[vintageromance]

I have a lot of anxiety even briefly discussing this, but here it goes...

I feel like if I do certain things I will cause bad things to happen.

For example, I can't email or text people if I know they aren't at home because I'm afraid I will make them have a car accident.

I saw a show about demonic possession awhile ago and started to feel very anxious because I felt like if I thought about it too much/too hard, I'd cause my family members to become possessed.

Certain words (too anxious to actually type them right now) make me feel the same way; like if I look at them too long or think about them too much, something bad will happen.

I don't know what to do. Avoiding these things just makes it worse, but I honestly believe that this is real. I don't know what to do. Someone made a thread here about fearing certain numbers and one person said that it's best to just push through your fear, keep doing it, and see that nothing happens. I'm so scared that that's wrong though.

I'm at my wits end here. I'm tired of being afraid all the time. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

I'm sorry vintage! I've never been dx'd with OCD so I don't know if our experiences are exactly the same but all of your fears above sound so much like mine. I'm afraid of a certain number that a lot of people are... But I go so far as to pull the car over to a gas station on the interstate if the odometer reads that number. If it's the tracking, I always reset it at 65 miles (and I'm not the driver I don't have a car). I have this fear that that number is just complete doom, destruction, everything negative in my life.

But you said that was only mentioned by a previous poster. I do however relate to the other fears. The posession... I can't watch some movies any more because I'm afraid that it will open doors. I can't talk about posession too much because I think it will cause myself or those close to me to become posessed.

I get thoughts in my head, not thoughts I want there but "what if..." thoughts and those thoughts scare the heck out of me... Because once I think them I feel like they are going to happen because I thought them. It makes being a single mother to a three year old pretty difficult because I non stop worry about her when she's not with me.

This feeling even works when it comes to aliens. I've never believed in them. I've never thought they were nessesarily real but always figured if they were they didn't care about us. But when I see something on TV about them, or when people talk about them and I start thinking about it... Start to wonder if there are others in the universe I start to panic and think because I thought about them that they were going to come after me and my family. But I don't believe in aliens really so that thought is completely irrational to me... But I still feel that way when I talk about certain things.

I'm terrified with the words I say. They will replay in my head all day long until the time proves the fear would not happen. Like checking the stove when I leave the house. If I forget I will think about it normally within the first 15 minutes of leaving. But sometimes I can't go home, I'm in too much of a rush or something (I was 20 minutes late to a t appointment once for this very reason, I went back to check the stove and it was off lol) but if for some reason I can't check the stove all day until I can get home and check it I will be panicked about the house burning down. That's just a simple explination...

But a year ago I was in an accident. I mean I've been like this my whole life but lately it's been worse since the accident. My car had been acting up but it was a few days after my birthday. My birthday present from my bf had broken and he was taking me out of town to get a new one. We took my car because it had been in the shop for 2 weeks and I wanted to take it out. He was driving and as we left town I was on the phone with my mom. She asked if we should be driving the car since the shop hadn't figured out or fixed the problem with the car. I told her "Nah it's ok. If we have to leave it there we still have the truck we don't need the car". An hour later I woke up to a tow truck coming right at me. The car was totaled and I still thank God for letting me walk away. Those words "I don't need the car" still ring in my head today. Especially since I just lost my license in August for having a seizure. I feel like it all happened because I said those words. But I know it didn't.

I'm terrified of everything because of these thoughts. I know exactly how you feel. You feel like because you think something that it will happen. And it makes you feel like a bad person because you know you feel this way but you still think the thoughts. But the thoughts are really normal thoughts, the worries... It's just when we get carried away with them that they cause to be a real problem. Life is full of coincidences that can cause you to think that your thoughts controll certain things, but they are coincidences not reality. I just wish we could know that when we do feel that way. It's too easy to forget facts when our minds are getting carried away with us.

[Perna]

Think about yourself in combination with others; you cannot know or stop someone else texting/e-mailing someone and that hasn't caused a car accident that you personally know of, has it?

Either we have to believe we have special powers so that our actions are stronger than other people's (and then you have to think about how many action combinations there are and how you get down to ridiculous beliefs like: if you put your left sock on before your right sock, X will happen; multiply the minute number of combinations possible by a zillion) or you have to realize that, because other people do these things we're afraid of and nothing bad happens, it's not likely to happen around us, either.

Keep focused on the "facts" rather than the feelings for a bit. If you realize that feelings can't predict, then they become less bothersome. Your thinking is only influencing your feelings, not anything or anyone outside of you. Acknowledge that your thinking and feelings are related and are both yours (not some one's/thing's outside of you that can control the future which we can't know), and they lose some of their power to hold your attention and worry you.

[vintageromance]

Originally Posted by PurpleFlyingMonkeys

I'm sorry vintage! I've never been dx'd with OCD so I don't know if our experiences are exactly the same but all of your fears above sound so much like mine. I'm afraid of a certain number that a lot of people are... But I go so far as to pull the car over to a gas station on the interstate if the odometer reads that number. If it's the tracking, I always reset it at 65 miles (and I'm not the driver I don't have a car). I have this fear that that number is just complete doom, destruction, everything negative in my life.

But you said that was only mentioned by a previous poster. I do however relate to the other fears. The posession... I can't watch some movies any more because I'm afraid that it will open doors. I can't talk about posession too much because I think it will cause myself or those close to me to become posessed.

I get thoughts in my head, not thoughts I want there but "what if..." thoughts and those thoughts scare the heck out of me... Because once I think them I feel like they are going to happen because I thought them. It makes being a single mother to a three year old pretty difficult because I non stop worry about her when she's not with me.

This feeling even works when it comes to aliens. I've never believed in them. I've never thought they were nessesarily real but always figured if they were they didn't care about us. But when I see something on TV about them, or when people talk about them and I start thinking about it... Start to wonder if there are others in the universe I start to panic and think because I thought about them that they were going to come after me and my family. But I don't believe in aliens really so that thought is completely irrational to me... But I still feel that way when I talk about certain things.

I'm terrified with the words I say. They will replay in my head all day long until the time proves the fear would not happen. Like checking the stove when I leave the house. If I forget I will think about it normally within the first 15 minutes of leaving. But sometimes I can't go home, I'm in too much of a rush or something (I was 20 minutes late to a t appointment once for this very reason, I went back to check the stove and it was off lol) but if for some reason I can't check the stove all day until I can get home and check it I will be panicked about the house burning down. That's just a simple explination...

But a year ago I was in an accident. I mean I've been like this my whole life but lately it's been worse since the accident. My car had been acting up but it was a few days after my birthday. My birthday present from my bf had broken and he was taking me out of town to get a new one. We took my car because it had been in the shop for 2 weeks and I wanted to take it out. He was driving and as we left town I was on the phone with my mom. She asked if we should be driving the car since the shop hadn't figured out or fixed the problem with the car. I told her "Nah it's ok. If we have to leave it there we still have the truck we don't need the car". An hour later I woke up to a tow truck coming right at me. The car was totaled and I still thank God for letting me walk away. Those words "I don't need the car" still ring in my head today. Especially since I just lost my license in August for having a seizure. I feel like it all happened because I said those words. But I know it didn't.

I'm terrified of everything because of these thoughts. I know exactly how you feel. You feel like because you think something that it will happen. And it makes you feel like a bad person because you know you feel this way but you still think the thoughts. But the thoughts are really normal thoughts, the worries... It's just when we get carried away with them that they cause to be a real problem. Life is full of coincidences that can cause you to think that your thoughts controll certain things, but they are coincidences not reality. I just wish we could know that when we do feel that way. It's too easy to forget facts when our minds are getting carried away with us.

Thank you for your reply. It's a relief to hear of similar experiences/fears.

Originally Posted by Perna

Think about yourself in combination with others; you cannot know or stop someone else texting/e-mailing someone and that hasn't caused a car accident that you personally know of, has it?

Either we have to believe we have special powers so that our actions are stronger than other people's (and then you have to think about how many action combinations there are and how you get down to ridiculous beliefs like: if you put your left sock on before your right sock, X will happen; multiply the minute number of combinations possible by a zillion) or you have to realize that, because other people do these things we're afraid of and nothing bad happens, it's not likely to happen around us, either.

Keep focused on the "facts" rather than the feelings for a bit. If you realize that feelings can't predict, then they become less bothersome. Your thinking is only influencing your feelings, not anything or anyone outside of you. Acknowledge that your thinking and feelings are related and are both yours (not some one's/thing's outside of you that can control the future which we can't know), and they lose some of their power to hold your attention and worry you.

Thanks for your advice. That makes a lot of sense and I think it'll help a lot. I mean, I am scared to attempt it, but I think I'll "get it" over time.

[beaut]

Originally Posted by vintageromance

I have a lot of anxiety even briefly discussing this, but here it goes...

I feel like if I do certain things I will cause bad things to happen.

For example, I can't email or text people if I know they aren't at home because I'm afraid I will make them have a car accident.

I saw a show about demonic possession awhile ago and started to feel very anxious because I felt like if I thought about it too much/too hard, I'd cause my family members to become possessed.

Certain words (too anxious to actually type them right now) make me feel the same way; like if I look at them too long or think about them too much, something bad will happen.

I don't know what to do. Avoiding these things just makes it worse, but I honestly believe that this is real. I don't know what to do. Someone made a thread here about fearing certain numbers and one person said that it's best to just push through your fear, keep doing it, and see that nothing happens. I'm so scared that that's wrong though.

I'm at my wits end here. I'm tired of being afraid all the time. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

I feel for you. I have had the same issue but my faith has helped me enormously. It is God who is in control, not us. He will help us control our thoughts; I pray this every AM. We also can do our part. My mom said God will do His part, and we should do ours. When we back away and realize how ridiculous our fears are, that can help. We are not that pwerful. It becomes bad when we start believing our fears. I try to avoid delving into anything that is of the occult or paranormal; Scripture tells us to avoid that. Think on positive things: see Paul's letter to Phil in Phil 4. I am a born again Christian and knowing Him has made a big differnece. Take care

[Haunted Reality]

I was diagnosed with GAD, but so much of what I'm reading in here makes more sense to what I am feeling. I'm always worried about the future, that I'll be broke and alone. I have a great family, wife and 2 kids, but yet I still have this fear. I also have my routine, the one morning in years I didn't check the stove before leaving, I got in an accident, I know it's coincidence but still it gets me to thinking.