD, but they think that if I try hard enough, I can get over it. I don’t know what to do anymore or if what I have even is OCD, and I want to be somewhat sure before a I do anything. Right now, I’m a junior in high school, but freshman year was when my “OCD” was the most severe. I think I had (and still do) the symmetry/order subtype and “just right” subtype. I was obsessed with writing things neatly to a point in which I kept forcing myself to erase and rewrite things until all the letters were straight and all the graphs were neatly drawn (typing wasn’t safe either because I use Notability and felt the need to align every text box and make them all the same length). Handwriting was especially a problem in calculus A, and it got to a point in which I couldn’t keep up with the notes, and the homework was taking hours a night because I was obsessed with making my work perfect. Needless to say, I didn’t get a good grade in calculus A and didn’t build a good foundation for future math classes. This makes me really sad because I was previously really good at math and had a bright future in the subject. Eventually, I just stopped trying in calculus A, but by then, I felt burnt out, couldn’t concentrate on anything, kept putting things off, and lost the ability to properly manage my time. I think it may have escalated to executive dysfunction at that point, and it carried over to all my other classes. As someone who was previously pretty productive and good at planning, this was a huge hit on my self-esteem. I was also obsessed with symmetry. If I touched one side of my body, I had to touch the other side in the exact same place. If I was coding something, I would have to evenly distribute touch across each key on the keyboard. It felt like everything was a heatmap, and the colors had to be kept in balance at all times. I also avoided odd numbers because they were considered “asymmetrical”. I was obsessed with routine and had to complete tasks in a certain way, a certain order, and a certain amount of time. Even something as small as combing my hair for five minutes instead of six caused me extreme distress. Writing one word that “sounded off” on an English paper left me unable to keep writing until I fixed it. I had to keep the sound of my phone at a certain volume (6 normally, 10 when exercising, and 12 when cleaning, divide everything by 2 when using a computer) and had to walk a round number (any number that ends in 0) of steps a day. I kid you not when I say that some days I woke up and didn’t want to live anymore. Sophomore year, my mental health improved and I probably seemed overly perfectionistic but not to a point of concern. However, this year, the handwriting issue relapsed in all its glory during physics, and I’m not able to keep up with notes or homework. I feel the same way that I did in calculus A, and I don’t want history to repeat itself. I want to ask my teacher to let me do my homework on paper rather than the iPad (it’s easier for me to write on paper due to increased friction), but I’m scared to ask because I don’t have a formal diagnosis. I don’t know what causes my behavior. I feel like if I can’t do things perfectly, no one will like me. I’ll lose all my friends, and no boy will ever want to go out with me. I know it’s irrational. Literally no one cares what my notes look like or how long I spend on each step of my morning routine or whatever, but I constantly feel like people are judging me and will hate me the second I mess up. There are two more times in my life that I can think of when I displayed symptoms of OCD, contamination OCD when I was 9 and pure/religious/magical thinking/health concern OCD (they all just kind morphed together) when I was 11. I can go into more detail if you wish. As of now, I just want to know my behavior sounds like OCD, and if so, how to more forward. If not, I would love to know what I do have and how to treat it. Thank you so much.
- Date posted
- 21w ago
I'm reaching out in hopes of finding others who might relate to my experiences or offer insights. I'm dealing with a complex interplay of OCD, depression, and existential anxiety, and I'm struggling to make sense of it all. Here's what I'm experiencing: I have OCD with various manifestations, along with episodes of depression. I find myself in a cyclical pattern where, after a few weeks, I start to remind myself about my depressive tendencies. This reminder seems to trigger a cycle that actually makes me feel more depressed or at least more aware of depressive symptoms. When this happens, I often experience feelings of nihilism and existential dread. I try to think about my family - my two young boys and my wife - to find motivation or a sense of purpose, but this strategy often backfires, making me feel even more anxious and depressed. I constantly check my feelings, wondering if they're depressive or anxious. At the same time, I fear that my feelings of anxiety and panic might spiral out of control. I think about my emotions and thoughts on a meta-level, which means I'm not just experiencing feelings, but I'm also constantly analyzing the fact that I'm experiencing them. There's an existential component to my struggles, a fear of depression and anxiety itself, and a sense that this might be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Perhaps most frustratingly, I often have feelings, thoughts, or sensory experiences that I can't explain or put into words. I feel like I've never heard of these before, which leaves me feeling deeply misunderstood. Does anyone else experience something similar? How do you cope with this complex web of symptoms and experiences? I'm particularly interested in hearing from those who've found ways to break the cycle of meta-cognition and self-fulfilling anxiety. Any insights, shared experiences, or strategies would be deeply appreciated. Thank you for your time and understanding.
- Date posted
- 14w ago
So I've had OCD since I was a child. Like really young. The first intrusive thought I can remember was when I was 5. It just keeps getting worse and lately they've been making me physically ill or throwing me into extreme panic attacks again ( ones where I can't move my body ) the other night I thought God was trying to kill me because I was thinking about ending myself from OCD+ life issues but in reality I was just having a panic attack😭😭it affects me daily. It gets a little better with therapy but I don't see therapy coming into my life any time soon and I'm not even sure if I would want to go (for multiple reasons). To wrap this up if you have severe ocd can you tell me what it's like?? I don't want to label anything without proper research and hearing others perspectives. Thank you!! <3 (My profile says all of my subtypes if that helps any)
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