Maintain progress (existential OCD)

[GeraltRiva]

Hey guys,

I've made some good progress with my existential OCD. The solipsism idea freaked me out a few weeks ago. It was so bad, that I could barely make it through the day and had suicidal tendencies.
But I managed to make a big step in feeling better. The sensations of unrealness don't bother me and the idea of solipsism doesn't make me panic.
What really helped was rational thinking and mindfullness. Thinking about what it meant if solipsism was true, just led to too many dead ends. Like what was me before I created my human self? All my thoughts, feelings and fears, just everything that makes me, is human. How could I be a timeless entity, if there is nothing more than human? The other thing is that solipsism would make me kind of a god, and I know, that I'm not god. I don't need to prove this for myself. Mindfull walks really helped to ground myself in the here and now. Breathing the cold air and hearing the birds chirp in the trees just make the ideas of unreality shrink. I'm not sure if they helped, but I take a new medication with escitaloprame and quentapine in addition to vitamin and fishoil supplements.

My question is, this goes to recoverred people in particular, how can I be sure to not relapse and sustain progress? I'm now in the state of mind, that doesn't bother about DP/DR sensations and I think the solipsism theory is borring and stupid. But I'm still a little bit scarred, when I think about my loved ones not being real. I really want to reach the goal, where I can see thoughts as just thoughts again. Do you know any tips or techniques, that would help me feeling even more real, or come back to a point of recovery? I know that I still have a long road to go, but I'm willing to try out anything helpfull to be my old self again. :winks:

I hope for some answers :)

...and sorry for my potato english :D

best, Geralt

[montys]

I don't have as much experience as a lot of the folks here (I was diagnosed with GAD two years ago) but I feel that full-on "relapses" can be avoided easily with some effort on your end.

Now that you feel generally better, you have the space to start constructing a lifestyle that is conducive to your mental health. Things like adjusting your diet, physical activity, mindfulness practice, stress management system, as well as your social support system to ensure that you're keeping your own anxiety to a minimum. And it's important to maintain this lifestyle as best as you can.

There will be life experiences that rock the boat and set you back, and every human being that ever lived has experienced such setbacks. For example, I was doing well for the last two years and then found myself in another period of high anxiety after the loss of some family members. But once you have these habits in place, these events won't affect you as much.

Congrats on your progress so far though!

[KingOfPanic]

Hi,

I've also been struggling with solipsism OCD for a few weeks after years of not thinking about it! What I find bizarre is that I don't believe it whatsoever but I can't stop obsessing over it... could it be that my actual fear is of one day believing it?

Congrats on your progress, sounds like you're on the right track :)

[GeraltRiva]

I'm not sure, if I'm scared that it can be true, or that I might believe it one day. I had a major feeling of unrealness just a few minutes ago. And a panic attack followed up. The problem is that my anxiety levels were high the last days, which seems to be the reason for the thoughts and panic to come back. I was anxious for other reasons, that aren't connected to this theme. It's strange that this anxiety now sticks to these thoughts again...

[GeraltRiva]

KingOfPanic,
Like I said, I'm not sure if it's the possibility of unreality that I fear, or that I'm one day convinced I live in a dream. I figured out that it doesn't even matter what is real. My anxiety attaches to the images in my head when I think about solipsism. I really don't beleive it, but just imagining being the only real human strikes terror. That's what makes it an obsession I guess.

[Brad10]

Hey I went through this last summer! And it freaked me out, what helped me was I thought I didn't think this way before and I was fine ! You'll stop obsessing about it soon, you just need to distract yourself !! You'll be fine :)

[GeraltRiva]

Hey, thanks for the kind words! The frustrating thing is, that I don't feel like I believe in that stuff. The anxiety just started sticking to it :wacko: