artsygirl
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
bluebellbluebell
- Date posted
- 4y
Death anxiety is really rough, because it feels inescapable. We think the only way our fear can be ‘settled’, is if we experience death. That’s not the case. Mahatma Ghandi said, ‘each night when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning when I wake up I am reborn’. Sounds a little deep, but it’s really simple. you’re not as disconnected from death as you’d imagine. I understand that your fear surrounds the idea of heaven, being dead but conscious and being away from loved ones, I was the same! Think of it this way, you were dead billions, and billions of years before you were born, and you didn’t suffer at all during that time. Death is hard, but your love for your family and your connections with them are more than death. As sappy as it sounds, you’ll always be in each others hearts regardless of what comes between that. All of your fears are based on this idea of consciousness after death, which is scientifically impossible - but I understand what you’re saying. When you go to sleep, and you’re unconscious, it’s irrelevant to you whether you’re in a box or a field - as long as you’re in that state. Think of death as sleep if that helps. This was long, but I’ve been where you are. Sending my best wishes🤍
em887766em887766
- Date posted
- 4y
^^ we actually don’t know, scientifically, if there’s other realms or if consciousness continues after physical death, etc. There’s SO MUCH we don’t know. We know like 0.1% of everything possibly knowable. There’s string theory, Near Death Experiances (NDEs) studied by Dr. Sam Parnia, and even Stephen Hawking “suggesting ‘God’ could exist”.. There’s studies of mediums and of quantum mechanics. We know nothing 🤍✨
bluebellbluebell
- Date posted
- 4y
No, I agree!! When I say consciousness I mean consciousness in a physical sense - like electrical activity in the brain. I love contemplating about life after death, and I personally believe in reincarnation lol. I agree we know nothing, I’m not disputing that, but this person has a fear of how claustrophobic it would be to be in a coffin, and she’s referring to the possibility of being conscious in the way that we understand it, as humans who are alive. I’m not debating the idea that our consciousness transcends into something else!
babs7119babs7119
- Date posted
- 4y
Mine is Cancer and death. I feel if i could overcome fear of death then if i ever get cancer( that was hard to write btw) then i wouldn't freak out.
em887766em887766
- Date posted
- 4y
*****TW****** Yesssss I have a total fear that there’s no afterlife!!! My biggest core fear, EASILY!! I’ve rationalized that my other fears are okay as long as there’s an afterlife at the end of this... more to go on. But maybe there isn’t!! My family runs a graveyard (ironic) and my current exposure is to listen to nihilist quotes while walking through and imagining all the decaying bodies.. 2 times a day at least. And I listen to the quotes more. Sending soooo much love and good luck 🤍🤍✨✨✨
em887766em887766
- Date posted
- 4y
If you ever want to do an exposure together you can find me on IG at emidrew_xo 🤗
babs7119babs7119
- Date posted
- 4y
BTW you basically described me.
artsygirlartsygirl
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 4y
Have you done erp? Any good exposures ?
babs7119babs7119
- Date posted
- 4y
@artsygirl I am doing ERP now with my NOCD therapist. Just started, only exposure I've done so far is write a script about getting a terminal cancer diagnosis and reading the word over and over.
Related posts
Andrea Wells
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 23w
My OCD Journey
Looking back, I realize I’ve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldn’t explain: "What if God isn’t real? What happens when we die? How do I know I’m real?" These existential thoughts terrified me, and while everyone has them from time to time, I felt like they were consuming my life. By 12, I was having daily panic attacks about death and war, feeling untethered from reality as depersonalization and derealization set in. At 15, I turned to drinking, spending the next 15 years drunk, trying to escape my mind. I hated myself, struggled with my body, and my intrusive thoughts. Sobriety forced me to face it all head-on. In May 2022, I finally learned I had OCD. I remember the exact date: May 10th. Reading about it, I thought, "Oh my God, this is it. This explains everything." My main themes were existential OCD and self-harm intrusive thoughts. The self-harm fears were the hardest: "What if I kill myself? What if I lose control?" These thoughts terrified me because I didn’t want to die. ERP changed everything. At first, I thought, "You want me to confront my worst fears? Are you kidding me?" But ERP is gradual and done at your pace. My therapist taught me to lean into uncertainty instead of fighting it. She’d say, "Maybe you’ll kill yourself—who knows?" At first, it felt scary, but for OCD, it was freeing. Slowly, I realized my thoughts were just thoughts. ERP gave me my life back. I’m working again, I’m sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If you’re scared to try ERP, I get it. But if you’re already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?
Sosa2loud
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 20w
Kind of Spiraling
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❤️
issphra 🫶🏻
- Date posted
- 10w
Anyone religious on here?
im scared. I keep compulsively praying for bad things or death on the people I love. I don’t understand why. It doesn’t make anything better. I’m scared that these prayers count. I seal them as I do with most of my prayers in Jesus name and with a double amen. I’m scared God will want to teach me a lesson and make something come true. I’m scared I mean these prayers, I’m petrified. If something happened, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself :( I don’t know where to go from here
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