Deep thinking is giving me horrendous anxiety pls help

[jeffjones]

The fact that i can question reality messes with me the most i just need help digesting that. Its a new concept that has been really messing with me. I just want to know for sure I'm not alone in some matrix. I don't really believe it but then again what can I believe the more I think the more absurd it gets I just want my life back. These concepts are way to heavy for me to digest at the moment. I just want to know I share a similar reality with others if I can prove that i will have comfort.

[bin tenn]

I've dealt with existential anxiety. In hindsight, it's not the worst, as I experienced much worse anxieties. However, existential anxiety can be quite a doozy, sometimes consuming the bulk of one's thoughts on any given day. It doesn't cause anxiety for me anymore, but I enjoy researching the various theories, entertaining the thoughts that perhaps we are just in a matrix or similar. Is it realistic? I don't think so. But it's still interesting to think about.

[MyNameIsTerry]

You can't prove it, no one can. That's the rabbit hole of this OCD theme. It plays right into the All-or-nothing thinking Cognitive Distortion - you want to know but no human being has that answer.

The same can be said for many things in life and learning to live with the shades of grey rather demanding absolutes is important to anxiety sufferers.

You could talk to your tutor about this problem and they might be able to give you some tips on their material as they have likely come across anxiety over this before. Otherwise therapy is a good route.

But you won't come out of it knowing 100% how existence works because no one can. Learning not to care is more important.

When you get into obsessive thinking patterns you start to notice (well once you realise it) how you demand total & complete answers to things. This may be how does a plug work or it may but how does the universe work but neither should bring you anxiety if you don't find the answer.

Look at any compulsions too. They will just prolong it all.

What material have you read about this? Not your learning material or resources but about this theme in OCD? The two are very different things.

[jeffjones]

How do u comfort yourself despite all the unanswerable questions. It just seems surreal to me that Im in a situation of unknown. Its like we don't know anything about life. Its scary to me. Right now time is concerning too. Like what is the present it all bothers me tremendously. Its scary because i want to believe in reality but all these questions make me feel like believing in reality is foolish. Its crazy once I post this this message will be in my past. I just hope we all perceive reality at the same rate thats all. This stuff gets to me because Ive come to the conclusion that my perception is all I know so the fact that it can be questioned freaks me out a little bit. Part of me wants to cling to this because theres no proof but deep down I know its not healthy or natural. Its hard I wasn't prepared to handle the big questions I guess. All the theories are too crazy like why can't there just be a couple theres so many weird, scary one out there. I just want to be at peace with all this shit so I can lead a productive happy life. My thinking patterns rn make everything feel weird and deep. Im scared if i continue ill become disconnected from life.

[bin tenn]

How do u comfort yourself despite all the unanswerable questions. It just seems surreal to me that Im in a situation of unknown. Its like we don't know anything about life. Its scary to me. Right now time is concerning too. Like what is the present it all bothers me tremendously. Its scary because i want to believe in reality but all these questions make me feel like believing in reality is foolish. Its crazy once I post this this message will be in my past. I just hope we all perceive reality at the same rate thats all. This stuff gets to me because Ive come to the conclusion that my perception is all I know so the fact that it can be questioned freaks me out a little bit. Part of me wants to cling to this because theres no proof but deep down I know its not healthy or natural. Its hard I wasn't prepared to handle the big questions I guess. All the theories are too crazy like why can't there just be a couple theres so many weird, scary one out there. I just want to be at peace with all this shit so I can lead a productive happy life. My thinking patterns rn make everything feel weird and deep. Im scared if i continue ill become disconnected from life.

You accept the unknown. We don't, and probably never will, have the answers. Simple as that.

[jeffjones]

Hey guys Im 19 yrs old I'm athletic and artistic. A few months a back i had a bad panic attack which led to depression and eventually existential thoughts. I don't think have dp but its been hard to let go of these existential thoughts. Im religious but at the same time for some reason i keep sweating the idea of solipsism i wonder what this is this because my perception of reality is all i know i wonder if the people around me are in the same moment or if they even exist i know that sounds crazy but i don't believe it the idea just bothers me very much. I also wonder if I'm in a simulation because i read that elon musk thought it was a possibility. And that makes me a little uneasy because i can't prove it. When i think deeply everything starts to seem absurd like how did i land up on this planet in the middle of the universe. Its fascinating butt at the same time it bothers me sometimes and makes it harder to engage in certain things like working out and playing sports things which i used to enjoy tremendously. It bothers me because i wonder if I'm sharing the experience with other people i just want to know that for sure. I even wonder if life is a dream rather than reality it freaks me out. If that makes sense at all can u guys please give me advice to get through this. Im very ambitious and i want to help other people. I just need someone to help guide me through this phase. It just bothers me for whatever reason. I believe in god but for some reason I can't let go of these thoughts. I think about the cosmos, philosophy, all types of irrational thoughts and it just gives me anxiety can someone please help guide me through this. Its like all of sudden Ive realized these things, it sucks because this stuff didn't bother me before but now it consumes me. any advice or coaching would be much appreciated. Its like i can't change my train of thought I find myself spinning wheels on this stuff almost all day only to discover something new that bothers me. Ive been dealing with these thoughts for a couple months now I just want peace of mind so I can just move on. The more i think about this stuff the more absurd it all gets. pls help sometimes i feel like I'm on the verge of convincing my self of an irrational philosophy. pls help I'm feeling hopeless and trapped, idk what to believe anymore

[MyNameIsTerry]

How do u comfort yourself despite all the unanswerable questions. It just seems surreal to me that Im in a situation of unknown. Its like we don't know anything about life. Its scary to me. Right now time is concerning too. Like what is the present it all bothers me tremendously. Its scary because i want to believe in reality but all these questions make me feel like believing in reality is foolish. Its crazy once I post this this message will be in my past. I just hope we all perceive reality at the same rate thats all. This stuff gets to me because Ive come to the conclusion that my perception is all I know so the fact that it can be questioned freaks me out a little bit. Part of me wants to cling to this because theres no proof but deep down I know its not healthy or natural. Its hard I wasn't prepared to handle the big questions I guess. All the theories are too crazy like why can't there just be a couple theres so many weird, scary one out there. I just want to be at peace with all this shit so I can lead a productive happy life. My thinking patterns rn make everything feel weird and deep. Im scared if i continue ill become disconnected from life.

I guess you could ask yourself - if you knew the true answers behind it all, what would it change? Would it change the way you would or could live your life? Why? Would it make no difference and your life would be lived the same way as anyone who never even asked the question?

So, why is it important?

These types of themes can't be resolved quite the same as others because there has to be uncertainly left at the end. This is a problem because we demand absolute answers. So, you change strategy to work on acceptance and living in the now.

[Missb89]

I’ve had a complete existential breakdown that threw me into a severely deep depression, and I thought that I would never come out of it but I did. I’m still struggling heavily with health anxiety, but I don’t feel anything like that deep dark void that I felt when nothing felt real or that really mattered.

[jeffjones]

how did u come out I'm almost feel like its too crazy to be real

[MyNameIsTerry]

Whatever you do, stay away from Emil Cioran ..

Or that psychologist who wrote papers on his own bouts of existential depression where he bases much on an old psychologist who is largely unknown due to his debunked views (Debrowski?)