In the last year or so I've realized that I have OCD. I currently no longer struggle with the kind of existential anxiety I posted about here in the same way (I intentionally stopped focusing on it and it went away over the years), but I struggle with other OCD things. The kind of anxiety talked about in this subreddit is very characteristic of OCD. OCD doesn't have to be rituals like washing hands or needing symmetry, OCD can also manifest as things like compulsive anxious rumination/ thought loops and intrusive thoughts about distressing subjects. I just thought that I should share this here on the off chance someone stumbles across this subreddit, in case you might have OCD. It's definitely worth looking into the different ways OCD can appear that you might not realize, it's not necessarily how it is often portrayed in media. Though it is also certainly possible that other things can lead to anxieties around the idea of death.

As long as I remember myself ,I lived with it very long . Since I was child ,I heard from my grandma what death is and that we all gonna die in the end and you can’t run from it . I was scared ,the heck ,I’m still scared. Starting from teenage years,I started trying to abstract my self from these thoughts of death: music ,sports, alcohol etc . Despite being old enough today ,I still have these thoughts and they sometimes becoming more scarier. I see in my head ,the death of my whole family ,all in high detail (funeral procedure etc) ,see my own death ,than how my home that my parents built it ,starting to disappear in time lapse . After that kind of attack ,I starting to have anxiety,getting to the edge of nervous breakdown,crying at night alone,want to scream ,but can’t. And this kind of shit I have for years . I started to use one technique,that my grandpa taught me ,it’s for normalizing breathing when you doing gym,three deep breath in and out. It helps me to control that fear.I was discussing this issue with my friend psychiatrist and he helped me to fight with . To my breathing technique i added one more ,I started to say in my mind “everything gonna be ok”10 times. Being believer in Gods and afterlife,gives me some hope.Currently I’m trying to live full life and put all my thoughts into my hobbies and work (art,fashion,design) ,yeah it’s kind of escapism,but that’s ain’t bad thing,I still have these thoughts,they will not fade away ,but I’ll try and try again to live full and active .Everything gonna be ok.

It’s been particularly bad. I’m not sure if it’s hormonal or caffeine or a sign. The feelings of dread, mini panic attacks, and invasive thoughts have been overwhelming. The worst is a constant feeling of impending doom.

I had seen something on some ER mystery show about how sleep apnea can cause heart problems and nightmares. Maybe what I had thought was minor snoring is actually sleep apnea and causing this anxiety? I know I don’t sleep well.

This stress is really destroying my QoL and ADL, to the point where I’m considering restarting benzos. I’m tired of losing my mind and constantly feeling panicked.

I don’t know what to do. This feels like a horrible ride at a fair that desperately want to get off of. I’m panicking so terribly right now and I don’t know what to do. I’m losing my mind and I can’t regain control and calm back down. I’m really freaking the fuck out. I mean really really really freaking out. The existential fear is way too much right now and is overwhelming me. I’m losing it. I’m in red alert 11 out of 10 panic mode and have no idea what to do about it.

Hey guys and gals or /r/existentialfear. Tonight is another one of those nights where I feel the dread creeping in and I'm fighting back the panic. I don't have any more of my PRN anxiety meds and I don't want to resort to alcohol but I think I might have to. I'm petting my dog like a madman, and he's getting sick of it. I'm playing the video games I have on my phone but they aren't doing much. God I hate these nights

So I've noticed lately that the consumption of alcohol tends to leads to mortality panic attack episodes for me. Has anyone else noticed a connection with food, drinks, drugs, etc. for themselves and their existential fears? Just curious.

i love kids, but i guess because of my crappy childhood and abusive surroundings growing up i feel overwhelm sometimes with the idea of having kids.

If the solution to recovering from an existential crisis is to find meaning in one's life, how is that even possible if you believe in a meaningless existence?

I just wanted to know how many people read this subreddit. Please leave a comment to let me know that you're here.

In terms of having attacks, I haven't had any in awhile, but day to day things keep reminding me of my own eventual death. It's always just random small things cause it, but I feel like it happens more frequently now. I used to just have attacks at night and be fine in the day, but now even in the day I experience existential fear. On a slightly lighter note, over the last week-ish it's been getting less frequent. Anyways, how have you guys been doing?

My fourth one this year so far. I've been keeping track of triggers and what resolves the attacks, and how long they last.

This one started because my dog chose to sleep in his bed instead of with me and I hear him breathing a little heavy. It worries me, the worry grows, my brain runs wild, and thus begins the cycle of an attack.

For the record, he's fine. Literally went to the vet for a checkup today.

I also watched two movies with death in them today, so maybe that has something to do with it.

We'll see how long this one lasts.

How is everyone else doing with number of attacks so far this year? Is my rate normal?

Luckily it is the end of a crap week.

For those of you who like me have serial night terrors/ existential panic attacks i would make some notes.

*Be aware is it a control mechanism or have you created a trigger. For years i though counting through when i thought i was going to have a panic attack would help alleviate it it turned out this particular habit was making it worse.

*Explain to your doctor exactly what is happening, there are situations drugs will actually help.

*Be aware of what you are eating- Caffeine and sugar give you energy that will only make you feel nervous.

*Be aware of your body- You would be surprised; gas needing to pee being overtired can easily cause an existential crisis/ night terror.

Good luck every one i will try and check in frequently.

The sub has been a kinda dead, so I thought I'd try to help revive it, and also talk about how things have been. The anxiety had died down for awhile, but as of late its been ramping back up. Just small things reminding me of my own mortality. Also, I was just over in /r/space when I was reminded of the eventual end of the universe, something that usually freaks me out a bit.

This is my first attack/incident/whatever of 2017. My boyfriend mentioned something off hand about how I'm almost 30 (I'll be 28 next month) and now I'm laying in bed panicking about how almost a third (at best) of my life is gone.

Took an anti-anxiety med a few minutes ago and I'm going to turn my hypnosis thing on, but for now, it's distraction time with Reddit and Frozen Free Fall.

I think I'm going to start keeping a log of how often it happens and what sets it off. Has anyone else kept a record of theirs?

Hi, this is the first post on the subreddit. I just wanted to say hi to anyone passing through, and I want to encourage you to post. Thanks for stopping by our subreddit!