Uncertainty is Crippling - what if, what if, what if......

[Mark Hamo]

Convincing myself irrational things happen..... but despite how unrealistic / Illogical they are, the what if scenario trumps all thought.... causing severe anxiety......

[paradoxer]

Want to decrease the anxiety? Don't tarry with the question. 

Are you receiving professional help? 

Cheers. 

[dksea]

Yup, thats OCD.

The thing is, you can ALWAYS come up with a "what if" scenario, for ANY situation.  The more you give in to them, the more you ruminate on them, the more your brain will stick with it.  Its hard, I know, but the best thing you can do for OCD recovery, the BEST thing in the world is to not respond to those what ifs.  When you notice you start doing them, ignore them.  If you notice that you have been thinking about it, ok, not the best, but try to focus elsewhere.  It takes some effort, but you can get to the point where you don't automatically respond to what ifs, and in time don't really give them any attention at all.  Thats basically what OCD recovery is.  

 

[paradoxer]

Mark, the paradox is that you probably happily accept uncertainty all the time. As long as it doesn't correspond with your obsessions. If you can do it for some things, you can do it for others.