Overthinking and Anxiety has taught me that We suffer more in our imagination than in reality

As an ocd sufferer for a long time, I have come to the realization that thinking itself can be a bad addictive destructive habit.

Our thoughts are influenced by our reality and vice versa. And naturally as humans with a higher conscience and sentience than any organisms, we are in our thoughts more than in reality. This unbalance causes anxiety and obsessions. Even more so nowadays with the advent of the internet where we can stay in our minds and “watch reality” instead of living it. When we are communicating online, we are essentially communicating with our minds with each other.

Unlike humans, Animals rely on their reality and real life experiences more than thoughts to guide them in their life. Humans tend to overthink and ponder on all the what if’s, maybe this, or maybe that on any particular situation. Animals are more simple minded and don’t over analyze and live their lives based on their instincts and past experiences. They don’t ponder over things as much as we do, if at all.

I advise over-thinkers and anxiety sufferers to observe and learn more from our fellow animals that we share this world with. After all, humans are also animals with the exception that we are just gifted with higher intelligence and awareness. As a wise man once said,

“We suffer more in our imagination than reality.”
Seneca

 

That’s a good way to put it.

However, why do you think some what if’s trigger an anxiety more than another?

For example, I have ocd and with a ocd there are many themes. Some people have harm ocd where they think about hurting others while I have contamination ocd where I think about spreading of “dirtiness” (not necessarily germs) and checking ocd where I have to check if I locked the door over and over. Why do some what if’s bother me more than another?

 

Stop answering “What if…” and anxiety disappears. Thanks bro. Too bad you deleted your account so soon but that helped me a lot. I’m still working on using that to overcome my OCD. It’s difficult but it actually works. Changed my perspective.