I need help tolerating uncertainty

I need help tolerating uncertainty and living in the present. I go through an up-and-down battle with anxiety. Sometimes, I feel fine. Other times, I get anxious. I have had a history of anxiety and I have an OCD problem.

I currently have a worry stuck on my mind. I'm worried that something bad will happen to me in a few years. I keep trying to be certain but it never works. I have a bunch of "what ifs" stuck in my mind on a daily basis. Sometimes, my anxiety feels so real like something bad will happen. This has been going on for a couple of years.

I have worried about death (which obviously has not happened to me since I'm writing this post) and I have a fear of going to prison for something I didn't do.

My anxiety/OCD "talks" to me and tells me how something bad will happen and there is no hope of feeling better. I want to get out of this cycle.

Please help. Any thoughts?

Thanks for posting this. I’m looking for answers in this area as well. Xo
Sans

I'm glad you can relate to this post.

Thank you for sharing. All I can say is that the thoughts will lurch but it will take some time to manage them. I wish there was something more i could say that could more helpful.

Thanks so much for this. I really want to start managing these thoughts in so I can have a "normal" life.

Write down your worries. Figure out what you can control. Figure out what you can't control and tell yourself that worrying about what you can't control is a waste of time (I know you will still worry but still recite this to yourself). For instance, you can delay death by natural causes by exercising, eating healthy and getting regular checkups.

Also, I ruminate less when I spend more quality time with others and keep myself busy working, cooking, cleaning, reading, etc. A really good novel or movie can get your mind off thing for a while. I also take medication for anxiety? Have you discussed your anxiety with a doctor?

Uncertainty makes me nervous and anxious. Like waiting for an email response and hoping it will be what I expect. If it's not what I expected I get very upset and even agitated. Then I ruminate about it in bed.

Maybe this won't be helpful, but I think we have to accept that our anxiety is not totally pointless. The reality is that the future does hold some bad things. But our ability to cope when misfortune arrives is probably better than we fear.

I understand how you feel. It is pure torment. Some days okay, but most days I'm ruled by worry and fear. Are you on any medication?

I'm on Lexapro and a blood pressure medication.

Wow I thought I was the only one who worries about going to prison for something I didn’t do. It amazes me with the things we anxious people can cook up to worry about. I once laid in bed and made a list of things I was worrying about. I had to laugh when I realized that I was laying in bed in the 3rd floor of a house on a very narrow road and was worried that I might be run over by an 18 wheeler.