Have hope guys!!!! For many, they just easily forget about these thoughts after a few minutes or so but others contemplate for a long time trying to get to the bottom of it and they get extreme anxiety when they just cannot know it with 100% certainty. It helps to understand that what you know currently is true to an extent and. It will create only more hassle more thought you put into it. The key is to remember as human, anyone can have these thoughts and if you want to get over them, you need to focus on removing the anxiety that causes them first by focusing on things that matter in everyday life, not these thoughts.
To anyone who feels that they are the only person on Earth and that their mind is producing everything that they see and feel, you just have to take my/our word for it that you are not alone and we all have the capacity to feel these thoughts and emotions but you’ve just stumbled down a philosophical rabbit hole. When we die I truly believe that we will be given the answers we are searching for. The key is to find tolerance in uncertainty, do not wilt away trying to find an answer that does not exist. Be okay with the fact that you’ll never know and live your life.
Qwertyiop what would you do differently in your life if you found the answer? Probably nothing would change right? Your brain is compelling you to solve something that is unsolvable. Imagine if you got to the afterlife, whatever that is and realised you wasted years of your life worrying if you were alone or you’re in a dream etc and went through the suffering to just be told you weren’t by a higher being. This is our reality and we must play with the cards we are given. Don’t be a waste of an opportunity billions don’t get to experience.
Am i the only one who will be in a great mood and all of a sudden it hits you.... And you just stop and think about it, and you just start to feel hopeless, and then you start to freak out that you discovered all of reality? Or am i just crazy.
PLEASE READ - Yes bro, that’s exactly what I go through too, I’m having a good time and then when I remember not specifically the topics but how I felt about the topics, I feel terrible. It’s so hard and stressful because sometimes I don’t even actually think deeply about it, I just know that I am distressed with the topic which makes me feel uncertain or where I feel like I can’t freely continue my everyday life. After I start thinking about how I felt about the topics, I think about the topic straight up, that’s when it hurts, and I feel tormented and it’s hard to get out of it.
This is the STRONGEST boss I've fought, but it was also the final nail for my greatest life transition, I successfully tamed this boss and all other life worries and problems does not affect me that much anymore. I thought this was a curse but end up my greatest blessing. Can handle life challenges so much easier
The fact that you’re not the only one with these thoughts (looking at the comments) truly makes me feel like a normal human which is what we are maybe a bit curious than others, love you guys keep strong and positive!
This video has pretty much saved my life. For the past three months these questions have become alot more furious in my mind Disconnecting me from reality and people. To know it's a treatable medical condition and not the begining of madness is honest to god a life saver
Here I am 45 years later and there is finally a name for this. I have worried about infinite nothingness for a majority of my life and no one could relate to these worries and therapists didn't know how to address this.
Yep therapist don’t have the answer to it because nobody does on earth . It’s so difficult to live with an obsession on a topic that literally cannot be answered while we are here
First started for me when I was 11, I believe traumatic childhood experiences brought it on. Still struggling 15 years on. Can't imagine what 45 have been like for you. Its nice to put a name to it and know we aren't alone but still, I want the answers.
@@razie97 As with most, if not all, OCD themes there is no answer, no certainty to be sought. Instead, it's cultivating a willingness to live your life without certainty, without an answer. I find that my level of discomfort with this topic varies. Mid-night or early morning awakenings to the visceral terror of this thought on one end and when I am participating with my life this topic doesn't bother me at all. I think the "answer" is in that latter point. The answer is to live despite (a word I use often) existential nothingness, the void, or whatever we *think* it is. Best of luck. You can live a worthwhile, pleasurable life with this theme.
This is a very common part/form of existential OCD. The feeling of ‘not being real’ so to speak. Every time it comes up relable it is “oh, that’s just my OCD, thanks Brain’, then redirect your attention elsewhere. Easier said than done (I know). Also therapy with a Psych that’s experienced in OCD is your best way forward. Hang in there. Cheers, Tania (Clinical Psychologist & OCD sufferer).
omg this video actually made me cry, its like i found the answer haha, i am seriously so happy this video exists, thank you! i know im still going to obsess about it but now i know its not just me.
@@Grxbs that's so awesome to hear. I hope I can get to that point.. I've been struggling with it for about a month now.. I thought It was getting better but two days ago that horrible feeling that my consciousness is the only real thing and that everyone and everything is just a projection of my mind suddenly hit me. I get these horrible moments of panic randomly and I feel so disconnected.. I feel hopeless. I'm so glad that you got through it and it's hardly even a thought.. I hope I can get to this point soon! Do you remember how long it took you to get over it? Was it similar to what I'm feeling? Thank you for the response btw
The funniest thing about having this form of OCD is that it makes all the other themes you have dealt with in the past seem so stupid. I think back to when I only dealt with HOCD and feel that I should’ve been thankful. With EOCD, it brings things up like life and death, existence, and the reality, duality and every other complicated, abstract and philosophical concept. My EOCD makes me fear my own death, even when I know that being dead isn’t horrible or bad. I “experienced” what it was like for billions of years before I was born. I also, whilst not believing in any spiritual beliefs, do believe that we become one with the universe once we die, as our energy and matter that made us up is deconstructed through decomposition or cremation into pure energy. I also believe that the universe will continue for eternity with cycles of expansion and contraction, known as the Big Bounce Theory. All of this being said, my OCD doesn’t care because it wants me to KNOW the answers, without any doubts.
You've just made the assumption that what proceeds after death would be exactly the same as before our birth. That means you've had a material existence before your birth to observe nothingness and have removed the idea that consciousness in and of itself is not a product of random chemicals in our brain that simulate our reality and that we can alter it to fit our reality how do we know for certain that it dosent exist after our death... WE DONT THESE ARE ALL JUST ASSUMPTIONS. Before we were born we ceased to exist but as we die our remains (skeletons) will remain on this material dimension forever as the first rule of thermodynamics states that no energy can be created or destroyed... Only transfered.
I have this form of OCD and I can tell you that life sucks, its a burden that I cannot carry. I literally have no peace of mind. I experience passive suicidal ideation everyday.
Saagar Shah it’s a battle everyday man . We have to take it day by day though . Anytime you look too far back or forward is when things get tricky . There’s certain triggers for me like staying up too late . I notice when I stay up late in my room I get these thoughts x100 . Trying to just put my phone down and sleep as soon as my thoughts start wandering . These thoughts might always be with us so we can’t hide from them but we can’t let it consume us either . The last thing for me with the suicidal stuff is realizing how much it would affect others around us . Yes we may be living in a world with no purpose but we will go when it’s time . I think when you start really obsessing over this try to remember the last time you did that and what came from it ? Nothing , just more sadness and overthinking . We are asking questions that cant be answered and will never be answered so there really is no point to asking it . I’m not perfect at this I still struggle from time to time which is why I’m here today but eventually you will obsess over it less and less and it’ll go from an everyday thing to maybe once a week which is where I’m at and hopefully I can keep it going and think of it less and less over time ! I know reading my words might not help but just try to hold onto some kind of hope . When we have hope we are saved from this and don’t worry anymore so anytime you get hopeful about something just run with it
I straight up broke down when I found out this was a thing I felt like I was the only one. The amount of relief just knowing this is something treatable is so reassuring
Anyone who is struggling with these scary thoughts repeating, I urge you strongly to get the book "Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts" by Sally M. Winston. It quite literally saved my life from this. Just get it.
The problem with this subtype is that after you defeat it, it's a gift that keeps on giving, in my case, atleast. Every few years, or even months, the questions come back, and I am pushed into what seems to be an annual existential crisis.
Same here man, doesnt matter how many times i beat the endless uncertainty and manage to move on, the questions return some day im feeling stressed or overthinking these topics, or even remembering what i went through with my OCD. Then it starts again, the urge of "solving" the question, and the feeling of obligation to do so necessarily in order to continue with my life. Its quite annoying. Nevertheless i feel really good looking at the progress im doing with it, its not nearly as unbearable it once was, and the fact that now it only comes once in a while makes me feel very fuzzy and warm, since before it would be tormenting me everyday at every hour, to the point i would not even wake up from my bed. Makes me feel very proud of myself. If its only for little whiles, i think i will be okay, i mean everyone has an existencial crisis now and then right, so i think i can live with it, and i think thats the important thing when dealing with ocd, just let it be and live.
I have spent 4 years of my life failing university while creating a whole philosophical/religious system from scratch. I am still obsessing about details and contradictions. Cognitive dissonance is unbearable and the urge to solve it is so strong. I think the reason for this situation is that my life has been awful so far, I have no plan, I'm doing things I don't really want to do. I am hopeless, so instead i try to consolidate myself by creating something interesting, something that feels "above" life and keep me going day to day... And since I'm a critical thinker and I have abandoned by native religion, I have to do it all on my own.
I majored in physics and spent 4 years of life in university creating a whole philosopical system attached to physics theory from scratch. I want to admit that I prefer intuition driven physics to philosophy although I did have some interest in it
Wow.... I just did the exact same thing for 2 years... Now that I understand that this is a self desctructive habits created by this anxiety we feel, I kinda feel ashamed about it... I feel like if I had opened up the issue with others and tried to put my feelings in perspective with actual psychology/philosophy rather than my own attempts to push my fears away, things would have been much simpler. I see that you are clearly aware of the negative effects brought by this self coping habit, as it fuels our anxiety rather than solving it. How do you feel about it now ?
I understand how you feel but know that it’ll be okay and others know how you feel. You are alone and will never be alone, you will get through this and you will be okay!
I want to say this on the chance it will help someone - the answer is to care less about these thoughts. I had been struggling terribly with this for months, wondering wether what I was experiencing was real or not. At times i'd even sit with a friend and question wether they were real or wether I'd imagined them, my face would flush and my heart would race when the thought occurred. It also isn't my intention to encourage reassurance seeking as that is not helpful with OCD, but one day I confided in a friend about having a 'video game feeling', I said sometimes I feel like I'm playing a game and nothing is real. His answer saved me - maybe it isn't real but who cares, just play the game. This is essentially desensitising yourself from the fear, if it's not real, if we have no answer - who cares. Just go with it anyway, let go of the fear, ground yourself and bring your brain back to physical sensation, relax your stomach muscles and unclench your jaw. We are just water and biological matter floating around on some mad rock - and that's truly it. Find something to care about, anything at all and focus on it hard. The rest might not be real, it might not be true, but it's your reality and that's all the matters. I truly truly hope this helps someone whos in the midst of it, I had suffered for months on end and one day a single thought clicked and helped to end my suffering! If it is all a simulation, well cool! Pretty awesome your mind managed to create your entire reality, what a cool brain you have.
Really glad I found this. Went through dpdr for 4 months, and been going through this shit for the past month. Felt my life crashing before my eyes and it’s by far the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. Glad this is curable
@@handsomesquidward6704 thank you for replying! I've been suffering with solopsism for over a month and feeling like my consciousness is the only real thing and everyone else is a product of my imagination. Please could you tell me if it gets better, if I'll get back to normal again.. it's really eating away at me .
@@jokefunnyhaha3611 hey thanks so much for this.. this was amazing to wake up to and read. Its definitely been a tiny bit better from a few weeks ago. But I still have some moments which are pretty bad.. especially when I'm tired.. anyway I'm glad you got through it completely too.. gives me hope that I'll fully recover one day!
gym &Jesus if u ask me, it’s inevitable for u to eventually stop caring and my guess is that it’s a lot sooner than u might expect (speaking from experience). The thoughts your having are coming from a headspace that i can guarantee you’ll get past
thankyou so so much sir , i am a doctor of medicine and suffered ocd for many years . been taking ssri and started cbt( reading a book ) . when those thaughts or ideas on which i wasted my time obsessing and compulsing about for 15 years were no longer of concern , i rejoiced but only for a few hours when i went into the trap of existential thought and meaning of life etc. all that ,turned through the pages of my CBT help book ,but to no avail as i couldn't find this topic . And after watching this video , just realizing that it is a part of OCD has greatly relieved me , and solved my problem . Thank you so so much Sir
This OCD theme has been the hardest thing I have ever been through in life. The certain obsession that I am dealing with right now is that getting better would be really bad and that enjoying life would be the worst decision I could make. Has anyone else had this obsession?
I kinda feel the same. My mind is telling me to stop worrying about these existential thoughts (fearing death, the concept of being alive, consciousness, fearing not being real, and the worst of all, fearing eternal consciousness/being some kind of conscious soul after death for the eternity) but this a loop and i fall in it over and over, I hope you can overcome it and i hope the same for me (sorry for any spelling mistakes, I'm not a native speaker)
@@hoodratv3 I literally just teared up by your response. Thank you so much. I had a full on anxiety attack about it three days ago and been stuck with this thought process every day since.. I just want my old life back which was only last week :( can I ask you when it should get easier? Or how long it took you? Thank you
gym &Jesus You’re most welcome. For me my mental health started getting better when I learned to not argue with the thoughts. I was trying to find ways to validate my existence and all of the other crazy existential thoughts. I got to a point where every time a thought would come into my head I’d just tell myself not to argue with it and try to accept that I’ll never know the answer to these impossible questions. I understand where you are right now, I felt the same way. I was having panic attacks every night crying to my family about how I wanted my old life back, the whole experience also made me question my faith in my religion which was extremely troubling for me. I know the feeling of hopelessness you probably have right now, and there isn’t much I can tell you to make it better, but I promise you’ll get over this. It just takes some time.
Yep this is exactly what I have :)) but honestly I'm happy that I'm not going crazy and this is only a condition of ocd. My friends and family are a bit blind/don't know what ocd is..so that's real helpful..not. I tried going to a psychiatrist and he was a complete and total douche lmao. So I'm just waiting for the time I have my own money and can afford an actual therapist of my choice. But until then this video really helped
Im crying so hard. Ive had ocd since 10 years ago and im only 18 and i have existential crisis everyday. I feel i need to find the answers and help the world and meaning. I hate this life i wish i didn't have it
from someone who survived an attempted suicide because of existential OCD, i can’t possibly put into words of the torture i went through. furthermore i had no clue on why i wanted to die so badly until i realized after the fact what was going on. For anyone in the same boat as me; i want you to enjoy life as much as possible, don’t think of it as a waste of time but a amount of time we’re you can do anything you want! Stay positive:)
This was such a huge help for me. My anxieties were magnified after trying Zoloft and I had the worst panic attack of my life. Long story short, after a five month battle with DR/DP I found I have Pure O. Dr. Claire Weeks and Dr. Phillipson have been life savers!
On the other side of this battle is wisdom and growth, everybody. We are not to shy away from our ocd, our dpdr or any other anxiety based label you might have. Instead we are to move THROUGH it and enjoy life deeply on the other side. There is a lesson embedded in your suffering, it is not meaningless.
One of my greatest OCD fears was that I didn't exist. The things I did to prove I was real were insane. So many hours, days, weeks, months, and years of tortured thinking and living ensued. It's better now, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to blow my brains out during these periods.
Phillip Andrew omg I too struggle with this. I feel like I’m just a simulation and I try to find elements in life where I can “prove” my existence. I’m in a bit of a rut at the moment but you’re definitely not alone.
@@Hekeepblessingme same here , I've been feeling this, and I've been obsessing. Web searches videos etc. It's distressing and unbearable sometimes. I feel like I've lost control and the world I once knew is gone. I feel alien and wondering if I'll ever feel peaceful again.
Jun0 honestly it’s easier said than done but I got on anti anxiety medication, stopped smoking weed and stopped researching about it. Once you stop consistently looking up a “cure” from feeling this way, it starts to naturally fade . Of course not altogether but it becomes more bearable.
@@Hekeepblessingme yeah I'm trying to do that. it's incredibly difficult after seeing all this research and theories that we might just be automated.. the loss of control and that we are just flowing through life. I think I'm way too sensitive to know all this information, I already have anxiety problems and it just made it worse.
@@Hekeepblessingme before I could think of these things and set them aside and continue my days happily. Now it's just always in the back of my mind. Thinking of free will , god , universe etc. my stomach is in a knot, the only thing that helps is exercise somewhat. My world as I once knew just come crashing down.
Watching this video and reading these comments makes me feel connected and warm. It sure its better than trying to figure out unanswarable and endless silly questions.
As a person with existential ocd,I want to thank you ! Because I just thought that it's not ocd but it's real me! I thought they were real questions ! Now I am just gonna pass by them ! I am not gonna care !
@@sunjanadas8795 Thank you for asking. 💖 I’ve been seeing doctor and taking medication. Now I’m much much better. I got rid of existential ocd almost totally. ✨
Hanne Durgungül omg that’s so amazing that makes me so happy 😭 idk how to fix this for myself since I can’t have medication or go to therapy. Do you have any tips to heal holistically? ❤️
@@sunjanadas8795 Oh dear, lemme write down the tips I think may work: ~First of all, know that these thoughts are NOT YOURS. It’s just ocd trying to take you down. ~You don’t have to find the answer. When ocd says “what is the aim of life? why I am here?” you don’t have to find an answer. These are not really your questions, so just watch them come and don’t pressure yourself trying to answer those questions. ~Don’t get scared when those thoughts come. Know that it’s gonna pass too. It will get better. If you feel less scared you can have more control on your emotions and ocd. ~Talking to somebody you trust, may relieve you. So speak to somebody, do not keep it inside. You can keep a diary too. Writing things out of your chest is a good thing to do. 🥰 ~Last of all, know that you are such a strong person. You will get over this too. You may feel up & down sometimes, but this is so normal. This is life. Healing is not linear. So don’t give this up! Things will get better. There is always hope and solution. ✨ Take good care of yourself please. 💖🌸
I've been on a non-stop month long existential OCD rampage. I keep on coming back to my purpose and worth in the world. I'm not suicidal by any means, I just have OCD and went on a deep dive into philosophy and science trying to learn more and more and more. I didn't realize it was part of my OCD till I saw this video, haha. I've also become a strong atheist during this time as opposed to a general agnosticism, so that doesn't offer anything like the false hopes religion gives people. Once an logical atheist, always a logical atheist I guess...
Wow, I never realised other people felt like this. This was me when I was about 19. I really got into a dark place thinking that everything was meaningless and that we were all going to die anyway. I became heavily dependent on drugs and got caught up half way inbetween self-destruction and escapism.Today I'm in a much better place. I'm 26 now and I'm about to start my second year studying for my undergraduate degree in Philosophy. I'm not longer on drugs, and whilst I still get existential thoughts from time to time i'm able to abstract them much better so they are 'rational thoughts' about the irrational rather than primal feelings of anxiety about the irrational.
Hey Dan! I deal with the same thing. This specific thought “what is the meaning of life cause we are all going to die anyway so nothing we do here has any point”. It makes life hard to enjoy, I am losing interest in my passions and hobbies. How did you manage to feel better? It feels like I am going down the rabbit hole everyday 😥
Living like this has been absolute torture. And yet the idea of trying to get past these obsessive & intrusive thoughts feels like ignorance, or stupidity. How very ironic and cruel of my mind lol.
I have this golden rule of believing in the most likely scenario based on evidence. This has showed for example that solipsism (the idea of me being the only real person) is false since others are able to experience same feelings and emotions as me and I can't control others via willpower. Even if we weren't real then it's most likely impossible to be proven and remember, the origin of our existence and life can really be anything. And remember, since solipsism can't be right, then no matter what the reality of things is, you're not alone in this but you're at the same boat with everyone else, together 💪🏼
Zzz I have the same thing constant having to get the answer one after another,mine is caused by benzo withdrawl, I have to solve the song, I'll have to find out what actor, I'll have to find out where the building is where is the lawnmower coming from,what did that just say, plus I get doom and gloom,there are so many symptoms of benzo withdrawl, this is just one of them, there is many many more and physical ones too.
If you get the answer then your satisfied and you can move on to the next thing to solve. But if you don't get the answer it hurts and you might spend hours thinking about it.
@@cduby1424 I totally agree. But the worst for me right now is Existential questions because there is really no certain answer. It's terrible, I feel tortured every day not living how I want to live and how I used to before the existential ocd and questions. God Bless, I hope we can all over come this because life has been stripped and it is super disturbing and incredibly bothersome
Same here. This form of OCD has completely wrecked my life. It is a day to day torment. How are you coping with it? Are you able to work and handle your daily responsibilities?
I feel like the OCD has made me believe that I have created everything, that nothing is real. It's like, I am aware how that sounds, but it's so painful... I'm scared you can't come back once it's made you believe it and I don't know what to do anymore.
@@Megan-zp2rb iam in exact situation..but different iam trying to remember everything around me..if I forget something ..it makes me anxious ...I feel like remembering evry detail
@@traumainducing3529 I watched alot of Ali Greymond's videos and did what she suggested in them. About letting the thought be there, refuse to react to it.
Here's interesting line of thoughts for those who are dealing with Existential OCD : 1) Embrace the absurdity of Existence ( Albert Camus Philosophy on Absurdity & his thoughts on Suicide is worth checking out ) 2) If you are tired of materialist lens of looking at the world then I would suggest that you read some esoteric philosophies. They have a totally different view of existence which may help you to look at reality in different ways. 3) Read books on Parapsychology. There's lots of research going on which suggests that ESP & other supernatural phenomenon is real. One book to start with would be Real Magic by Dean Radin. All these stuffs shapes your view of life in positive way. 4) Read books on Near Death Experiences & find out what are the commonalities people experience while in near death situation. 5)Basically, we are eternal soul & we incarnate here to learn lessons. Maybe overcoming OCD & Nihilistic tendencies is one of those lessons. I hope people will find it useful. I have slayed the final boss btw, if that gives you hoped. Just don't be afraid. Life finds a way if you cling to it like your life is some kind of mission!
I'm currently majoring in biochemistry, hoping I can someday find a "cure" to aging and death. It's such a drag. My real dream was to be a freelance animator and just live my life modestly, doing what I enjoy most. But no, a life that ends has no meaning. Ive obligated myself to decipher the human body, because if I don't then what's the point of living. If I fail my major, I fail at life, and the pressure this creates is somtimes unbearable.
Anthony If this is real I want to TRULY THANK YOU because I understand where you are coming from and what you’re doing is a labor that helps people like me cope
Hearing these words from another human being brings my soul a wave of comfort, because my OCD picked my major, not me. I wanted to be a musician, but instead, I'm studying to become a nurse practitioner. I hold myself to such a high esteem and force myself to push myself to the brink of stress and death, but I still persist, because something deep inside of me holds a gun up to my head and tells me to do so. You are not alone.
It’s really scary and hilarious how I’m literally going through the same thing as you are. I really wanted to major in 3D animation or video game design but because of existential OCD and fear of death, I am trying to major in Gerontology to solve the problem of aging, I feel better knowing we’re all in the same boat and all I can say is to start tackling OCD by going to therapy, that’s what I’m trying to do right now but it feels impossible to not do biology and gerontology but I guess we’ll have to work on it slowly
i struggle with this (after having terrible marijuana withdrawal symptoms) and some thought patterns that help me are - everyone is experiencing life from their own perspective and i dont need proof for that because i can talk to them directly which is good enough - everyone dies, and even though the thought is terrifying because it is unknown, it happens to everyone, so there is comfort in that - i am here right now, and even tho i cant explain my existence, i am experiencing it regardless so i might as well enjoy it - reality does not depend on your thoughts about it - if you are panicking, ride the wave. dont be afraid of panicking, even tho its uncomfortable, it isnt life threatening and is perfectly safe. anxiety is built into all of us and it is there to protect you from danger, but there is no immediate danger. you are safe. dont try to slow your breathing or calm yourself, that will put you in a panic loop. feel your feelings.
I dont know what to do im fucking scared. I dont know . I cant even trust that my family or friends are real... i feel this problem will be with me forever. I wouldnt wish this on my worst enemy
Hello brother. Don’t be scared. I know it doesn’t help much but please believe me I’m real. All of this is real. I’m here for you. God loves you. If you want we can become friends. I’m going through something similar. Don’t worry god will help us all.
I don't know if this is existential OCD, but heard the Many Worlds Interpretation, which says that the universe is constantly splitting with everyone in it. I think about it constantly.
I'm glad Dr. Phillipson talked about this; these videos have been extremely helpful! I hope to see more in the future! I know this is totally irrelevant but what's the background music?
I can relate to this very much but do not agree at all that people suffering have no interest in these questions and that it's just a malfunction of the brain. I am TOO interested in fact in these philosophical but unanswerable questions that it becomes obsessive and compulsive greatly reduces the quality of my life.
@EpicAdorable113 so if we can find peace with the uncertainty now, we will save ourselves from the usually inevitable confusion and heartache later on?
This is so crippling. I’m getting back on Lexapro for my PTSD because I’ve come to the terms that I’m not a superhero and I need it. I just cannot live without it right now because not only do I suffer from this as well, but awful, ruminating thoughts of my bones crushing and disturbing thoughts I can’t push away. I hope my medication starts working quickly for me again because I can’t take this anymore. I’m happy I’m not alone.
Wow.. How are you now? I did the same thing. I thought I was superman and quit Lexapro and Remeron just to end up getting back on them again. Unfortunately I had a bad reaction when I tried them again, so I had to stop immediately. As of now I'm not on anything and just practice not attaching negative emotions to existential thoughts. I have good days and bad days, but I'm able to live life at least.
i've "always" had this type of OCD, and it usually comes in waves, like, there's sometimes where it's still there but not enough to make me unable of living normally(or almost non-existing really) and other times where, either randomly or by some trigger, it gets hard to think of anything else, i have mental breakdowns(?) or anxiety or crying attacks and stuff, but now with the quarantine and all the shit that's happening and that happened only in this world + me having watched several hours of content related to this, in a very short period + my uncertainty about mine, all humanity's and universe's future has triggered the biggest and most persistent crisis that i've ever had. literally anything leads me to having more and more thoughts, or repetitive ones, so much so that i just think "why not just end it all?", which im prob not gonna do, but im just gradually giving up on life and don't giving a f about anything BECAUSE i care/want to understand them that much. ik i need help, but the thoughts are self-destructive (for me) so they kinda don't let me wanting to help myself, if that makes any sense. if you're reading this, just ignore it, this was more for me i guess. take care tho
Okay here goes...For the past 12 months now I fell victim to existential ocd and heavy depersonalization to the point I feel like I don't exist (autopilot) as a result of this I'm paralyzed in thought and fall so behind on my medschool work that I don't even think I can even get on top of anymore which exaggerates my anxiety as I've always wanted to get into med school and I suffered so much to get into it at (reapplying 3 times). Day in day out not a thought goes by that isnt of matters of why? and how? That's when I opened up to my mother about this issue and she is a religious woman so her answer was for me to participate in the islamic faith again. I went back to Islam to find some answers but with the nature of my ocd I keep flip flopping doubting myself and wanting a concrete answer to my problems but knowing that I will never have that drives my mind nuts it's got to the point that I get so irrational and fall into the doomer nihilism that corrupts the minds of many. I honestly fear that I'll never get out of this hell live a life of mediocrity as opposed to a life that I have crafted for myself.... Even worse my intrusive thoughts cause me to automatically reject any doctrine or belief which even furthers my anxiety as this results in arguments with my mother about her beliefs etc which is very draining on my day to day life and as a result forms into rumination for months just a constant cycle of agony. It's so nausisting as ocd is known for you to doubt anything and everything and unlike anxiety you can't use logic to break it clearing doubts create more doubts... Then I came across a very influential philosopher known as j.krish (you may know who he is) who is very pro mindfulness meditation and spiritualism which I enjoy and then I came across his counterpart UG krishmanurti who is very anti spiritualism and rejects the idea that meditation has any benefit in human existence and that enlightenment is nothing but an illusion things like this make me no longer think properly anymore and my intrusive thoughts always side with nihilistic tendencies which has a very negative affect on my relationships and my uni work as it breeds complacency. One thing also that I think exacerbated this is my online medical program (and the years of quarantine following 2020) at the moment that feels very divorced from any personal contact or any revenues of help so I've been feeling real lonely. I am always open for answers but given my ocd problem I always find ways to reject any and everything. I feel like I'm being gaslit into a position that I don't fully accept atm and I may have to resort to lying to my mom my entire life. And I believe the worst thing that came out of this is the fact that I'm mega behind on my med semesters to the point that I don't even know if I will continue to pursue my childhood dream 🥲🥲🥲 Constant mental anguish over things that aren't in my control. And the sad thing is my mom is scared of me for being in limbo about all of this and thinks that it's a serious problem and that there is some kind of objective answer to evils existence and I'm just in the wrong for being unsure. She thinks my skepticism is gonna rub off on my siblings as I'm the oldest. And thankfully I was introduced into this community by a good friend of mine who said they helped him through every step of the way with how to manage his ocd. So I truly appreciate it if you've read it this far as this is pretty much my entire heart poured out on text ❤️ Much love Abdi. The thing about my relationship with philosophy thanks to my ocd is no matter how hard I think or read into philosophical texts etc OCD is not solved by logic unlike health anxiety which I had a while back so no matter what position my brain affirms no matter how much I personally dislike it will bully me into confirming with that thought process as if it was absolute truth this is what's called a cognitive distortion although I'm aware of it unfortunately I still fall victim to it which has caused me multiple bouts of nhilistic cynicism etc and it feels like an everlasting trap on everything I enjoy it's all sucked out.
For me, I cannot stop thinking about the butterfly effect and it makes it impossible to make decisions and live with my decisions if they have been proven to be the wrong one.
What I experience, which may not even be "existential" OCD, is intense rumination about psychological models. I like to call it "psychoanalysis paralysis"; it's where I obsess about trying to find complete logical consistency within my understanding of psychological models. I have spent hundreds of hours going down a rabbit hole to figure out things like personality (I'm INTP, enneagram 5w4 with tritype 548 and sp/sx), intelligence (IQ 135+ tested at the proctored Mensa exam), psychopathology (obsessing about potentially being ASD, ADHD, OCD among other things, but (trying to) arrive at a 'false, until proven otherwise') etc. What keeps me going is that I am almost constantly bombarded with information that makes me seriously doubt my own understanding, like seeing someone who inaccurately uses psychological terms, like saying that they're 'a little OCD' making me hyperaware of the true-or-false nature of actually fitting the labels. I spend the majority of my free time obsessing about meaningless details, and I desperately want to get out of it. I have already stopped seeing psychology as an 'exact science' long ago. But I still keep ruminating. Which is why I'm starting to see it as a form of OCD, even if it isn't diagnosable with the DSM-5.
Thank you for this . Someone that finally gets it .. look how little views this video has. That means there only that many of out there with millions and millions of others out there . Yes I realize there’s more of us but it’s not a gigantic number . It’s no wonder we feel so alone
Has anyone else ever struggled with the theme of determinism/free will? Been so bad for almost six weeks and started to lose the feeling that I have any control over my own life. Just a brain responding to external/genetic stimuli and so nothing I’ve done - nor anything anyone else has done - deserves to be legitimately praised or blamed. Feels so real with neuroscience supporting it and that sense I referred to that I’ve not been in charge.
currently its been hell inside my brain due to this type of OCD, but first of all i don’t have solipsism i do believe that every humans in this so called world is real, but it seems like my type of existential OCD could be unlikely similar to other but idk, my OCD becomes worse the more i see old people or seeing/hearing other ppl die, but one of my problem that i keep having this thought about what gave us this “human” shape and what gave other things like insects,animals, or even possibly aliens and otherworldly beings their own shape, to add things off to that i also question why was age and organ functions were made as a concept, another problem that i have that ofc like any other existential OCD cases i think about death and what happens in the afterlife, for me all possible explanation is truly scary as i have a certain fear to mix things off with em, about death heaven and hell are just both depressing for me, the concept of either living eternally in a sky city with possibly no 100% pure entertainment and knowledge on whats new like us humans are currently experiencing sometimes (through either the internet or the new inventions inventors will possibly make in the future) and the fact that you could possibly be even a many eyed being in heaven, and a body made out of eyes is truly not a feeling to like, and ofc the concept of living in an infinite torture filled world generally sounds horrific ofc, but both makes me fear one thing: reincarnation, to this i have the feeling that being immortal is more better than dying, the concept that our conscious are being reused into another body when we die in exchange for fully removing your memories is too horrific for me, i even think that when we just die we instantly transfer our consciousness to another new born body of either a human, animal, or even something else, its like groundhog day with death plottwist but suffering from dementia every time(which is why i question “why shouldn’t we just be immortal of we’re gonna just be rebirthed into something? what even made aging in life a concept? i know our planet needs some space for other humans too but its something of a question) for other ppl yea this might sound good especially for suicidal ones but you gotta also think “where will i end up? will i end up in another body that’ll make me have a more worse experience than my past life?”, theres another thing i also think about death that in the end we’ll just experience either a dream that’ll last for eternity in which we cannot experience what life truly is anymore until our dream fades into a void the more we stay into it, another one is us still being conscious in death but i highly doubt that, and ofc being a ghost, which doesn’t sound very fun, a thing where you eternally haunt a place with no other stuff to do other than move objects and watch ppl live through your old home or watching ppl burn your home and turning it into a building sounds depressing until you probably won’t exist anymore. i also think that out there in the universe humans or either some kind of humanoids and idk have already discovered what happens after death
woah. you just about summed it up lol. the thing is, i think our minds are limited and arent capable of interpereting what happens after death because it could very well be a different plane of existence where the concepts of space and time are different. im convinced that we either get answers, or the torture of questioning existence stops. whether that means an eternity of pleasure of just no longer existing, so be it. we are all going to experience death, every single person you know. so i find comfort in that. we are all confused and scared, and playing by the same rules. infinity terrifies me too. but maybe death just feels like sleeping, and we truly do finally rest. the idea of the soul is very convincing to me because how tf am i experiencing anything despite being made of particles?? in the end, the questions are unanswerable, and any time they pop into your head, just reassure yourself with that, or talk to someone else about them. a problem shared is a problem halved. this all started for me when i started going thru marijuana withdrawal, so its likely my intrusive thoughts are going to cease within the coming months. i have thought about it before, but this dread feeling is artificial. why does your brain automatically assume it CANNOT be good no matter what? thats what i keep asking myself. i dont deserve to carry the weight of these thoughts on my own and neither do you.
Thank you for this video. I’m suffering greatly from this and I’m feeling like this has given me some relief. I’ll try to talk to my therapist directly about this.
I'm currently obsessing over whether reality is just actually an illusion created by omnipotent beings and that every day is a different reality with fake memories, it sounds stupid but it's draining me :(
and so what if it is? they must be really talented for making someone like you 🥰. go do stuff you love, and keep thinking those huge thoughts, they arent scary, but your mind is making them scary because that gives you an excuse to give up.
Sometimes, I feel like I will never get help and that is ny fear these days so I tend to stop feeling and thinking. I then feel like sociopath. I don't know wtf thhis ocd wants this time. Point is I don't have anyone to get help from.
I’ve had feelings that everyone’s described in the comment section and yes. They’re scary, but I pray on my anxiety and God helps me through it. Its been a week since I’ve started these thoughts and I’m already doing so much better. I still have the thoughts, but with the help of God, you will get past this I promise you🙂
@@mikechrist9699 well honestly I couldn’t ignore it, so I had to face it and learn to live with it and just process how I was feeling about it, i just had to tell myself that it was useless to think like that because life is gonna go on anyway no matter how I was feeling. I’m already here, I may not understand why or how but there’s nothing I can do about it, so I might as well just enjoy it🤷♀️
I’ve been feeling this in the back of my mind since the middle of the summer and I’ve been coping with it yet it never went away. Yet recently it’s been extremely bad. To the point where my brain keeps thinking about how life is pointless and it gives me so much anxiety to the point where I get nauseous and even throw up. Yet I HATE feeling like this so it’s a little comforting to see I’m not alone yet it’s still in my mind. I don’t know how I can go get help either so does anyone know of what I can do ? I want to just feel normal again and enjoy my life but it’s really really hard. I’m even a Christian too so it’s weird having thoughts like this.
watch aaron kim on youtube he is a christian, talks about suffering in these ways, Keep trusting in God, read the Bible , Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
"Their brain create illusions that they need to solve these issues to move on in life undistracted." I felt personally attacked. After my sister died nearly 6 years ago now from cancer I haven't been able to sleep or act since. I fear the end, immortaliy, proof of an afterlife, anything but cold oblivion but logically my brain concludes we are slowly broken down atom by atom until nothing of conscience remains, and all my memories are gone.
I think I have this. I obsess over what happens to us after death and it drives me insane because I can’t make sense from contradicting accounts of what people claim. I hate it. I had always dealt with existential OCD since a teenager but I had a really bad existential episode back in Jan and it spiraled so badly I shut off emotionally and can’t feel anything now. I hope there’s a way out of this.
Hey dude hope everything is alright with you, life is a really funny thing because your experience can never be shared with another person in completely the same way. Our individual experiences shape the person we become and the thoughts we have so in a sense your subjective reality is somewhat different compared to anyone in the world. It really helped me to tell myself that I will not probably ever find an answer to the questions I ask but that doesn’t mean that the question isn’t important to ask. Ask questions about our reality but remain tethered to accept that you most likely will never know and thats okay.
@@blacksupremacistgamer4659 hey man. I’m actually in a better place than I was already since that comment. I’ve been on medication which has helped a lot to block out the obsessive thoughts, that and basically like you’ve said, I’ve started to come to the conclusion that, I may never have the answers to some of my questions. Yea, NDEs still freak me out (since then I stopped binge watching them like I used to) and they don’t make sense why they contradict each other, but I think I’m just coming to the acceptance that we live in a mysterious and bewildering universe and perhaps the complexity to the answer is past my comprehension or maybe even not meant for us to figure out until it’s our time. I’ve learned what’s most important is to focus on the now, if anything that’s what we’re here for, not to be worried about the past or the future.
@@pault9544 great to hear man, I hope one day we are all given the chance to understand the underlying workings of the universe but until then you’re right we must live in the moment. Anyway glad you got your situation sorted I know how terrifying things can be at first. Best of luck to u my man hope you’re able to maintain peace of mind.
I ain't got this, i got harm OCD but i still get into an compulsion of questioning things like "how the fuck we are able to walk" or "how we are able to think", etc.
my struggle is that i begin to think that i’m going crazy and delusional and that my facial expressions and emotions are gone especially when i look at myself in the mirror so i begin to panic and get anxious, when i think im delusional and that this isn’t a real life my mind begins showing me the most randomest images with no context and i begin trying to decipher what it means because they are so random that it just honestly scares me because it makes me feel that i’ve lost my thought process and memories
The kind of existential OCD I get is usually, “every second that goes by means I’m one second closer to my death…I *have to remember this moment before it’s gone…oh, no,another moment gone….”
I started feeling this about 3 to 4 years ago, yet i still don’t think it’s what this video describes. It’s a thought, but I don’t know what it is. It teases me because i don’t even know what it is. It’s just this thing that i feel that doesn’t go away. And it tells me that nobody else understands and they never will. I’m so relieved to have found this video, but the thought came back again when i realised that this video doesn’t describe how i feel. it’s different. i feel like i’m going insane and like nobody will ever understand what i mean. it’s completely indescribable. there’s not a way i can put this thought into words. please someone tell me they know what i mean. please describe it if you think you know because i need answers. i feel like i’m going insane. please just describe it the best you can.
I don’t know if it’s the same feeling as yours cause neither can I describe it but the easiest and closest way to do it is saying that I feel an ‘existential void’ deep in my soul and I am disconnected not only from reality but even from myself... I’m not even sure I exist idk.
bianca i understand you and you really aren’t alone. i find that it really helps to keep busy and distract myself, so that my mind isn’t on it constantly 💞
I understand your feelings completely. It’s the fear that you have something that you can’t even explain. It’s thoughts that keep coming back and even more than that. Don’t worry I completely understand how you feel. Leave everything to god. God loves us all and will help us all. If you want we can become close friends.
Thank you for this video. This explains so much and really runs true to me currently. I have shown this to my family (who are tired of me asking the same questions over and over) and they too are grateful for such good information. I am looking to try exposure therapy or if anyone else has any further tips that would be great. Thanks again for sharing x
I have this. But I don’t agree with when he says that the person doesn’t actually have these questions as an interest. Mine started when my sister died. I became terrified there was no life after death for her and I have been in this loop ever since. It has truly ruined my life but it is also a very real concern for me
@@alexis6082 oh dear, see it's like the cycle repeats itself, I was just like that 😭😭infact at 15 it was my worst time too, dw man Id honestly say to ask for help. Dont be ashamed man. I eventually did..when I was 18 though..lmao do It as soon as you can man.
@@alexis6082 to be honest, I'm starting to take stuff, what I would say is try to improve your life by making changes. Like ..wake up early, exercise, sleep 8 to 10 hours and so on. Eat good too. But importantly ask for help, therefore any medication can accurately be prescribed if need be and also maybe you can be recommended to seek therapy. Your mind can play tricks on you, so its good to try and seek help.
Other forms of OCD are definitely repulsive and even hard to talk about, but this is in my opinion the scariest because somehow I am too interested at times in finding out why we exist. The fact that I am not even scared to talk to anyone about this, like I am some philosopher or scholar, scares me in hindsight. But yes, it is nevertheless a brain malfunction even if doesn't seem like one, which is why having OCD is so complex than the average brain can understand. A few weeks ago, the "voice" in my head told me I must die since I am not useful to anyone, given I am unemployed and haven't scored well in my college either. All this stemmed from what I was told by my parents for my living with my relatives: "You're a burden". This hurt me in so many ways that all those efforts for years to keep OCD at bay were wasted. I have been unable to recover from it, and that particular intrusive thought tormented me for 4 complete days, every time I woke up. I chose not to react to it, but that is the toughest part, even when something bad happens in reality. Fighting myself is like the biggest injustice meted out to me by my creator :(
This is a tough one. Would getting a PhD in Philosophy be ocd behavior? Just where does one demarcate obsession from profession? Surely some of the greatest scientific minds were hungry for making sense of the world. Where does scientific inquiry come from if not someplace “existential”?
@@beeberry8055 My 'endless' and 'desperate pursuit' or as my therapist once called it, "restlessly searching" has, as Nietzsche would have it, been constantly evolving; bringing up more questions than answers. Besides books, YT has been great in providing clickbait for what we all seek. A research and talk on the effects upon neurotransmitters by Prof. Nim Tottenham is but one giant revelation. My "struggling" as you call it I do categorically say is now more of a curious itch, thank gawd! I am nearing the end of smashing my past to history. Thank you for the inquiry.
This video has a very calming effect on me. It is pretty much exactly what I've been experiencing for the past few months. I've always been able to suppress the thought fairly quickly before but not this time. My trigger was ironically my 22nd birthday which is supposed to be a celebration and the day was fairly nice until I went to bed. As I switched the light off I thought about the year and somehow fell down this thought spiral of how my time on Earth is limited, how the hundreds and hundreds of hours Ive spent getting better at games, watching movies and generally doing nothing are a meaningless waste of time I could be spending better...but what does it mean to spend my time better? What is a good use of my limited time before I die and never wake up again? If I don't ever wake up does anything I do have meaning if its only temporary? The people I love, the things I like, the memories I cherish don't mean anything if I won't be here to feel them. But other people are here and I can make their lives better. But humanity is gonna disappear one day and the universe will probably disappear one day. Then what is the meaning of..anything? Is there no purpose? No greater goal? If I'm happy now why does it matter if I'm not gonna feel or remember after I die? After my family dies? After..humanity..dies? These are the struggles I cannot get rid of. Every minute of every hour every day from opening my eyes to falling asleep. Sometimes it gets better. Taking long walks while listening to people talking and laughing about..anything helps me but I dread the moment I get back home, take a shover, sit down and have time to think again. Sometimes it gets real bad I get full blown panic attacks cradling myself on the ground crying covered in cold sweat feeling like my heart is bursting out of my chest. Right now I started self medicating with herbal over the counter stuff like St. John's wort extracts and I've finally found the courage to schedule a session with a therapist. I hope I'll get better because I dont think I can take it much longer.
Hey dude, fellow creator of unneeded existential crisis in side of my mind lol. I’ve been dealing with it for a couple months now and it was really rough at first but in all honesty it gets a lot easier to handle. For me it helped a lot to talk with my gf and close friends in order to feel validated in the fact the universe makes absolutely no sense lol. I still have these intrusive thoughts but i enjoy being able to ponder the wonders of our existence and how odd this human experience really is. I’ve resigned myself to the simple yet encompassing viewpoint that we live in a world of paradoxes that remain unanswerable and these paradoxes can be found in simple imagery of the snake eating itself all the way to even the concept of infinity. You’re okay dude you’re not alone, we are all thrown into the chaos of the universe left without any real tangible reason to cling to. We aren’t given any clear cut meaning for why we as humans are here so all we are left to do is enjoy these silly conversations where we try and pull meaning out of this whole experience. Anyway sorry for the word salad, it gets manageable but talk with some close people and have existential conversations with someone besides yourself it really helps.
@@blacksupremacistgamer4659 Thank you. I've recently heard a phrase that goes like: "Every time you wake up the universe throws a stack of different-sided dice for you. The older you get the more dice are thrown. Some day the universe throws a 1 on one of those and you die. Simple as that" I dont know why but it made me feel better to the point I havent had a panic attack for the whole week which is nice. Im trying to tell myself that if the Universe was a theater stage, we are not the audience. The play is not for us. There IS no audience, the play just is, going on and on nobody knowing what its really about. We're like ants that wander around trying not to get smushed by actors dancing around
@@d_boi9345 hahaha the whole galactic theater concept is one I’ve come across a couple of times, maybe our play was getting a bit to boring and the aliens needed to visit on camera in order to spice it up a bit😂😂 another concept that somewhat calmed down my mind a bit was that since our mind and body work in our 4-D world we would have no understanding and would even be able to explain/rationalize any dimension higher (if it’s a thing lol) while in our 4-d world. so as fun as it is to think about, I try not to take any of these ideas to seriously based on the fact any idea we think up is an idea from a 4-D space. TLDR: our universe is weird but what lies beyond our universe is to weird for us to even understand, anyway glad you’ve been finding methods to manage this odd phenomenon!
Hello, it happens to me that I feel deep anguish, my head fills with philosophical thoughts that cause me fear and anxiety, which are enhanced by DPDR, I look at my family, friends or other people and I see them strangely, Life now seems like a simulation, I'm having a very bad time and at times I get the idea that the best thing is to die.
@@Xyzz261 yes!! I start thinking about the infinite, about the universe, if the reality I see every day its all a creation of my mind, I also start thinking that every person around me is like a NPC and they are not real. All started with DPDR, for a month and then started all this thoughts taking me to a very hard depression
@@Xyzz261 yes and very depress. Now I do things or go out of my house but pushed by my father and mother. And im in a roller coaster of emotions, im die in life
Don't wry everything will get fine soon just be positive.....and think positive Trust me .....if u think positive even u feel anxious u will see good change its just a wrong thinking pattern which we acquired....... otherwise some people feel enjoyable when they think about those things..... May I know how old are you and where are you from..?
Hi Everyone hope you're all safe. I am a recovered of anxiety and depression journey of 5 years in the past. It's been about a year now about existential thoughts. I have the below thoughts and they have put me in a state/ made me a person from where Il never come out of. I have the below thoughts on a constant basis. 1. When I look at someone I will be like in my head who is he/she? What's a human? How are they talking? What's beaneath their skin and bones? They are just energy and spirit. 2. What's my own mind? What is my consciousness? How am I thinking? Oh i just moved my hand how could I do that? Who am I?? How am I Me? It's like for everything I do for example move my hands, drink water, eat food, take showers, go for a run there is an existential thought associated with with it like OH YOU JUST DRANK WATEE WHAT IS WATER? WHAT US FOOD, HOW CAN I RUN?. All these thoughts have made me more involved with MYSELF WITHIN. It's like I am withing MYSELF BEING ALL THE TIME.questions like how can I carry my body? I'm basically nothing but a consciousness what is all this? PLEASE HELP IF ANYONE BEEN THROUGH THIS AND HOW TO COME OUT OF IT somedays are good. But i think I would never be able to look at life and live like how OTHER HUMANS live smiling and laughing and going about the day. AGAIN, PLEASE HELP
RomanianMadLad how can you believe in a religion when you dont actually know? i struggle with this and i feel like religion could be very beneficial but theres a mental block or something.
@@pikapika3124 Honestly, I've had it since I was a kid and I'm most certain that God exists but what scares me is the question of why we were chosen to exist and the fact that even if God does or does not exist, we will either face eternal life or eternal non existence and you know....
@@mikechrist9699 I'm doing so good, I researched my religion and faced my fears, it was a hard 2 years but I did it and had faith and patience, obviously I'm still lacking but now I'm steadfast on my faith. How are you doing:)
@@qamar1041 good to hear that. im doing okay, doesnt have any panic attacks, and not suicidal anymore. But the thoughts still messing with my head. I wish i could believe in religion again:(
This is the final boss after defeating all other OCD obsessions.
It sucks man
I feel exactly the same. I've beaten all others obsessions in my life, but this feels like i'm never going to get over with.
Have hope guys!!!! For many, they just easily forget about these thoughts after a few minutes or so but others contemplate for a long time trying to get to the bottom of it and they get extreme anxiety when they just cannot know it with 100% certainty. It helps to understand that what you know currently is true to an extent and. It will create only more hassle more thought you put into it. The key is to remember as human, anyone can have these thoughts and if you want to get over them, you need to focus on removing the anxiety that causes them first by focusing on things that matter in everyday life, not these thoughts.
@Jake Prewitt The worst part is that there constant uncertainty with no answer, just a lot of maybes.
Oh my god so true
To anyone who feels that they are the only person on Earth and that their mind is producing everything that they see and feel, you just have to take my/our word for it that you are not alone and we all have the capacity to feel these thoughts and emotions but you’ve just stumbled down a philosophical rabbit hole. When we die I truly believe that we will be given the answers we are searching for. The key is to find tolerance in uncertainty, do not wilt away trying to find an answer that does not exist. Be okay with the fact that you’ll never know and live your life.
Blake Kelly so good so true we are one ❤️☝🏽
Thanks man
Qwertyiop what would you do differently in your life if you found the answer? Probably nothing would change right? Your brain is compelling you to solve something that is unsolvable. Imagine if you got to the afterlife, whatever that is and realised you wasted years of your life worrying if you were alone or you’re in a dream etc and went through the suffering to just be told you weren’t by a higher being. This is our reality and we must play with the cards we are given. Don’t be a waste of an opportunity billions don’t get to experience.
lestatmac way anytime bro, I’ve known this suffering and it messed with my head for long enough, you are NOT alone.
Qwertyiop are you talking about the meaning of life changing your lifestyle? That could be the case but I’m talking about the theory of solipsism.
Am i the only one who will be in a great mood and all of a sudden it hits you.... And you just stop and think about it, and you just start to feel hopeless, and then you start to freak out that you discovered all of reality? Or am i just crazy.
I’ve gotten stuck in derealization like five times because of this BS
PLEASE READ - Yes bro, that’s exactly what I go through too, I’m having a good time and then when I remember not specifically the topics but how I felt about the topics, I feel terrible. It’s so hard and stressful because sometimes I don’t even actually think deeply about it, I just know that I am distressed with the topic which makes me feel uncertain or where I feel like I can’t freely continue my everyday life. After I start thinking about how I felt about the topics, I think about the topic straight up, that’s when it hurts, and I feel tormented and it’s hard to get out of it.
This is the STRONGEST boss I've fought, but it was also the final nail for my greatest life transition, I successfully tamed this boss and all other life worries and problems does not affect me that much anymore. I thought this was a curse but end up my greatest blessing. Can handle life challenges so much easier
The fact that you’re not the only one with these thoughts (looking at the comments) truly makes me feel like a normal human which is what we are maybe a bit curious than others, love you guys keep strong and positive!
how you doing with this obsession brother? has it gotten any better?
Keep strong
It helps . It’s sad how little of us there are out there though . It’s probably why I can’t connect with others beyond basic conversations anymore
@@About36Greekss i understand you so much brother.
Are you still struggling with solipsism?
This video has pretty much saved my life. For the past three months these questions have become alot more furious in my mind Disconnecting me from reality and people. To know it's a treatable medical condition and not the begining of madness is honest to god a life saver
How are you now?
Hi camino. I think I’m experiencing something similar to this. Has treatment helped you in any way?
@@Against-Modern-Errors how are you bro?
@@WoodyBro how are you bro?
@@raphaelepache5290 how are you?
Here I am 45 years later and there is finally a name for this. I have worried about infinite nothingness for a majority of my life and no one could relate to these worries and therapists didn't know how to address this.
Yep therapist don’t have the answer to it because nobody does on earth . It’s so difficult to live with an obsession on a topic that literally cannot be answered while we are here
Same here. 39 years
First started for me when I was 11, I believe traumatic childhood experiences brought it on. Still struggling 15 years on. Can't imagine what 45 have been like for you. Its nice to put a name to it and know we aren't alone but still, I want the answers.
@@razie97 As with most, if not all, OCD themes there is no answer, no certainty to be sought. Instead, it's cultivating a willingness to live your life without certainty, without an answer. I find that my level of discomfort with this topic varies. Mid-night or early morning awakenings to the visceral terror of this thought on one end and when I am participating with my life this topic doesn't bother me at all. I think the "answer" is in that latter point. The answer is to live despite (a word I use often) existential nothingness, the void, or whatever we *think* it is. Best of luck. You can live a worthwhile, pleasurable life with this theme.
Mine is that I'm in a simulation and everyone's like an npc has anyone else experienced that
This is a very common part/form of existential OCD. The feeling of ‘not being real’ so to speak. Every time it comes up relable it is “oh, that’s just my OCD, thanks Brain’, then redirect your attention elsewhere. Easier said than done (I know). Also therapy with a Psych that’s experienced in OCD is your best way forward. Hang in there. Cheers, Tania (Clinical Psychologist & OCD sufferer).
@@activateclint thank you ☺️
Tania Lake does this go away? For like 3-4 Months now ive been wondering where we come from or if we live in Simulation. I cant do this anymore
I have the same problem
Did it get any better?
Same here
omg this video actually made me cry, its like i found the answer haha, i am seriously so happy this video exists, thank you! i know im still going to obsess about it but now i know its not just me.
Skegs I felt the same!
Joshua Ernst do you still think about it?
How are you 2 years on?
@@Against-Modern-Errors I cant even remember what it was like hah, i guess time heals all wounds
@@Grxbs that's so awesome to hear. I hope I can get to that point.. I've been struggling with it for about a month now.. I thought It was getting better but two days ago that horrible feeling that my consciousness is the only real thing and that everyone and everything is just a projection of my mind suddenly hit me. I get these horrible moments of panic randomly and I feel so disconnected..
I feel hopeless. I'm so glad that you got through it and it's hardly even a thought.. I hope I can get to this point soon! Do you remember how long it took you to get over it? Was it similar to what I'm feeling?
Thank you for the response btw
The funniest thing about having this form of OCD is that it makes all the other themes you have dealt with in the past seem so stupid. I think back to when I only dealt with HOCD and feel that I should’ve been thankful.
With EOCD, it brings things up like life and death, existence, and the reality, duality and every other complicated, abstract and philosophical concept.
My EOCD makes me fear my own death, even when I know that being dead isn’t horrible or bad. I “experienced” what it was like for billions of years before I was born.
I also, whilst not believing in any spiritual beliefs, do believe that we become one with the universe once we die, as our energy and matter that made us up is deconstructed through decomposition or cremation into pure energy.
I also believe that the universe will continue for eternity with cycles of expansion and contraction, known as the Big Bounce Theory.
All of this being said, my OCD doesn’t care because it wants me to KNOW the answers, without any doubts.
How are you right now?
@@mikechrist9699 Jesus Christ died for your sins. Recognize your sinfulness and hopelessness,Put your trust in him for your salvation.
@@Person-dq3dk ok
You've just made the assumption that what proceeds after death would be exactly the same as before our birth. That means you've had a material existence before your birth to observe nothingness and have removed the idea that consciousness in and of itself is not a product of random chemicals in our brain that simulate our reality and that we can alter it to fit our reality how do we know for certain that it dosent exist after our death... WE DONT THESE ARE ALL JUST ASSUMPTIONS.
Before we were born we ceased to exist but as we die our remains (skeletons) will remain on this material dimension forever as the first rule of thermodynamics states that no energy can be created or destroyed... Only transfered.
@@Person-dq3dkthat is about as helpful as a bar of soap in a desert
I have this form of OCD and I can tell you that life sucks, its a burden that I cannot carry. I literally have no peace of mind. I experience passive suicidal ideation everyday.
Im scared too man.
I do too . We’re with you brother .
@@About36Greekss Thanks bro. Hope you get better soon. What strategies are you using to treat this?
Saagar Shah it’s a battle everyday man . We have to take it day by day though . Anytime you look too far back or forward is when things get tricky . There’s certain triggers for me like staying up too late . I notice when I stay up late in my room I get these thoughts x100 . Trying to just put my phone down and sleep as soon as my thoughts start wandering . These thoughts might always be with us so we can’t hide from them but we can’t let it consume us either . The last thing for me with the suicidal stuff is realizing how much it would affect others around us . Yes we may be living in a world with no purpose but we will go when it’s time . I think when you start really obsessing over this try to remember the last time you did that and what came from it ? Nothing , just more sadness and overthinking . We are asking questions that cant be answered and will never be answered so there really is no point to asking it . I’m not perfect at this I still struggle from time to time which is why I’m here today but eventually you will obsess over it less and less and it’ll go from an everyday thing to maybe once a week which is where I’m at and hopefully I can keep it going and think of it less and less over time ! I know reading my words might not help but just try to hold onto some kind of hope . When we have hope we are saved from this and don’t worry anymore so anytime you get hopeful about something just run with it
I can really relate to this
I straight up broke down when I found out this was a thing I felt like I was the only one. The amount of relief just knowing this is something treatable is so reassuring
Anyone who is struggling with these scary thoughts repeating, I urge you strongly to get the book "Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts" by Sally M. Winston. It quite literally saved my life from this. Just get it.
Were you also afraid to be the only real person?
@@beeberry8055 i have it to
The problem with this subtype is that after you defeat it, it's a gift that keeps on giving, in my case, atleast. Every few years, or even months, the questions come back, and I am pushed into what seems to be an annual existential crisis.
Same here man, doesnt matter how many times i beat the endless uncertainty and manage to move on, the questions return some day im feeling stressed or overthinking these topics, or even remembering what i went through with my OCD. Then it starts again, the urge of "solving" the question, and the feeling of obligation to do so necessarily in order to continue with my life. Its quite annoying. Nevertheless i feel really good looking at the progress im doing with it, its not nearly as unbearable it once was, and the fact that now it only comes once in a while makes me feel very fuzzy and warm, since before it would be tormenting me everyday at every hour, to the point i would not even wake up from my bed. Makes me feel very proud of myself. If its only for little whiles, i think i will be okay, i mean everyone has an existencial crisis now and then right, so i think i can live with it, and i think thats the important thing when dealing with ocd, just let it be and live.
I have spent 4 years of my life failing university while creating a whole philosophical/religious system from scratch. I am still obsessing about details and contradictions. Cognitive dissonance is unbearable and the urge to solve it is so strong. I think the reason for this situation is that my life has been awful so far, I have no plan, I'm doing things I don't really want to do. I am hopeless, so instead i try to consolidate myself by creating something interesting, something that feels "above" life and keep me going day to day... And since I'm a critical thinker and I have abandoned by native religion, I have to do it all on my own.
I majored in physics and spent 4 years of life in university creating a whole philosopical system attached to physics theory from scratch. I want to admit that I prefer intuition driven physics to philosophy although I did have some interest in it
Bruh
Wow.... I just did the exact same thing for 2 years... Now that I understand that this is a self desctructive habits created by this anxiety we feel, I kinda feel ashamed about it... I feel like if I had opened up the issue with others and tried to put my feelings in perspective with actual psychology/philosophy rather than my own attempts to push my fears away, things would have been much simpler.
I see that you are clearly aware of the negative effects brought by this self coping habit, as it fuels our anxiety rather than solving it. How do you feel about it now ?
@KyleTheOtaku im done with it now...
@@jadel9732 Help me Jad
the worst part is that i feel alone in this like no one else would understand if i tried to explain it to them which would make it worse
I understand how you feel but know that it’ll be okay and others know how you feel. You are alone and will never be alone, you will get through this and you will be okay!
Are you still struggling with solipsism?
How are you?
@@beeberry8055 i’m actually doing much better, i’ve had a lot of stuff to distract me from philosophical stuff
@@pikapika3124 did you take any medication? Or did you go to therapy?
I want to say this on the chance it will help someone - the answer is to care less about these thoughts. I had been struggling terribly with this for months, wondering wether what I was experiencing was real or not. At times i'd even sit with a friend and question wether they were real or wether I'd imagined them, my face would flush and my heart would race when the thought occurred. It also isn't my intention to encourage reassurance seeking as that is not helpful with OCD, but one day I confided in a friend about having a 'video game feeling', I said sometimes I feel like I'm playing a game and nothing is real. His answer saved me - maybe it isn't real but who cares, just play the game. This is essentially desensitising yourself from the fear, if it's not real, if we have no answer - who cares. Just go with it anyway, let go of the fear, ground yourself and bring your brain back to physical sensation, relax your stomach muscles and unclench your jaw. We are just water and biological matter floating around on some mad rock - and that's truly it. Find something to care about, anything at all and focus on it hard. The rest might not be real, it might not be true, but it's your reality and that's all the matters. I truly truly hope this helps someone whos in the midst of it, I had suffered for months on end and one day a single thought clicked and helped to end my suffering! If it is all a simulation, well cool! Pretty awesome your mind managed to create your entire reality, what a cool brain you have.
Did you take any medication?
Totally with you fella. The things we decide to believe in, that is our truth, and nothing else really matters.
Really glad I found this. Went through dpdr for 4 months, and been going through this shit for the past month. Felt my life crashing before my eyes and it’s by far the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. Glad this is curable
How are you now?
gym &Jesus I’ve been perfectly fine for a whole year now
@@handsomesquidward6704 thank you for replying! I've been suffering with solopsism for over a month and feeling like my consciousness is the only real thing and everyone else is a product of my imagination. Please could you tell me if it gets better, if I'll get back to normal again.. it's really eating away at me .
@@jokefunnyhaha3611 hey thanks so much for this.. this was amazing to wake up to and read. Its definitely been a tiny bit better from a few weeks ago. But I still have some moments which are pretty bad.. especially when I'm tired.. anyway I'm glad you got through it completely too.. gives me hope that I'll fully recover one day!
gym &Jesus if u ask me, it’s inevitable for u to eventually stop caring and my guess is that it’s a lot sooner than u might expect (speaking from experience). The thoughts your having are coming from a headspace that i can guarantee you’ll get past
OCD gives me random thoughts on existence like a philosopher sitting in my head and fucking giving philosophical quotes about every fucking thing
thankyou so so much sir ,
i am a doctor of medicine and suffered ocd for many years .
been taking ssri and started cbt( reading a book ) .
when those thaughts or ideas on which i wasted my time obsessing and compulsing about for 15 years were no longer of concern , i rejoiced but only for a few hours when i went into the trap of existential thought and meaning of life etc. all that ,turned through the pages of my CBT help book ,but to no avail as i couldn't find this topic .
And after watching this video , just realizing that it is a part of OCD has greatly relieved me , and solved my problem .
Thank you so so much Sir
This OCD theme has been the hardest thing I have ever been through in life. The certain obsession that I am dealing with right now is that getting better would be really bad and that enjoying life would be the worst decision I could make. Has anyone else had this obsession?
I kinda feel the same. My mind is telling me to stop worrying about these existential thoughts (fearing death, the concept of being alive, consciousness, fearing not being real, and the worst of all, fearing eternal consciousness/being some kind of conscious soul after death for the eternity) but this a loop and i fall in it over and over, I hope you can overcome it and i hope the same for me (sorry for any spelling mistakes, I'm not a native speaker)
I've been going through this these last few weeks and its been awful :(
Marysia Pawlak did you ever get over it? Please I’m dying
@@hoodratv3 how are you doing now??
gym &Jesus Much better, thanks for asking. If you’re going through this know that it will end and you’ll find the thoughts boring.
@@hoodratv3 I literally just teared up by your response. Thank you so much. I had a full on anxiety attack about it three days ago and been stuck with this thought process every day since.. I just want my old life back which was only last week :( can I ask you when it should get easier? Or how long it took you?
Thank you
gym &Jesus You’re most welcome. For me my mental health started getting better when I learned to not argue with the thoughts. I was trying to find ways to validate my existence and all of the other crazy existential thoughts. I got to a point where every time a thought would come into my head I’d just tell myself not to argue with it and try to accept that I’ll never know the answer to these impossible questions. I understand where you are right now, I felt the same way. I was having panic attacks every night crying to my family about how I wanted my old life back, the whole experience also made me question my faith in my religion which was extremely troubling for me. I know the feeling of hopelessness you probably have right now, and there isn’t much I can tell you to make it better, but I promise you’ll get over this. It just takes some time.
I feel like crying over this jeezus. Its a struggle. I hope yall safe and stuff
Are you still struggling with solipsism?
How are you?
Nowadays I am suffering from it..I had ocd but existential ocd is worst definitely.
I am also from India, Please reply i hope we would talk
Ab Kaisa hai Bhai
@@undersevenminutesk8707 from where
@@saranshpandey5890 from Maharashtra bruh
@@undersevenminutesk8707 are u okay now?
Yep this is exactly what I have :)) but honestly I'm happy that I'm not going crazy and this is only a condition of ocd.
My friends and family are a bit blind/don't know what ocd is..so that's real helpful..not. I tried going to a psychiatrist and he was a complete and total douche lmao. So I'm just waiting for the time I have my own money and can afford an actual therapist of my choice. But until then this video really helped
So many psychiatrists are so bad, you wonder why the profession even exists if it tolerates such a high level of incompetence and arrogance.
What makes you say that about your psychiatrist?
hi.. how are you doing has it gotten any better for you?
Are you still struggling with solipsism?
How are you?
Im crying so hard. Ive had ocd since 10 years ago and im only 18 and i have existential crisis everyday. I feel i need to find the answers and help the world and meaning. I hate this life i wish i didn't have it
but i feel im also very curious about it. my major is both political science and psychology...is that apart of it?
@@juliamooradian6733 Read the book "Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts" by Sally M. Winston. It saved my life.
Big hugs to you
Are you still struggling with solipsism ?
How are you?
from someone who survived an attempted suicide because of existential OCD, i can’t possibly put into words of the torture i went through. furthermore i had no clue on why i wanted to die so badly until i realized after the fact what was going on. For anyone in the same boat as me; i want you to enjoy life as much as possible, don’t think of it as a waste of time but a amount of time we’re you can do anything you want!
Stay positive:)
Did you struggle with solipsism?
How are you?
This is synchronicity! This video just popped up for me. I didn’t even know this type of OCD was a thing... man.
This was such a huge help for me. My anxieties were magnified after trying Zoloft and I had the worst panic attack of my life. Long story short, after a five month battle with DR/DP I found I have Pure O. Dr. Claire Weeks and Dr. Phillipson have been life savers!
I also had a Zoloft panic attack which put me into constant existential ocd for 10 months
Claire Weeks is highly underrated.
I have finally found what I am experiencing.
Solipsism?
How are you?
To be honest , the best way worked for me is to go into spirituality, positivity and deceive myself to make everything look interesting
On the other side of this battle is wisdom and growth, everybody. We are not to shy away from our ocd, our dpdr or any other anxiety based label you might have. Instead we are to move THROUGH it and enjoy life deeply on the other side.
There is a lesson embedded in your suffering, it is not meaningless.
I keep thinking about nothingness and infinity
Same here, how you are doing right now?
I have battled this on and off for years. Questions of meaninglessness, eternity (either alive or dead), the state of reality. It is awful.
One of my greatest OCD fears was that I didn't exist. The things I did to prove I was real were insane. So many hours, days, weeks, months, and years of tortured thinking and living ensued.
It's better now, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to blow my brains out during these periods.
Phillip Andrew omg I too struggle with this. I feel like I’m just a simulation and I try to find elements in life where I can “prove” my existence. I’m in a bit of a rut at the moment but you’re definitely not alone.
@@Hekeepblessingme same here , I've been feeling this, and I've been obsessing. Web searches videos etc. It's distressing and unbearable sometimes. I feel like I've lost control and the world I once knew is gone. I feel alien and wondering if I'll ever feel peaceful again.
Jun0 honestly it’s easier said than done but I got on anti anxiety medication, stopped smoking weed and stopped researching about it. Once you stop consistently looking up a “cure” from feeling this way, it starts to naturally fade . Of course not altogether but it becomes more bearable.
@@Hekeepblessingme yeah I'm trying to do that. it's incredibly difficult after seeing all this research and theories that we might just be automated.. the loss of control and that we are just flowing through life. I think I'm way too sensitive to know all this information, I already have anxiety problems and it just made it worse.
@@Hekeepblessingme before I could think of these things and set them aside and continue my days happily. Now it's just always in the back of my mind. Thinking of free will , god , universe etc. my stomach is in a knot, the only thing that helps is exercise somewhat. My world as I once knew just come crashing down.
Watching this video and reading these comments makes me feel connected and warm. It sure its better than trying to figure out unanswarable and endless silly questions.
This is a very important issue which can be awfully debilitating! Very good to see someone shedding some light on it!
As a person with existential ocd,I want to thank you ! Because I just thought that it's not ocd but it's real me! I thought they were real questions ! Now I am just gonna pass by them ! I am not gonna care !
How are you now?
@@sunjanadas8795 Thank you for asking. 💖 I’ve been seeing doctor and taking medication. Now I’m much much better. I got rid of existential ocd almost totally. ✨
Hanne Durgungül omg that’s so amazing that makes me so happy 😭 idk how to fix this for myself since I can’t have medication or go to therapy. Do you have any tips to heal holistically? ❤️
@@sunjanadas8795 Oh dear, lemme write down the tips I think may work:
~First of all, know that these thoughts are NOT YOURS. It’s just ocd trying to take you down.
~You don’t have to find the answer. When ocd says “what is the aim of life? why I am here?” you don’t have to find an answer. These are not really your questions, so just watch them come and don’t pressure yourself trying to answer those questions.
~Don’t get scared when those thoughts come. Know that it’s gonna pass too. It will get better. If you feel less scared you can have more control on your emotions and ocd.
~Talking to somebody you trust, may relieve you. So speak to somebody, do not keep it inside. You can keep a diary too. Writing things out of your chest is a good thing to do. 🥰
~Last of all, know that you are such a strong person. You will get over this too. You may feel up & down sometimes, but this is so normal. This is life. Healing is not linear. So don’t give this up! Things will get better. There is always hope and solution. ✨
Take good care of yourself please. 💖🌸
Hanne Durgungül omg thank you angel i appreciate this 😭 so much love to you and yours
I've been on a non-stop month long existential OCD rampage. I keep on coming back to my purpose and worth in the world. I'm not suicidal by any means, I just have OCD and went on a deep dive into philosophy and science trying to learn more and more and more. I didn't realize it was part of my OCD till I saw this video, haha. I've also become a strong atheist during this time as opposed to a general agnosticism, so that doesn't offer anything like the false hopes religion gives people. Once an logical atheist, always a logical atheist I guess...
Have you watched near death experiences?
How are you right now?
Atheist🤣
@@Person-dq3dk Theist🤣
Wow, I never realised other people felt like this. This was me when I was about 19. I really got into a dark place thinking that everything was meaningless and that we were all going to die anyway. I became heavily dependent on drugs and got caught up half way inbetween self-destruction and escapism.Today I'm in a much better place. I'm 26 now and I'm about to start my second year studying for my undergraduate degree in Philosophy. I'm not longer on drugs, and whilst I still get existential thoughts from time to time i'm able to abstract them much better so they are 'rational thoughts' about the irrational rather than primal feelings of anxiety about the irrational.
Hey Dan! I deal with the same thing. This specific thought “what is the meaning of life cause we are all going to die anyway so nothing we do here has any point”. It makes life hard to enjoy, I am losing interest in my passions and hobbies. How did you manage to feel better? It feels like I am going down the rabbit hole everyday 😥
@@Havana428 how are you right now? Im struggling with it:(
how are you right now? Im struggling with it:(
@@mikechrist9699 good days and bad days. More good than bad though. The most important thing is having hobbies and projects.
I don't know this man but for the first time in my life it's like someone actually KNOWS me, after watching this video.
Living like this has been absolute torture. And yet the idea of trying to get past these obsessive & intrusive thoughts feels like ignorance, or stupidity. How very ironic and cruel of my mind lol.
I have this golden rule of believing in the most likely scenario based on evidence. This has showed for example that solipsism (the idea of me being the only real person) is false since others are able to experience same feelings and emotions as me and I can't control others via willpower. Even if we weren't real then it's most likely impossible to be proven and remember, the origin of our existence and life can really be anything.
And remember, since solipsism can't be right, then no matter what the reality of things is, you're not alone in this but you're at the same boat with everyone else, together 💪🏼
Did medication help you ?
I’m obsessed with finding answers to the unknown it’s unanswerable stuff that kills me. I hope I can get over it. I will try
Same here and it just started recently. I absolutely hate it and it's torture. I just want peace of mind and my life back
Zzz I have the same thing constant having to get the answer one after another,mine is caused by benzo withdrawl, I have to solve the song, I'll have to find out what actor, I'll have to find out where the building is where is the lawnmower coming from,what did that just say, plus I get doom and gloom,there are so many symptoms of benzo withdrawl, this is just one of them, there is many many more and physical ones too.
If you get the answer then your satisfied and you can move on to the next thing to solve. But if you don't get the answer it hurts and you might spend hours thinking about it.
@@cduby1424 I totally agree. But the worst for me right now is Existential questions because there is really no certain answer. It's terrible, I feel tortured every day not living how I want to live and how I used to before the existential ocd and questions. God Bless, I hope we can all over come this because life has been stripped and it is super disturbing and incredibly bothersome
Same here. This form of OCD has completely wrecked my life. It is a day to day torment. How are you coping with it? Are you able to work and handle your daily responsibilities?
I feel like the OCD has made me believe that I have created everything, that nothing is real. It's like, I am aware how that sounds, but it's so painful... I'm scared you can't come back once it's made you believe it and I don't know what to do anymore.
U will overcome ..be strong
@@akashjohun247 I am better now :)
@@Megan-zp2rb iam in exact situation..but different iam trying to remember everything around me..if I forget something ..it makes me anxious ...I feel like remembering evry detail
@@Megan-zp2rb how did you get better?
@@traumainducing3529 I watched alot of Ali Greymond's videos and did what she suggested in them. About letting the thought be there, refuse to react to it.
Here's interesting line of thoughts for those who are dealing with Existential OCD :
1) Embrace the absurdity of Existence ( Albert Camus Philosophy on Absurdity & his thoughts on Suicide is worth checking out )
2) If you are tired of materialist lens of looking at the world then I would suggest that you read some esoteric philosophies. They have a totally different view of existence which may help you to look at reality in different ways.
3) Read books on Parapsychology. There's lots of research going on which suggests that ESP & other supernatural phenomenon is real. One book to start with would be Real Magic by Dean Radin. All these stuffs shapes your view of life in positive way.
4) Read books on Near Death Experiences & find out what are the commonalities people experience while in near death situation.
5)Basically, we are eternal soul & we incarnate here to learn lessons. Maybe overcoming OCD & Nihilistic tendencies is one of those lessons.
I hope people will find it useful. I have slayed the final boss btw, if that gives you hoped. Just don't be afraid. Life finds a way if you cling to it like your life is some kind of mission!
No. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment Hebrews 9:27
I'm going through this at the moment. I have been stuck with the meaning of happiness this past few weeks and it's made me feel so disconnected
I'm currently majoring in biochemistry, hoping I can someday find a "cure" to aging and death. It's such a drag. My real dream was to be a freelance animator and just live my life modestly, doing what I enjoy most. But no, a life that ends has no meaning. Ive obligated myself to decipher the human body, because if I don't then what's the point of living. If I fail my major, I fail at life, and the pressure this creates is somtimes unbearable.
Anthony If this is real I want to TRULY THANK YOU because I understand where you are coming from and what you’re doing is a labor that helps people like me cope
Hearing these words from another human being brings my soul a wave of comfort, because my OCD picked my major, not me. I wanted to be a musician, but instead, I'm studying to become a nurse practitioner. I hold myself to such a high esteem and force myself to push myself to the brink of stress and death, but I still persist, because something deep inside of me holds a gun up to my head and tells me to do so. You are not alone.
It’s really scary and hilarious how I’m literally going through the same thing as you are. I really wanted to major in 3D animation or video game design but because of existential OCD and fear of death, I am trying to major in Gerontology to solve the problem of aging, I feel better knowing we’re all in the same boat and all I can say is to start tackling OCD by going to therapy, that’s what I’m trying to do right now but it feels impossible to not do biology and gerontology but I guess we’ll have to work on it slowly
i struggle with this (after having terrible marijuana withdrawal symptoms) and some thought patterns that help me are
- everyone is experiencing life from their own perspective and i dont need proof for that because i can talk to them directly which is good enough
- everyone dies, and even though the thought is terrifying because it is unknown, it happens to everyone, so there is comfort in that
- i am here right now, and even tho i cant explain my existence, i am experiencing it regardless so i might as well enjoy it
- reality does not depend on your thoughts about it
- if you are panicking, ride the wave. dont be afraid of panicking, even tho its uncomfortable, it isnt life threatening and is perfectly safe. anxiety is built into all of us and it is there to protect you from danger, but there is no immediate danger. you are safe. dont try to slow your breathing or calm yourself, that will put you in a panic loop. feel your feelings.
I dont know what to do im fucking scared. I dont know . I cant even trust that my family or friends are real... i feel this problem will be with me forever. I wouldnt wish this on my worst enemy
Word
Hello brother. Don’t be scared. I know it doesn’t help much but please believe me I’m real. All of this is real. I’m here for you. God loves you. If you want we can become friends. I’m going through something similar. Don’t worry god will help us all.
How are you now?
This is pure torture. I try to view it as the dying screams of my OCD.
I don't know if this is existential OCD, but heard the Many Worlds Interpretation, which says that the universe is constantly splitting with everyone in it. I think about it constantly.
I'm glad Dr. Phillipson talked about this; these videos have been extremely helpful!
I hope to see more in the future!
I know this is totally irrelevant but what's the background music?
I can relate to this very much but do not agree at all that people suffering have no interest in these questions and that it's just a malfunction of the brain. I am TOO interested in fact in these philosophical but unanswerable questions that it becomes obsessive and compulsive greatly reduces the quality of my life.
I agree with your point!
I also feel this way
me too
@EpicAdorable113 so if we can find peace with the uncertainty now, we will save ourselves from the usually inevitable confusion and heartache later on?
maybe some of these. but not all. in my experience
This is so crippling. I’m getting back on Lexapro for my PTSD because I’ve come to the terms that I’m not a superhero and I need it. I just cannot live without it right now because not only do I suffer from this as well, but awful, ruminating thoughts of my bones crushing and disturbing thoughts I can’t push away. I hope my medication starts working quickly for me again because I can’t take this anymore. I’m happy I’m not alone.
Wow.. How are you now? I did the same thing. I thought I was superman and quit Lexapro and Remeron just to end up getting back on them again. Unfortunately I had a bad reaction when I tried them again, so I had to stop immediately. As of now I'm not on anything and just practice not attaching negative emotions to existential thoughts. I have good days and bad days, but I'm able to live life at least.
Don’t fear. I promise we are all real. God loves you. If you want we can become friends. God bless you.
@@buddyscott3000 are you afraid to be the only real person?
Were you afraid to be the only real person?
i've "always" had this type of OCD, and it usually comes in waves, like, there's sometimes where it's still there but not enough to make me unable of living normally(or almost non-existing really) and other times where, either randomly or by some trigger, it gets hard to think of anything else, i have mental breakdowns(?) or anxiety or crying attacks and stuff, but now with the quarantine and all the shit that's happening and that happened only in this world + me having watched several hours of content related to this, in a very short period + my uncertainty about mine, all humanity's and universe's future has triggered the biggest and most persistent crisis that i've ever had. literally anything leads me to having more and more thoughts, or repetitive ones, so much so that i just think "why not just end it all?", which im prob not gonna do, but im just gradually giving up on life and don't giving a f about anything BECAUSE i care/want to understand them that much. ik i need help, but the thoughts are self-destructive (for me) so they kinda don't let me wanting to help myself, if that makes any sense.
if you're reading this, just ignore it, this was more for me i guess. take care tho
How can i even tell you are real. Thats the problem
How are u now?
@@carolinarodrigues5745 a bit better but almost everything still leads me to those thoughts... hbu?
@@DeZAtuub I promise and swear I’m real. Leave everything to god. If you want we can become close friends.
I fully understand your feelings. If you want we can become close friends.
Okay here goes...For the past 12 months now I fell victim to existential ocd and heavy depersonalization to the point I feel like I don't exist (autopilot) as a result of this I'm paralyzed in thought and fall so behind on my medschool work that I don't even think I can even get on top of anymore which exaggerates my anxiety as I've always wanted to get into med school and I suffered so much to get into it at (reapplying 3 times).
Day in day out not a thought goes by that isnt of matters of why? and how? That's when I opened up to my mother about this issue and she is a religious woman so her answer was for me to participate in the islamic faith again. I went back to Islam to find some answers but with the nature of my ocd I keep flip flopping doubting myself and wanting a concrete answer to my problems but knowing that I will never have that drives my mind nuts it's got to the point that I get so irrational and fall into the doomer nihilism that corrupts the minds of many.
I honestly fear that I'll never get out of this hell live a life of mediocrity as opposed to a life that I have crafted for myself.... Even worse my intrusive thoughts cause me to automatically reject any doctrine or belief which even furthers my anxiety as this results in arguments with my mother about her beliefs etc which is very draining on my day to day life and as a result forms into rumination for months just a constant cycle of agony. It's so nausisting as ocd is known for you to doubt anything and everything and unlike anxiety you can't use logic to break it clearing doubts create more doubts...
Then I came across a very influential philosopher known as j.krish (you may know who he is) who is very pro mindfulness meditation and spiritualism which I enjoy and then I came across his counterpart UG krishmanurti who is very anti spiritualism and rejects the idea that meditation has any benefit in human existence and that enlightenment is nothing but an illusion things like this make me no longer think properly anymore and my intrusive thoughts always side with nihilistic tendencies which has a very negative affect on my relationships and my uni work as it breeds complacency.
One thing also that I think exacerbated this is my online medical program (and the years of quarantine following 2020) at the moment that feels very divorced from any personal contact or any revenues of help so I've been feeling real lonely.
I am always open for answers but given my ocd problem I always find ways to reject any and everything. I feel like I'm being gaslit into a position that I don't fully accept atm and I may have to resort to lying to my mom my entire life.
And I believe the worst thing that came out of this is the fact that I'm mega behind on my med semesters to the point that I don't even know if I will continue to pursue my childhood dream 🥲🥲🥲
Constant mental anguish over things that aren't in my control. And the sad thing is my mom is scared of me for being in limbo about all of this and thinks that it's a serious problem and that there is some kind of objective answer to evils existence and I'm just in the wrong for being unsure. She thinks my skepticism is gonna rub off on my siblings as I'm the oldest.
And thankfully I was introduced into this community by a good friend of mine who said they helped him through every step of the way with how to manage his ocd.
So I truly appreciate it if you've read it this far as this is pretty much my entire heart poured out on text ❤️
Much love Abdi.
The thing about my relationship with philosophy thanks to my ocd is no matter how hard I think or read into philosophical texts etc OCD is not solved by logic unlike health anxiety which I had a while back so no matter what position my brain affirms no matter how much I personally dislike it will bully me into confirming with that thought process as if it was absolute truth this is what's called a cognitive distortion although I'm aware of it unfortunately I still fall victim to it which has caused me multiple bouts of nhilistic cynicism etc and it feels like an everlasting trap on everything I enjoy it's all sucked out.
Existential OCD + Suicide OCD is a fucking nightmare
For me, I cannot stop thinking about the butterfly effect and it makes it impossible to make decisions and live with my decisions if they have been proven to be the wrong one.
Don’t worry brother. We are all with you. God loves you and will help all of us brother.
What I experience, which may not even be "existential" OCD, is intense rumination about psychological models. I like to call it "psychoanalysis paralysis"; it's where I obsess about trying to find complete logical consistency within my understanding of psychological models. I have spent hundreds of hours going down a rabbit hole to figure out things like personality (I'm INTP, enneagram 5w4 with tritype 548 and sp/sx), intelligence (IQ 135+ tested at the proctored Mensa exam), psychopathology (obsessing about potentially being ASD, ADHD, OCD among other things, but (trying to) arrive at a 'false, until proven otherwise') etc.
What keeps me going is that I am almost constantly bombarded with information that makes me seriously doubt my own understanding, like seeing someone who inaccurately uses psychological terms, like saying that they're 'a little OCD' making me hyperaware of the true-or-false nature of actually fitting the labels. I spend the majority of my free time obsessing about meaningless details, and I desperately want to get out of it. I have already stopped seeing psychology as an 'exact science' long ago. But I still keep ruminating. Which is why I'm starting to see it as a form of OCD, even if it isn't diagnosable with the DSM-5.
Thank you for this . Someone that finally gets it .. look how little views this video has. That means there only that many of out there with millions and millions of others out there . Yes I realize there’s more of us but it’s not a gigantic number . It’s no wonder we feel so alone
Are you still struggling with solipsism?
Has anyone else ever struggled with the theme of determinism/free will? Been so bad for almost six weeks and started to lose the feeling that I have any control over my own life. Just a brain responding to external/genetic stimuli and so nothing I’ve done - nor anything anyone else has done - deserves to be legitimately praised or blamed. Feels so real with neuroscience supporting it and that sense I referred to that I’ve not been in charge.
I suffer from the same theme and I truly feel your pain. I envy people who believe this but don't feel distressed about it.
oh my god! yes!! I hate unanswered questions!
I think it’s because I’m afraid of death.
currently its been hell inside my brain due to this type of OCD, but first of all i don’t have solipsism i do believe that every humans in this so called world is real, but it seems like my type of existential OCD could be unlikely similar to other but idk, my OCD becomes worse the more i see old people or seeing/hearing other ppl die, but one of my problem that i keep having this thought about what gave us this “human” shape and what gave other things like insects,animals, or even possibly aliens and otherworldly beings their own shape, to add things off to that i also question why was age and organ functions were made as a concept, another problem that i have that ofc like any other existential OCD cases i think about death and what happens in the afterlife, for me all possible explanation is truly scary as i have a certain fear to mix things off with em, about death heaven and hell are just both depressing for me, the concept of either living eternally in a sky city with possibly no 100% pure entertainment and knowledge on whats new like us humans are currently experiencing sometimes (through either the internet or the new inventions inventors will possibly make in the future) and the fact that you could possibly be even a many eyed being in heaven, and a body made out of eyes is truly not a feeling to like, and ofc the concept of living in an infinite torture filled world generally sounds horrific ofc, but both makes me fear one thing: reincarnation, to this i have the feeling that being immortal is more better than dying, the concept that our conscious are being reused into another body when we die in exchange for fully removing your memories is too horrific for me, i even think that when we just die we instantly transfer our consciousness to another new born body of either a human, animal, or even something else, its like groundhog day with death plottwist but suffering from dementia every time(which is why i question “why shouldn’t we just be immortal of we’re gonna just be rebirthed into something? what even made aging in life a concept? i know our planet needs some space for other humans too but its something of a question) for other ppl yea this might sound good especially for suicidal ones but you gotta also think “where will i end up? will i end up in another body that’ll make me have a more worse experience than my past life?”, theres another thing i also think about death that in the end we’ll just experience either a dream that’ll last for eternity in which we cannot experience what life truly is anymore until our dream fades into a void the more we stay into it, another one is us still being conscious in death but i highly doubt that, and ofc being a ghost, which doesn’t sound very fun, a thing where you eternally haunt a place with no other stuff to do other than move objects and watch ppl live through your old home or watching ppl burn your home and turning it into a building sounds depressing until you probably won’t exist anymore.
i also think that out there in the universe humans or either some kind of humanoids and idk have already discovered what happens after death
woah. you just about summed it up lol. the thing is, i think our minds are limited and arent capable of interpereting what happens after death because it could very well be a different plane of existence where the concepts of space and time are different. im convinced that we either get answers, or the torture of questioning existence stops. whether that means an eternity of pleasure of just no longer existing, so be it. we are all going to experience death, every single person you know. so i find comfort in that. we are all confused and scared, and playing by the same rules. infinity terrifies me too. but maybe death just feels like sleeping, and we truly do finally rest. the idea of the soul is very convincing to me because how tf am i experiencing anything despite being made of particles?? in the end, the questions are unanswerable, and any time they pop into your head, just reassure yourself with that, or talk to someone else about them. a problem shared is a problem halved. this all started for me when i started going thru marijuana withdrawal, so its likely my intrusive thoughts are going to cease within the coming months. i have thought about it before, but this dread feeling is artificial. why does your brain automatically assume it CANNOT be good no matter what? thats what i keep asking myself. i dont deserve to carry the weight of these thoughts on my own and neither do you.
Thank you for this video. I’m suffering greatly from this and I’m feeling like this has given me some relief. I’ll try to talk to my therapist directly about this.
Are you still struggling with solipsism?
@@beeberry8055 not at the moment, I’m in a much better situation mentally
I'm currently obsessing over whether reality is just actually an illusion created by omnipotent beings and that every day is a different reality with fake memories, it sounds stupid but it's draining me :(
You sounding like Renee Descartes lol 😆
Well then the next day you won’t be obsessing over it. Problem solved
and so what if it is? they must be really talented for making someone like you 🥰. go do stuff you love, and keep thinking those huge thoughts, they arent scary, but your mind is making them scary because that gives you an excuse to give up.
Sometimes, I feel like I will never get help and that is ny fear these days so I tend to stop feeling and thinking. I then feel like sociopath. I don't know wtf thhis ocd wants this time. Point is I don't have anyone to get help from.
I’m here for you my friend. You’re not a sociopath. God loves you. If you want we can become friendz
I’ve had feelings that everyone’s described in the comment section and yes. They’re scary, but I pray on my anxiety and God helps me through it. Its been a week since I’ve started these thoughts and I’m already doing so much better. I still have the thoughts, but with the help of God, you will get past this I promise you🙂
how are you now?
@@evasall6901 how are you?
@@mikechrist9699I’m ok now, try to go outside more and hang out with friends and family, it helps:)
@@evasall6901 thats great! May i ask something? When the thoughts arise, should i just ignore it or faced it head on until im okay/ bored with it?
@@mikechrist9699 well honestly I couldn’t ignore it, so I had to face it and learn to live with it and just process how I was feeling about it, i just had to tell myself that it was useless to think like that because life is gonna go on anyway no matter how I was feeling. I’m already here, I may not understand why or how but there’s nothing I can do about it, so I might as well just enjoy it🤷♀️
I’ve been feeling this in the back of my mind since the middle of the summer and I’ve been coping with it yet it never went away. Yet recently it’s been extremely bad. To the point where my brain keeps thinking about how life is pointless and it gives me so much anxiety to the point where I get nauseous and even throw up. Yet I HATE feeling like this so it’s a little comforting to see I’m not alone yet it’s still in my mind. I don’t know how I can go get help either so does anyone know of what I can do ? I want to just feel normal again and enjoy my life but it’s really really hard. I’m even a Christian too so it’s weird having thoughts like this.
watch aaron kim on youtube he is a christian, talks about suffering in these ways, Keep trusting in God, read the Bible ,
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hello brother. Don’t worry. There is meaning. We are all here for you. You’re loved. If you want we can become close friends.
How are you?
"Their brain create illusions that they need to solve these issues to move on in life undistracted." I felt personally attacked. After my sister died nearly 6 years ago now from cancer I haven't been able to sleep or act since. I fear the end, immortaliy, proof of an afterlife, anything but cold oblivion but logically my brain concludes we are slowly broken down atom by atom until nothing of conscience remains, and all my memories are gone.
This is exactly what I want to learn! It helps so much!
I think I have this. I obsess over what happens to us after death and it drives me insane because I can’t make sense from contradicting accounts of what people claim. I hate it. I had always dealt with existential OCD since a teenager but I had a really bad existential episode back in Jan and it spiraled so badly I shut off emotionally and can’t feel anything now. I hope there’s a way out of this.
Hey dude hope everything is alright with you, life is a really funny thing because your experience can never be shared with another person in completely the same way. Our individual experiences shape the person we become and the thoughts we have so in a sense your subjective reality is somewhat different compared to anyone in the world. It really helped me to tell myself that I will not probably ever find an answer to the questions I ask but that doesn’t mean that the question isn’t important to ask.
Ask questions about our reality but remain tethered to accept that you most likely will never know and thats okay.
@@blacksupremacistgamer4659 hey man. I’m actually in a better place than I was already since that comment. I’ve been on medication which has helped a lot to block out the obsessive thoughts, that and basically like you’ve said, I’ve started to come to the conclusion that, I may never have the answers to some of my questions. Yea, NDEs still freak me out (since then I stopped binge watching them like I used to) and they don’t make sense why they contradict each other, but I think I’m just coming to the acceptance that we live in a mysterious and bewildering universe and perhaps the complexity to the answer is past my comprehension or maybe even not meant for us to figure out until it’s our time. I’ve learned what’s most important is to focus on the now, if anything that’s what we’re here for, not to be worried about the past or the future.
@@pault9544 great to hear man, I hope one day we are all given the chance to understand the underlying workings of the universe but until then you’re right we must live in the moment. Anyway glad you got your situation sorted I know how terrifying things can be at first. Best of luck to u my man hope you’re able to maintain peace of mind.
I ain't got this, i got harm OCD but i still get into an compulsion of questioning things like "how the fuck we are able to walk" or "how we are able to think", etc.
Thanks for making this. I suffered from this in high school.
Im in high school going through this right now, it sucks and i just want it to go away... I hope this doesn't last forever.
my struggle is that i begin to think that i’m going crazy and delusional and that my facial expressions and emotions are gone especially when i look at myself in the mirror so i begin to panic and get anxious, when i think im delusional and that this isn’t a real life my mind begins showing me the most randomest images with no context and i begin trying to decipher what it means because they are so random that it just honestly scares me because it makes me feel that i’ve lost my thought process and memories
The kind of existential OCD I get is usually, “every second that goes by means I’m one second closer to my death…I *have to remember this moment before it’s gone…oh, no,another moment gone….”
Holy shit this is my LIFE
Do you struggle with solipsism?
I started feeling this about 3 to 4 years ago, yet i still don’t think it’s what this video describes. It’s a thought, but I don’t know what it is. It teases me because i don’t even know what it is. It’s just this thing that i feel that doesn’t go away. And it tells me that nobody else understands and they never will. I’m so relieved to have found this video, but the thought came back again when i realised that this video doesn’t describe how i feel. it’s different. i feel like i’m going insane and like nobody will ever understand what i mean. it’s completely indescribable. there’s not a way i can put this thought into words. please someone tell me they know what i mean. please describe it if you think you know because i need answers. i feel like i’m going insane. please just describe it the best you can.
I don’t know if it’s the same feeling as yours cause neither can I describe it but the easiest and closest way to do it is saying that I feel an ‘existential void’ deep in my soul and I am disconnected not only from reality but even from myself... I’m not even sure I exist idk.
bianca i understand you and you really aren’t alone. i find that it really helps to keep busy and distract myself, so that my mind isn’t on it constantly 💞
I understand your feelings completely. It’s the fear that you have something that you can’t even explain. It’s thoughts that keep coming back and even more than that. Don’t worry I completely understand how you feel. Leave everything to god. God loves us all and will help us all. If you want we can become close friends.
Thank you for this video. This explains so much and really runs true to me currently. I have shown this to my family (who are tired of me asking the same questions over and over) and they too are grateful for such good information. I am looking to try exposure therapy or if anyone else has any further tips that would be great. Thanks again for sharing x
Are you afraid to be the only real person?
Such a concise and effectively worded video. Thank you for the perspective, I feel a lot better!
Did you struggle with solipsism?
This channel is amazing truly helping we all need help and reminders 100% thank you so much I am beyond grateful for this amazing video therapy
Are you still struggling with solipsism?
i feel so heard looking through these comments.
I have this. But I don’t agree with when he says that the person doesn’t actually have these questions as an interest. Mine started when my sister died. I became terrified there was no life after death for her and I have been in this loop ever since. It has truly ruined my life but it is also a very real concern for me
Breh, this has been me for years and I didnt realise until halfway through my adolescence. Started at 14 now I'm 22. It's really tough
@@alexis6082 oh dear, see it's like the cycle repeats itself, I was just like that 😭😭infact at 15 it was my worst time too, dw man Id honestly say to ask for help. Dont be ashamed man. I eventually did..when I was 18 though..lmao do It as soon as you can man.
@@alexis6082 to be honest, I'm starting to take stuff, what I would say is try to improve your life by making changes. Like ..wake up early, exercise, sleep 8 to 10 hours and so on. Eat good too. But importantly ask for help, therefore any medication can accurately be prescribed if need be and also maybe you can be recommended to seek therapy. Your mind can play tricks on you, so its good to try and seek help.
Do you struggle with solipsism?
@@beeberry8055 I don't think so, actually, tbh maybe I endured myself into solipsism at some points. But it certainly doesent feel that way now
Other forms of OCD are definitely repulsive and even hard to talk about, but this is in my opinion the scariest because somehow I am too interested at times in finding out why we exist. The fact that I am not even scared to talk to anyone about this, like I am some philosopher or scholar, scares me in hindsight. But yes, it is nevertheless a brain malfunction even if doesn't seem like one, which is why having OCD is so complex than the average brain can understand. A few weeks ago, the "voice" in my head told me I must die since I am not useful to anyone, given I am unemployed and haven't scored well in my college either. All this stemmed from what I was told by my parents for my living with my relatives: "You're a burden". This hurt me in so many ways that all those efforts for years to keep OCD at bay were wasted. I have been unable to recover from it, and that particular intrusive thought tormented me for 4 complete days, every time I woke up. I chose not to react to it, but that is the toughest part, even when something bad happens in reality. Fighting myself is like the biggest injustice meted out to me by my creator :(
How are you?
@@mikechrist9699 how are you? Lol
@@teacharfromafar5360 im doing really good. The crisis lasted 2.5 weeks. How about you? If you are struggling, maybe i can help:v
@@mikechrist9699 im ok i suppose, its been six months but it has slowly been hetting better
This is a tough one. Would getting a PhD in Philosophy be ocd behavior? Just where does one demarcate obsession from profession? Surely some of the greatest scientific minds were hungry for making sense of the world. Where does scientific inquiry come from if not someplace “existential”?
No. People without OCD are usually fine and enjoy these existential questions.
Is it an Obsession when u think constant about Buddhism and enlightment ?
does anyone else obsess over the concept of time
Yes!!!!!!
Yes, mate I had that too...
Do you why I wanna remember everything ??
100%
Short delivery, to the point. I learned a great deal about moiself in a short time. THANKS
Are you still struggling with solipsism?
@@beeberry8055 My 'endless' and 'desperate pursuit' or as my therapist once called it, "restlessly searching" has, as Nietzsche would have it, been constantly evolving; bringing up more questions than answers. Besides books, YT has been great in providing clickbait for what we all seek. A research and talk on the effects upon neurotransmitters by Prof. Nim Tottenham is but one giant revelation. My "struggling" as you call it I do categorically say is now more of a curious itch, thank gawd! I am nearing the end of smashing my past to history. Thank you for the inquiry.
@@musselchee9560 did you take any medication for that?
@@beeberry8055 Yeah. Honey.
@@musselchee9560 which medication helped you?
This video has a very calming effect on me. It is pretty much exactly what I've been experiencing for the past few months. I've always been able to suppress the thought fairly quickly before but not this time.
My trigger was ironically my 22nd birthday which is supposed to be a celebration and the day was fairly nice until I went to bed.
As I switched the light off I thought about the year and somehow fell down this thought spiral of how my time on Earth is limited, how the hundreds and hundreds of hours Ive spent getting better at games, watching movies and generally doing nothing are a meaningless waste of time I could be spending better...but what does it mean to spend my time better? What is a good use of my limited time before I die and never wake up again? If I don't ever wake up does anything I do have meaning if its only temporary? The people I love, the things I like, the memories I cherish don't mean anything if I won't be here to feel them.
But other people are here and I can make their lives better. But humanity is gonna disappear one day and the universe will probably disappear one day. Then what is the meaning of..anything? Is there no purpose? No greater goal? If I'm happy now why does it matter if I'm not gonna feel or remember after I die? After my family dies? After..humanity..dies?
These are the struggles I cannot get rid of. Every minute of every hour every day from opening my eyes to falling asleep. Sometimes it gets better. Taking long walks while listening to people talking and laughing about..anything helps me but I dread the moment I get back home, take a shover, sit down and have time to think again. Sometimes it gets real bad I get full blown panic attacks cradling myself on the ground crying covered in cold sweat feeling like my heart is bursting out of my chest.
Right now I started self medicating with herbal over the counter stuff like St. John's wort extracts and I've finally found the courage to schedule a session with a therapist. I hope I'll get better because I dont think I can take it much longer.
Hey dude, fellow creator of unneeded existential crisis in side of my mind lol. I’ve been dealing with it for a couple months now and it was really rough at first but in all honesty it gets a lot easier to handle. For me it helped a lot to talk with my gf and close friends in order to feel validated in the fact the universe makes absolutely no sense lol. I still have these intrusive thoughts but i enjoy being able to ponder the wonders of our existence and how odd this human experience really is. I’ve resigned myself to the simple yet encompassing viewpoint that we live in a world of paradoxes that remain unanswerable and these paradoxes can be found in simple imagery of the snake eating itself all the way to even the concept of infinity.
You’re okay dude you’re not alone, we are all thrown into the chaos of the universe left without any real tangible reason to cling to. We aren’t given any clear cut meaning for why we as humans are here so all we are left to do is enjoy these silly conversations where we try and pull meaning out of this whole experience.
Anyway sorry for the word salad, it gets manageable but talk with some close people and have existential conversations with someone besides yourself it really helps.
@@blacksupremacistgamer4659 Thank you. I've recently heard a phrase that goes like: "Every time you wake up the universe throws a stack of different-sided dice for you. The older you get the more dice are thrown. Some day the universe throws a 1 on one of those and you die. Simple as that" I dont know why but it made me feel better to the point I havent had a panic attack for the whole week which is nice. Im trying to tell myself that if the Universe was a theater stage, we are not the audience. The play is not for us. There IS no audience, the play just is, going on and on nobody knowing what its really about. We're like ants that wander around trying not to get smushed by actors dancing around
@@d_boi9345 hahaha the whole galactic theater concept is one I’ve come across a couple of times, maybe our play was getting a bit to boring and the aliens needed to visit on camera in order to spice it up a bit😂😂 another concept that somewhat calmed down my mind a bit was that since our mind and body work in our 4-D world we would have no understanding and would even be able to explain/rationalize any dimension higher (if it’s a thing lol) while in our 4-d world. so as fun as it is to think about, I try not to take any of these ideas to seriously based on the fact any idea we think up is an idea from a 4-D space. TLDR: our universe is weird but what lies beyond our universe is to weird for us to even understand, anyway glad you’ve been finding methods to manage this odd phenomenon!
@@d_boi9345 Hey. Are you feeling any better these days?
@@d_boi9345 how are you?
Hello, it happens to me that I feel deep anguish, my head fills with philosophical thoughts that cause me fear and anxiety, which are enhanced by DPDR, I look at my family, friends or other people and I see them strangely, Life now seems like a simulation, I'm having a very bad time and at times I get the idea that the best thing is to die.
May I know what type of philosophical thoughts u think about?
@@Xyzz261 yes!! I start thinking about the infinite, about the universe, if the reality I see every day its all a creation of my mind, I also start thinking that every person around me is like a NPC and they are not real. All started with DPDR, for a month and then started all this thoughts taking me to a very hard depression
@@lucas-xl5ts have u spent time in isolation for a long time???
@@Xyzz261 yes and very depress. Now I do things or go out of my house but pushed by my father and mother. And im in a roller coaster of emotions, im die in life
Don't wry everything will get fine soon just be positive.....and think positive
Trust me .....if u think positive even u feel anxious u will see good change its just a wrong thinking pattern which we acquired....... otherwise some people feel enjoyable when they think about those things.....
May I know how old are you and where are you from..?
Hi Everyone hope you're all safe. I am a recovered of anxiety and depression journey of 5 years in the past. It's been about a year now about existential thoughts. I have the below thoughts and they have put me in a state/ made me a person from where Il never come out of. I have the below thoughts on a constant basis.
1. When I look at someone I will be like in my head who is he/she? What's a human? How are they talking? What's beaneath their skin and bones? They are just energy and spirit.
2. What's my own mind? What is my consciousness? How am I thinking? Oh i just moved my hand how could I do that? Who am I?? How am I Me?
It's like for everything I do for example move my hands, drink water, eat food, take showers, go for a run there is an existential thought associated with with it like OH YOU JUST DRANK WATEE WHAT IS WATER? WHAT US FOOD, HOW CAN I RUN?.
All these thoughts have made me more involved with MYSELF WITHIN. It's like I am withing MYSELF BEING ALL THE TIME.questions like how can I carry my body? I'm basically nothing but a consciousness what is all this?
PLEASE HELP IF ANYONE BEEN THROUGH THIS AND HOW TO COME OUT OF IT
somedays are good. But i think I would never be able to look at life and live like how OTHER HUMANS live smiling and laughing and going about the day.
AGAIN, PLEASE HELP
Hows you
Ive had this form of ocd most of my life on and off and now at 20 it's at its worse and I want to actively rip myself apart
OCD is a real problem
Are you still struggling with solipsism ?
I hate the fact that I believe when my ocd says “its a simulation” I fear that I am too far gone.
No you’re not. We’re all here brother. I’m real. I promise. God loves us all. If you want a friend I’m here for you.
Do you still struggle with it?
How are you?
@@mikechrist9699 A lot better now, took me a good few months to get around the whole thing, but it hasn’t affected me in about 9 months.
@@beeberry8055 No.
Thought I was alone
im crying ive never felt so relieved
Do you struggle with solipsism?
How about having an answer to those questions and was triggered for a series of suicidal thoughts???
Idk about you guys but Jesus did a lot for me on this topic, my OCD now revolves around fear of tragedy or doing something horrible.
RomanianMadLad how can you believe in a religion when you dont actually know? i struggle with this and i feel like religion could be very beneficial but theres a mental block or something.
@@pikapika3124
Honestly, I've had it since I was a kid and I'm most certain that God exists but what scares me is the question of why we were chosen to exist and the fact that even if God does or does not exist, we will either face eternal life or eternal non existence and you know....
@@qamar1041 how are you?
@@mikechrist9699 I'm doing so good, I researched my religion and faced my fears, it was a hard 2 years but I did it and had faith and patience, obviously I'm still lacking but now I'm steadfast on my faith. How are you doing:)
@@qamar1041 good to hear that. im doing okay, doesnt have any panic attacks, and not suicidal anymore. But the thoughts still messing with my head. I wish i could believe in religion again:(