Number ocd scared I’m in a countdown. Please can anyone offer some insight.

[Jotia]

I have magical ocd that revolves around numbers. This all started last Monday. I was looking out the window and saw a number plate that was simply “72” I thought it was cool but then I kept seeing 72 in number plates every where. I started to think does what’s the meaning of it what if it means something in my room was “bad luck” the next day I was still worried about it and played around with it for a bit and was asking things like “if X means X I see 72 go past next” and it was freaking me out big time as it kept going past like it was answering.

Anyway during this time I had the thought of “what if it’s a countdown” I was able to push the thought out my head for a few days and kept seeing 72. No 71 on Tuesday or 70 on Wednesday. On Thursday the thought came back and I was thinking how it would be 69 today then saw several cars with 69 in the number plates I tried to just get on with my day but the next day again loads of 68. I kept trying to out it out my head but Saturday several 67 and Sunday several 66. Yesterday I was doing better and trying to just not pay attention to numbers then before bed I see a post on Reddit titled “I have two months left to live ask me anything” and the username of the top commented has a 65 in it a I freak out as 65 is about 2 months and this is way to specific to be coincidence.

Well I woke up this morning still stressing then open the curtains and the third car I see has 64 the number plate. I feel like this is happening every morning. One of the first three cars I see has the corresponding number for that day on it.

I know of the frequency illusion and conformation bias but I just can’t get this out my head as more. I know you will see what you focus on but I’ve tried with other numbers like “ok I’ll see 29 in the next three cars” and to never happens. It seems to always be the correct number is perfectly place like the first thing I see in the morning, on a specific post etc.

[BlueIris]

I'm sorry, this sounds awful.

Remember, though, it's called OCD because it's a disorder. You're seeing patterns because you're hyper-aware right now, because you're not well.

Sending hope and good wishes.

[Jotia]

I'm sorry, this sounds awful.

Remember, though, it's called OCD because it's a disorder. You're seeing patterns because you're hyper-aware right now, because you're not well.

Sending hope and good wishes.

It really is awful and I feel like I’m not going to be able to get it out of my head until the countdown is over and I actually see what happens as I’m too aware of it now. I’m really stuck on what to do because I’m applying this to certain things I own and thinking maybe if I throw X item out it’s will stop as it’s just a warning about that being bad luck. Then at the same time I was getting signs not to throw the items out and I would be safer keeping them so I feel helpless.

[BlueIris]

I know it's tough, but you need to keep reminding yourself that you're not rational right now. Do you have a support network who can remind you of this, too?

My mother is afflicted by magical thinking and I struggle with it myself. but it's all just our brains playing nasty tricks on us.

[Jotia]

I have a group of people I talk to on Reddit in a magical thinking sub. It sort of helps and most of them can offer some good advice. However there are a lot of people with similar fears and it can end up feeding my own anxiety. Like for example this guy has been messaging me about all the coincidences that have happened to him and how he can’t see it as just coincidences, luckily I can see his experiences as just that so it hasn’t triggered me.

I’m trying to apply ERP as it’s the standard treatment for ocd and I’ve been told just to leave the thoughts alone and not act on them. Not throw stuff away, put it out the room, check for stuff etc. it’s just really hard because by doing this I feel like I’m endangering myself and ignoring the universes warnings. I know for most OCD suffers too they do ERP realise nothing bad happens and move on but it doesn’t work like this for me. I obsessed about the same stuff for weeks because I feel like the bad thing won’t happen straight away it could happen at anytime. I might then feel ok a bout something but repeatedly go back to obsessing about it every few days/weeks.

[Jotia]

I’m spiralling really hard right now please can someone talk some sort of sense into me as this has got completely terrifying.

Last night I was on Facebook and happened to scroll onto a film called “countdown” where people get an app for their phone that tells them a countdown to their death. Not only that but I watched the trailer and one person had 63 years left which is a number I’d been seeing loads yesterday and another 57 which is also significant to me if it had just been 62 and 58 I wouldn’t of cared. The title of the clip on Facebook was also just “#foryou” “#movie” I have however seen this clip several times before. I just think it’s odd it comes up now like a sign.

This also scared me because the “object” that started this all off and had me wondering if it was bad luck was an app I downloaded to my phone. I swore not to delete it and just keep it but now I’m scared it’s a warning of sorts of how long I have to delete it to save myself.

I also did the maths and 72 days after this started is July 2nd so 7/2 in American times.

All of this just seems way too weird to me and I’m actually terrified now some sort of weird magic is going on. I just want life to be normal again.

[BlueIris]

Life can be normal, you just need to accept your own irrationality. I know it's frightening, but nothing's wrong.

[Jotia]

Life can be normal, you just need to accept your own irrationality. I know it's frightening, but nothing's wrong.

I honestly feel like crying right now. I didn’t wanna get up because I knew as soon as I opened the curtains I would see 63. Like yesterday I saw 64 on the third car. Well today the second car was 63. This is maybe the 5th time it’s happened where one of the first 3 number plates I see has the correct number on first thing when I open the curtains. It just keeps happening when I know it will.

[BlueIris]

Think it through logically: what will actually happen if you see a number? Not what it means, what concrete consequences it will absolutely, definitely have?

[Jotia]

Think it through logically: what will actually happen if you see a number? Not what it means, what concrete consequences it will absolutely, definitely have?

I don’t really know what you mean exactly but I guess seeing the number it’s self is meaningless it’s just someone’s number plate.

I think my issues is since I read up about “angel numbers” and angels communicating through numbers to people it’s got in my head. It’s more the placement of the numbers like when I think I will see 63 in the first 3 cars and then I do see them that sort of confirms I’m getting a message. However then something would be having to manipulating everyone’s lives so their cars go past at perfect times for me to see.

This is mostly happening with car number plates as well which has been a huge problem for me for years but it was always certain unlucky numbers that triggered me not random ones like this. Other than a few times on social media I’m not seeing the numbers anywhere else (unless I look for them).