People Tormented by Intrusive Thoughts

Here's a poem I wrote after contemplating about whether to tell my therapist that I'm trans and I had this silly idea to rhyme therapy with scary ("scare-apy"). As a quick side…

“Oh, I'm really sorry. I actually read your whole comment even though I thought it was AI-made. It is so spot on. I have a black and white thinking and also I also have OCD, ADHD and autism so I'm pretty sure I'm really in code red. I am aware of it. I'm in a phase of my life where I felt the need to have a life reset for the next month so I'm juggling some things and I can't afford to be so laid-back anymore. I've already done that for 5 years. Not that I'm in too”

“That definitely makes sense! I think mine may be a similar issue of needing to come to a perfect conclusion and not being able to move on from it.. it feels like rumination almost but often for such silly meaningless things. The best fix I’ve found is genuinely just forcing myself to do/think about something else to break the loop 😭”

pourquoi ca serais un signe de neurodivergence ?

“It gets bearable and manageable over time. The physiological sigh helps me out a lot”

“I've always been an excessive planner with OCD and OCPD tendencies. With a baby (I'm a FTM), it's gotten worse. I'm now stress-planning a year into the future and I just want to turn off my brain. I will be relocating internationally (to live near my parents' house) next year. My daughter will be 1-1.5 years old at that point. The plan is for us (me, my husband, and the baby) to live with my parents for a couple months while the bulk of our stuff (furniture, clothes, etc.) ar”

“Yes and I imagine the demographic of people who feel too afraid to get diagnosed is likely larger than most people might expect.”

“Hey guys, So I was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was 20 (14 years ago.) When I was told about my diagnosis I was horrified. I thought that I was going to turn into some kind of serial kller or something. I do struggle from time to time but thanks to antipsychotic medication, I am basically normal. Have you guys ever been worried about a diagnosis? Is there a bad stigma to something you’re suffering? submitted by /u/JonnyJonnyJonny92 [link] [comments]”

“i’m about to leave for film school and for the last year or so i’ve been struggling with a fear of being cancelled if i were to ever gain any level of success. i would’ve changed my major to something else but i’d already applied to colleges and i genuinely have no other passions outside of filmmaking. my college is very communications specific so if i change my major i’d have to transfer. the whole idea of doing this has been ruining my life with anxiety. i haven’t even done anything “bad” and”

“This is not a doctor hate post. I want to preface this by saying I just want to share another negative experience and get some support. After a head injury, I have had extreme head pressure in the left neck and back of head and sinuses. For two years it was a 3 out of ten. Then they gave me cpap. It became a 8/10. I am barely able to do my job. I go to this neurologist with my dad who is a doctor too. I am waiting for my turn. I get the call and I enter his chamber. Its a long room. There are tw”

“I did a mistake today of buying a for which I was excited, after buying the book and coming back home , I realised, that book isn't what I what I was expecting it to be I'm not stressed about the book, but the money I have spent on it , I'm regretting deeply, unable to sleep . This isn't the first time I'm unable to sleep, when ever I'm too much stress ,This is what happens . I love sleeping soundly, I want a good sleep to start the next day with a smile tomorrow, but why”

“I've got ADHD and anxiety. It's a self fulfilling prophecy of "my anxiety and my ADHD got the best of me I must be fucked up." You have to shift your perspective on these things, and it can make you hyper aware and better than most employees. Since you KNOW you struggle with these things you have to implement systems to change these things. Checks on workpapers, detailed open item lists, sticky notes, write SOPs for everything you do. When you need information from somebody whe”

“And it's all to do with unexplained symptoms. I have previous episodes of anxiety and depression so I'm assuming I have tendencies to go that way but I'm struggling with brain fog so severe I don't drive, fatigue that wipes me over the littlest of things, and the increasing anxiety surrounding it all. Plus I get these waves of lightheadedness and shortness of breath my anxiety latches onto for dear life. I know the current heatwave in UK isn't helping especially with anxiety”

“I'm currently pregnant with baby #2 🎉 With baby #1 I had crazy bad anxiety. I couldn't sleep because i was constantly checking to make sure he was still breathing. I'm medicated, my husband will have a longer leave this time, and hopefully things will go smoother. But I'm considering adding an owlette type sock to my baby shopping list. I seem to find polarizing reviews on it though. Some people say it relieved their anxiety, while others say it worsened it. I'm thinking tha”

“For me it’s mostly just when I don’t have something to distract myself (such as the daydreaming or listening to music) To some extent I also struggle when others are speaking to me. I start staring into space and it’s like all thought stops. I don’t blink (I wear contacts and I when I come out of it I have to blink a bunch cause they get all dried out). It’s like my whole body just goes floppy and it gets hard to hold my head up. I‘m still aware of what’s going on around me, but nothing’s in foc”

“I deal with impostor syndrome, it ebbs and flows, my mindset has always been “it comes with the territory”… but it’s felt way more consuming lately, and I’m trying to figure out how much of that is actually me vs. just the general climate. I don’t have PM friends or even family whom I can talk to about the situation, I am the only person from my family that works in tech. Between layoffs, AI anxiety, and this sense that everyone needs to constantly prove their value, it’s hard to tell if I’m act”

“Hey y'all. I write. Constantly. It's my therapy for this f_ed up world we live in. I have a few finished pieces— some, I've posted parts of on here before). I just wanted to share one I've been working on for some time since, in all honesty, I don't know if I'll ever find the time to get anything published (I work too much and I'm too critical of anything I do). I live in New Orleans. I started writing this one during Hurricane Ida, 5 years ago, because I had no power”

“It’s not until recently I began to notice the “noise” (neuroticism, anxiety, fear mongering, or just plain nonsense) that is constantly being produced in the premed community In my years of lurking and now recent commenting on the premed subreddit- I’m curious about other people’s methods to cutting out the “noise”. In my earlier days of MCAT prep and finishing pre-reqs, I was filled with this angst that would cause me to check everyone’s Reddit journey and their scores, their ECs, LORs, literal”

“Moments ago, I put on a pad in my underwear after a shower and thought "Hm, it feels a bit wiggly. Oh well." After an absolutely symptomatic day with migraine and vertigo included, I was just dying to go to sleep. I went to bed and heard paper crunching down there. I put my hand in, and realized I had secured the wings, but totally forgot to tear off the sticker from the back. I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Your turn! submitted by /u/Alcestienne12”

“I have a 3 year old and a 10 month old, we just moved states away from family and I keep having these thoughts of me becoming incapacitated at home and the kids being left alone till dad gets back. Or something happening to me at the pool and the kids are left alone. It’s always about something happening to me. Which I feel like isn’t super far fetched. It could happen. It’s not the whole, dropping the baby, or completely outrageous intrusive thoughts (I know I’ve had those ones in the past and”

“There can be different things contributing to this. The first one we all deal with is hearing what our voice actually sounds like to everyone else - without the resonance we hear in our heads. Many people get used to this. The other part that can contribute to this is how well the mic works with your voice. Some mics can enhance less desirable parts of your voice while others will sound really good. EQ can be used to push down some of the more undesirable parts of the voice so it’s more evenly b”

“idk if this makes sense lol i feel like i spend more time trying to solve my anxiety than actually living my brain never shuts up. i keep looking for reassurance, reading stuff, trying new methods, thinking "maybe THIS is the answer" then i feel okay for a little bit... and then it all comes back again. sometimes i think the biggest thing taking over my life isn't even anxiety anymore it's trying to get rid of anxiety. anyone else stuck in this? submitted by /u/Ill_”

Look into individual therapy.

“Humans weren’t meant to consume this much information in a day, its exploitative to think about the news 24/7. What helped me ease my mind was just deleting Tiktok and Instagram since I always kept seeing it on those platforms. I would suggest being on your own, what I mean is getting bored and trying to feel fine that you don’t have the power to change anything. Maybe start watching YouTube video essays on politics, it will be better than scrolling mindlessly on antisemitic posts. Thats why now”

Psychosis

“I feel like i can’t do what i ‘want’, my subconscious demon only allows me to do what i ‘need’ or what she decides is necessary. She only allows me to do the things she categorises as compulsory. People will say things like you should save money, go to gym, think about your career, get your driving license etc. I do want to do these things but i physically/mentally can’t get myself to do it. My brain sees these tasks as extremely hard to do, almost impossible. It’s almost like i’m physically una”

“So I (M21) have been medically diagnosed with ADHD/Anxiety for as long as I can remember. The thoughts that these issues have put into my head have usually never been a problem until recently. Starting in the middle of this month, they’ve become a lot worse and have managed to thoroughly convince me that, 1. I’ve been driven into a corner and 2. I have my back against the wall with no way out. I’ve tried therapy but it’s only helped so much but it hasn’t stopped the cycle of feeling like life ca”

“I, 19F, recently came to the realization I have a disgustingly large ego and relatively low self esteem. I’m delusional about how I see myself and bitter towards people who posses the traits and dreams I desire. I’m realizing my jealous patterns and I want to change because I yearn for closeness and connection. If any of you have anything that’ll help me I’m open to hearing it. Also I have therapy tmr I just want some food for thought. submitted by /u/Significant_Bison230 [link] &#32”

“Hi.I wanted to ask if anyone has experienced something similar, because I feel stuck in a cycle of constantly analyzing myself. I've been struggling with something that I can't stop thinking about, and I'm wondering if anyone with OCD or anxiety can relate. I've always been a quiet and reserved person. Throughout school and in general life, I was usually much quieter. But now at work, I notice that I talk more than I ever did before. I joke more, join conversations, and I'm m”

“Whenever I want someone to treat me differently I feel like if I ask them to that it won’t be the authentic version of them idk how to explain it well submitted by /u/Successful_Tone550 [link] [comments]”

“I think you need to speak to a professional about this. Coming from someone who used to have fears of seeing faces and scary visuals in everything inanimate from wood to ceilings to flooring to concrete, go see someone asap. Free yourself from these fears if you can with some professional assistance okay. Good luck. I still deal with fears and paranoia in different instances and I’m trying to get help asap before things get worse. Absolutely get professional help for yourself, make that call and”

“For the record: doctors told me paranoid psychosis is my "suspected diagnosis". I recently had an outburst and threatened my family and said I would kill them someday (wasnt my first outburst but i never threatened them before). My aunt said I'm crazy and should be locked away, that made me even more angry and I almost attacked her but I held back. I'm thinking about telling my psychiatrist about it but I'm concerned that I'll be put in the psych ward again. What should”

“I have a very strange mental symptom, that no professional I've talked to has recognized. It drives me crazy, makes my life horrible at times, makes me feel unsafe in any setting, and has convinced me on two occasions that I would die. If anyone has any suggestions, knows what it is, or has it too, I'd appreciate the discussion. I'm tired of feeling like I'm the only one in the world with this brand of crazy. Even if all anyone says is "yes I have this too," it would do”

“i don’t really know if i should speak to someone about this because it passes but sometimes i get convinced that letters (like alphabet letters) hate me and i can’t look at my phone or books or posters because they’re gonna hurt me or smth? the whole time i sorta know that letters are not sentient and cannot harbour feelings, and after like an hour ill be fine and be able to get on with my day. also there are letters that are nice and ones i dont like (my least favourites are v and w, my favouri”

“I need help to be able to stop "obsessing" over my writing. Every time I write something I feel like I have to have EVERYTHING about my characters figured out, stuff that isn't even mentioned in my stories. It's okay until my entire day is focused on thinking about my new characters, I have to make them on every single OC app, write their entire life down and even make an entire family tree... It becomes too much and I need to be able to write without becoming obsessed with my”

“When I was younger, and now when I smoke weed no matter the amount, I get paranoia so bad It makes me want to cry, it makes me think everyone is suspicious, and it just makes me feel like im living a nightmare. But when i would do stimulants, any stimulant, meth, you name it, unless I take a lot I actually would mostly just get really motivated, and may have paranoia but i get optimistic about it. Idk, i know i shouldnt be doing drugs. I also wonder if anyone else found this to be a symptom of s”

“I was having intrusive thoughts saying my life was ruined and that I was wishing did my life to be ruined and while that was happening I opened up reddit and seen a image of a sigil of loss while I was thinking that and I'm scared I accidentally manifested that or cursed myself even though the thoughts were not intended am I overreacting submitted by /u/EmotionalAd1349 [link] [comments]”

“I have something installed in my brain that is not schitzophrenia. For 26 years of my life I had peace and quiet and did not hear anything. Later someone set me up for surgery and I don't remember who /where. Now I can hear my own thoughts being decoded and people playing those decoded thoughts and my inner monologue able to talk to them 24/7 And it's horrible stuff like suck dick, suck dick, suck dick and childish threats and threats of extorstion They can control parts of my brain and”

“Is this when you've bitten off more than you can chew so to speak? Or when you feel as though most people are actively against you? submitted by /u/evrythinguwant [link] [comments]”

“I don't want them to medicate me or put me through therapy I don't need is another thing, those things should go to people who need it like really need it”

“I would try to distract myself as much as possible by watching content that makes me feel something positive. I know it's hard to deal with such images (been there too), so I hope this can help you a bit.”

“I was medicated for sleep until I could get it under control but mostly I'm doing Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).”

“Everything is going great honestly, were on track… but I have OCPD which isnt quite OCD typical it’s more like I need to be in control of everything and if plans change or people’s ideas change I get incredibly anxious and upset (working on it). So I keep waking up and just having a list of things I need to get still or do, or even just worrying that the day won’t go well, even down to weight loss and just everything all together. I feel so exhausted and full of anxiety 😥 submitted by &#3”

“You know yourself better and how you feel. Others thoughts are great for perspective but trust your sense of feeling. Definitely sounds like the beginning stages of psychosis. But every experience is different per person and sometimes even per episode. My two were different”

“I sort of have a martyr complex. submitted by /u/Interesting_Self5071 [link] [comments]”

“I snap constantly because of my anxiety. I get a thought in my brain and I cannot stop thinking about them and sometimes it's so big I have to externalize the thought and say it out loud. And people often try to help me find a solution but often there is no solution. I try to explain them that there is no solution but they don't understand. Then my head starts to get *too much* (I don't know how to explain it differently, it's just a awful feeling that I want to get rid of becaus”

“So a little backstory, I was diagnosed years ago with an anxiety disorder and only started getting medicated for it within 6 years or so. In march of this year I had a health incident. I woke up one morning and was completely anxious, brain foggy, and irritable. I eventually had a panic/anxiety attack one evening. I continued on with my week and it only got worse. I ended up going to the ER because my skin was WHITE and I was freezing cold as well as my BP was high. Mind you I had taken an anxie”

“I'm really grateful that you took the time to write such a thoughtful reply. I really appreciate you sharing such personal experiences with me. A lot of what you described sounds very similar to what I've experienced, especially how really small things can spiral into something much bigger. I've also had what I can only describe as blackouts where I completely lose control. I become very reactive, and it often leads to impulsive self-harm. Afterwards, when people tell me what I said”

“i really getting brain pains from this realization, so i wanted to share it. submitted by /u/DaveAstator2020 [link] [comments]”

“I have diagnosed OCD, so I know it’s not that. This has only happened once and I’m not sure what it was or if its even worth concern to begin with. So I had thought I fucked up really bad so I was gonna break up with my gf for stupid reasons. While I was doing so though, it’s like my brain split into 3 parts. 1 to process all these feelings, 1 to calmly handle most of the interaction, and the third part which just found everything happening funny. It thought the whole situation was from an overb”

“I looked it up but I'm not sure that I really have an idea of what it would feel like. I'm considering going because I have bad anxiety and I've been having worse thoughts recently. It sounds like it's been beneficial for people but I can't tell if it'd be right for me and my current situation. I need some kind of professional help but it's been very difficult to find. (For context I'm a minor and in the US) submitted by /u/diseasebunny666 [link]”

“Hello. For years I have been stuck in a loop. This particular issue plays a role anywhere in my life.I don't know how to really break this loop, but here goes nothing:For years I have been asking to be taken into a mental hospital, but due to reasons they won't take me in, I cannot handle the rejection, and because I cannot handle the rejection I have been making myself sufferto a point where I feel I'm good enough to be taken into a mental hospital, but they never do.I don't kno”

“the best thing you can do is occupy your mind with something else and just distract yourself so the thoughts dont have any room for you to think about them. as for whatevers going on with your girlfriend time will pass and you will move on do not worry.”

“It sounds like that since something has been so ingrained into you growing up (born into a Christian family against LGBTQIA+ and other people), that it’s a little hard for yourself to fully accept it internally. It’s hard to unlearn things taught to you as a child because those can become the foundations of your values, attitudes, beliefs, etc., I’m sure it hurts more and is more confusing being bisexual yourself, as in a way you’re probably thinking you are weird yourself (you’re not). I don’t”

“Usually around 2 am - 4 am Last night it hit me at 3 am. I had to sit up and drink some water ( my body feel restless too if i sit up ) and lay on the floor instead. After quite some times then i can sleep. But not in a good sleep way.”

“That "eyes are dead tired but body refuses to cooperate" feeling is peak betrayal your own nervous system working against you at 3am is genuinely criminal. , what time does it usually hit you?”

“does anyone experience feeling unfamiliar with close friends/family? for context, i was playing around with my little brother like always, and randomly felt as if i was hallucinating him, and as if he isnt actually there. its such a weird feeling and especially feeling it with very familiar people is scary, and i have been getting this a lot this week. i wonder if anyone feels this way and does it get better or worse? submitted by /u/Shot-Window-440 [link] [comments]”

“from as long as i’ve had consciousness, i’ve always had these “waves” of nausea and disgust hit me out of absolutely nowhere. it can happen anytime, and it ranges from 5 seconds to a minute. it’s this extremely violating, uncomfortable wave where i literally feel like i’m being violated and mentally molested (this sounds like a joke, i promise you i’m 100%) does anyone else get this? if so, what is it?? they feel violating, and dooming. i literally feel sick and want to crawl away, and it typica”

“I (23M) have had a few full blown panic attacks in my life but that was years ago. I’ve always had bad deju vu. Since I was a kid I remember feeling like I had a glimpse of a moment previously at least once a month. So these panic like episodes I’ve been having started a little less than a month ago. I will be somewhere with someone and will just get a wave of anxiety. It’s like I’m fine one second and then the next I’m looking around bc there’s been some sort of shift. My chest tightens and I f”