- Date posted
- 6y
- Date posted
- 6y
I agree these are tough, especially when you feel you have a rational reason behind it! The most effective way is to at some point get so fed up and angry at the OCD or doubt or whatever it is that you just accept the uncertainty. You can start small, use a ton of self compassion in your journey. We must walk through the fire only to turn around and realize there was never any danger in the first place!
- Date posted
- 6y
How did you cope with rational (albeit catastrophised) anxieties intermingling with OCD? For example I've always had contamination OCD, but a few years ago I was misdiagnosed for a physical illness and ended up with permanent irreversible health problems as a result. I now suffer a lot of anxiety about my personal safety out of fear of getting injured or sick and having the same thing happen. So there's a reasonable cause to an extent, but that anxiety is now tightly woven with my contamination OCD and any time I make strides with ERP, the other anxiety undoes it again
- Date posted
- 6y
How did you start to accept uncertainty? I am finding this so hard, and almost avoiding the topic altogether. I am terrified about the outcome. Some background is that I have rocd and I guess I'm scared once I accept uncertainty the thoughts and feelings might be true and I'm struggling to overcome this. Any help would be massively appreciated as I want to start my road to recovery asap but fear I can't
- Date posted
- 6y
You’ll have to at some point decide for yourself you are so goddamn sick of this garbage disorder that you are motivated and willing to overcome it
- Date posted
- 6y
In the same token, be very forgiving and kind to yourself! Having this crap is hard enough and we often put ourselves down without even realizing it!
- Date posted
- 6y
I am fed up with it. I want to overcome it with all my being, I just am still so scared. But yeah you're right I think it's hard to be kind to ourselves
- Date posted
- 6y
If you’ve tried everything else, try to accept the fear! You’re not in this alone, I know how hard it is because I still struggle but Exposure work has helped! You can do it!!
- Date posted
- 6y
Thank you (: I will give it a go!
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 23w
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?
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 20w
Hi everyone, I’m Andrea and I am a member of the Intake Team here at NOCD. In junior high, I was known as the “aneurysm girl” because I was convinced any small headache meant I was dying. At just 12 years old, I read something that triggered my OCD, and from that moment on, my brain latched onto catastrophic health fears. Any strange sensation in my body felt like proof that something was seriously wrong. I constantly sought reassurance, avoided being alone, and felt trapped in an endless cycle of fear. Over time, my OCD shifted themes, but health anxiety was always there, lurking in the background. I turned to drinking to numb my mind, trying to escape the fear that never let up. Then, in 2016, everything spiraled. I was sitting at work, feeling completely fine, when suddenly my vision felt strange—something was “off.” My mind convinced me I was having a stroke. I called an ambulance, launching myself into one of the darkest periods of my life. I visited doctors multiple times a week, terrified I was dying, yet every test came back normal. The fear never loosened its grip. For years, I cycled in and out of therapy, desperately trying to find answers, but no one recognized what was really happening. I was always told I had anxiety or depression, but OCD was never mentioned. I was suicidal, believing I would never escape the torment of my mind. It wasn’t until 2022—after years of struggling, hitting rock bottom, and finally seeking specialized OCD treatment—that I got the right diagnosis. ERP therapy at NOCD was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it saved my life. Today, I’m 34, sober, and living a life I never thought was possible. Do I still have hard days? Absolutely. But I am no longer a prisoner to my fears. The thoughts still come, but they don’t control me anymore. They don’t dictate my every move. Life isn’t perfect, but it no longer knocks me off my feet. If you’re struggling with health OCD or somatic OCD, I see you. I know how terrifying and isolating it can be. But I also know that it can get better. If you have any questions about health & somatic OCD, ERP, and breaking the OCD cycle, I’d love to tell you what I’ve learned first hand. Drop your questions below, and I’ll answer all of them!
- 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❤️
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