- Date posted
- 1y ago
Is my life over?
I feel like OCD has made me a shell of the person I used to be. I am not able to keep up with work, family or friends. I am worried I will lose the ability to work and connect.
I feel like OCD has made me a shell of the person I used to be. I am not able to keep up with work, family or friends. I am worried I will lose the ability to work and connect.
Hey there! I'm so sorry you're experiencing this. But if it helps at all, what you're feeling is EXTREMELY common with this disorder. Especially when it's flaring up. You're overwhelmed completely. We've all be there and return there frequently. What you have to do is do these things anyway despite the fears, mental noise, and so on. Unfortunately OCD can rob us of a lot of things. I was actually just reflecting on this with my significant other. But we have to live life regardless. As hard as it maybe, please try and keep the faith that brighter days are still possible and focus on living life one day at a time during these difficult periods. Don't rush recovery, simply allow it to happen. Regardless of how long it feels like it's taking
Thanks OoOcCdD66 for you words of wisdom in dealing & living with this disorder.
Omg I feel the same way. Sometimes it feels like I am so disconnected. I can’t do school work or apply myself to my relationships because of ocd. What helped me though was telling the people I love that I was struggling. I didn’t tell them for the longest time because I didn’t want to make them worry or judge me but what I didn’t notice is that it just made me feel more lonely. Everyone was acting like everything was fine and I was drowning. I caved and told everyone that I was feeling really depressed and anxious. That was the stepping stone I took to take my life back. You don’t have to go into detail if you don’t want to but just saying hey I am going through a really hard time lately and I just need some support can go a long way! It made me feel more connected with my friends and family and they offered advice and help to other things in my life.
I started dealing with OCD when I became fixated on health issues, particularly the fear of contracting a life-threatening disease. If I experienced any kind of medical symptom, no matter how small, that even remotely hinted at something potentially fatal, it would drive me crazy, and I couldn’t stop obsessing over it. Then one day, I started having intrusive thoughts about accidentally hitting someone with my car, and I would end up driving in circles to check if I had. Eventually, I found myself overwhelmed by a flood of new obsessive thoughts and compulsions. One day, while I was at the park, a squirrel came near me, and for some reason, I felt like it attacked me. I Googled it and learned that squirrels could carry rabies, which spiraled me into a deep fear of rabies. I became consumed with the thought I received a bite from a squirrel, raccoon, or bat any time I’m in areas that trigger me. It started off only being inside then transferred to even being in my own home. This made me obsess over every physical sensation in my body, compulsively checking to make sure nothing was wrong. One compulsion that I hated the most would to be putting rubbing alcohol on me to make sure that I had no open wounds. Every day feels like I’m walking around in a fog of anxiety, constantly worrying that I won’t even make it to old age. Sometimes, it gets so overwhelming that I just want it all to end. It stresses me so bad at times to where my brain feels like I’ve been studying all day.
I can't live with OCD anymore. It's ruining my life. I feel like I'm being constantly bullied in my own mind all day everyday. I don't know if what I think and feel is ever real or normal or okay, what is me and what is the OCD thoughts. I don't know if any of my experiences are normal. I'm exhausted from picking apart every single conversation I ever have with anyone until I'm strung out by a vague and ambiguous feeling of guilt. I'm tired of feeling like I'm a bad person and feeling scared all the time and not knowing why and having my brain spin me out on an endless spiralling train of thoughts that never goes anywhere and just makes me feel disconnected from everything and everyone around me. I don't know what I feel and if what I feel is normal or if anything I am doing is real and actually me or if I'm 'losing my mind.' I don't even know if this makes any sense. I get into these states of mind where every thought in my head and everything I feel and perceive makes me question my own sanity. I don't know if anyone likes me because I have absolutely no concept of what I am actually like. I feel completely lost and confused CONSTANTLY.
My OCD has been terrible the for the past two weeks. I have a fear that I will never be able to get out of the thought loop. I am hyper aware of my thoughts and it disturbs me. I haven’t been able to eat for 10 days. I force myself. I haven’t been able to sleep for more than a couple hours. Then I wake up and ruminate for a couple hours, until I’m exhausted. I’m also afraid I’ll never sleep well again. And I’m afraid I’ll never eat and enjoy my food again. I’m afraid I’ll never be able to stop thinking about this enough to enjoy my family ever again.
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