Living with OCD is like having an extremely judgmental roommate permanently installed in your brain. This roommate criticizes your every move, catastrophizes minor events, and constantly demands perfection. And it’s understandable—no one chooses to struggle with these relentless thoughts. The last thing you need is to join forces with this inner critic—yet that's exactly what many of us with OCD do. We become our own worst enemies, heaping shame and self-criticism on top of already difficult obsessions.

Let's face it—if you've been battling OCD for any length of time, you've probably heard that Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the "gold standard" treatment. Your doctor mentioned it. Google told you about it. Maybe you've even tried it.

Understanding Why Your OCD Brain Loves Compulsions

Let's get something straight right off the bat: your OCD brain is a lying jerk.

That anxiety-inducing mental roommate is constantly whispering that if you just check the stove one more time, wash your hands just a little longer, or mentally review that conversation for the 57th time, everything will be fine. Your OCD promises relief – sweet, temporary relief – and you keep falling for it like it's the first day of freshman year.

If I had a dollar for every time someone with OCD said, "I just can't do exposures," I'd probably be writing this from a private island. The fear is real—exposures can feel dangerous, irresponsible, or completely impossible. When your brain is sounding the alarm at full volume, it's no wonder it feels like too much.

What Makes Existential OCD Different from Just "Deep Thinking"

Let's be real: everyone has laid awake at 3 AM wondering what happens after we die or if we're living in a simulation. These philosophical questions have kept humans scratching their heads since we first looked up at the stars and went "what the actual heck is all this?"

Let me guess – you've spent countless hours asking yourself, "What's the right way to respond to these awful thoughts?" Maybe you've desperately Googled "how to make intrusive thoughts stop" at 2 AM, tried ignoring them, arguing with them, or even agreeing with them just to make them go away. And yet, here you are, still stuck with them.