Redditor Sinaasappelsien was hoping certain people would share some of their most difficult inner thoughts, so they asked:
"Those with ADHD or OCD, what’s the worst intrusive thought you’ve ever had?"
I don't have either symptom, but I can empathize.
Intrusive thoughts haunt us all and it's a lot to take in.
Consent
Jim Carrey Reaction GIF by LaffGiphy"Maybe you're in a 'Truman Show' type situation, what would you want your audience to hear?"
"The answer now is mostly 'I do not consent to be in a 'Truman Show type situation.' I'm 99.9% sure that's not what's happening, BUT I do still say it out loud every once in a while, just in case."
a**hat123
Painful Details
"I tend to imagine injuries in excruciating detail. One time when I was in college, working in the kitchen, I remember walking past an industrial-sized mixer with a dough hook as big as my arm, and I was immediately hit with the image of my leg getting caught in it, and the force of the motor snapping my knee and leg bones and winding my flesh around the shaft until it shredded and tore free - like when you're trying to break the hip joint to get a leg off of a roast chicken."
iglidante
Sick to my stomach...
"I've had some absolutely abhorrent and terrifying intrusive thoughts that torture me all the time. My therapist told me that intrusive thoughts are your brain trying to purge the things you find absolutely disgusting and awful and I try to remember that but it still makes me sick to my stomach. I cope the best I can but torture really is the best descriptor for experiencing consistent intrusive thoughts."
bathmaster_
Unfazed
"I have Excoriation disorder, which is a type of OCD, and what it means is that if I see any kind of spot on my skin, I pick at it until it’s gone. And what I mean when I say 'pick' is that I will find whatever sharp object there is (my preferred object is thumbtacks) and I will dig until I’m satisfied that it’s gone. It could be 5 minutes, it could be 5 hours."
"Pain doesn’t faze me. Blood doesn’t faze me. I have dug down to the bone before with a thumbtack because I thought there was a lump in my pinky finger. I also have a severe anxiety disorder, which means that if I can’t get 'out' whatever I believe is in my skin, I have a panic attack. It isn’t to self-harm- I don’t do it to hurt myself."
"I just do it because I can’t relax until I get out whatever I think is on/in my skin. I haven’t had a severe picking episode in about 9 months, thanks to really good meds and mental health care. But yeah- without that, the intrusive thought that 'something is in there and I HAVE to get it out' would destroy me."
MPD1987
Again and Again
Britney Spears Reaction GIFGiphy"Along with intrusive thoughts is the intrusive music. All the time never stops. Just broken snippets, 'Oops I did it again, oops I did it again, oops I did it again' over and over til I think I’m going mad!!!"
Jeansiesicle
Random music in the brain.
I've been kept up nights over the music.
And there is no volume dial.
WTF?!
Dying Classic Film GIF by Warner ArchiveGiphy"I get one regularly that’s a vivid image of me digging out the artery in my wrist with a fish hook and then snapping it like a rubber band."
canijustbelancelot
Bed Check
"If my bedroom isn't clean or tidy when I lay down to sleep, I picture bugs, rodents, etc climbing over me in bed. Not far off because my last condo building had such a bad mouse infestation. Ugh. I'm itchy just thinking about it now."
crankyoldhag45
"I have to check my room every night for spiders, the same routine every night no matter how tired I am. I hate it. I'm convinced if I don't check, it'll be the one night a big one crawls on me, and that did happen once, so the compulsion to check is now very much set in stone. :( "
sakura_gasaii
Reminders
"I love getting constant reminders about my absolute worst memories, ranging from 'WTF was I thinking' to redeem now for a free panic attack. I considered typing one out but stared at that last full stop for a minute before snapping out of it and reconsidering lol. I’ve gotten very good at forgetting things. It’s for the best."
Arterra
Bad Attacks
"I've been getting bad claustrophobia attacks on the train lately. The moment it gets too crowded I start thinking about the trains to Auschwitz and how the people were trapped in there for days at a time, squeezed in like sardines, with no bathroom breaks, no room to stretch, freezing or sweltering, starving or panicking or dying... Sorry. You asked."
Wazula23
Rituals
I Hope Please GIFGiphy"I have to pray before bed or my father won't wake up the next morning."
No_Scale7584
"OCD rituals hit hard. I hope it doesn’t cause you too much distress, but I understand how exhausting it can be."
StillExpectations
Our thoughts can really be our enemy.
If you suffer some intrusive thoughts, there are plenty of medical resources out there for you. .
"What’s the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery?"
Must Be Too Good To Be True...
"Double check, then triple check, then still believe it was a mistake."- 1100redonions
Make Sure It's In Good Hands
"Lawyer."- Catacomb82
serious season 8 GIFMoochers Be Gone...
"Not tell anyone."- Spiffy@ssSam
Escape!
"I would go on one of those six-month around the world cruises and not tell anyone but immediate family."
"Hopefully by the time I’m back stateside, everyone else has assumed I’m dead."
"Then I’d move to whichever city I liked best from that cruise."
"I fully expect this to happen despite never buying a ticket."- alexy8s·
debt GIFNo Judgement Here...
"Buy the Lego Imperial Star Destroyer."- matkins70
Chillax...
"Claim it and book myself a nice hotel room."
"Sleep and resign from work."- elleccceee
When In Doubt...
"Open that reddit thread that goes in detail on what to do."- gresgolas
Emmys Reaction GIF by Vulture.comIt's worth noting, those lucky few who do win the lottery, against the odds, usually blow their winnings in a shockingly short amount of time.
Sometimes even finding themselves even worse off financially than when they were before.
Making one wonder if we're better off dreaming of winning, than ever finding ourselves in the reality...
RedditorJust_Replacement3989 wanted to hear about what jobs we dream of if anything was possible.
"If money wasn't an issue, what would be your profession?"
I'd be so many things. I'd actually have to time to find out what I was capable of doing.
Bang Hard
Loop Drumming GIFGiphy"Drummer in a crappy band."
too-many-pancakes
"Is there room for a second drummer in your crappy band? I'll even settle for being like the guy in Slipknot who just hits a keg with a bat."
Odd_Description1
Good Times
"I would want to be a florist."
volgmast
"I worked at an indoor farm that mainly sold edible flowers. My favorite part was making edible flower arrangements for fancy restaurants. They would just order their flowers and I could arrange them however I wanted. Good times."
KickBallFever
"I worked as a florist for 4 years, to this day it’s my favorite job I’ve ever had. I wish it paid the bills!"
tealearring
A Language Field
"Field linguist, studying, documenting, and preserving endangered languages. That’s why I spent years getting my PhD in linguistics. Unfortunately, there’s not really any jobs in field linguistics outside of academia, which is incredibly competitive, and there’s limited grant money, to boot. But I’d love to work with interested communities and speakers, and be able to say, hey no need to worry about where you’re getting the money for that."
Tarnagona
From Below
"Underwater archaeology."
girl_from_away
"If you haven’t heard it already, highly recommend listening to the Nat Geo Overheard podcast episode 'Scuba Diving in a Pyramid' as well as 'Cave of the Jaguar God.'"
friendlyMissAnthrope
"Checkout the David Gibbins books. He's a legit underwater archeologist, and the books are very much Indiana Jones meets MacGyver adventures. Lots of fun."
Hey_look_new
The Beauty of It All
Bob Ross Art GIFGiphy"I'd be an art guy. Not make art but be the dude who finances artists, opens a local gallery, gives money towards fostering local theatre and film talent. Basically try to turn the area in which I live into a creative hub."
Ungreat
"Wonderful quote on the wall of Seattle’s Museum of Museums 'There is no version of a great city with a declining artist population.'"
friendlyMissAnthrope
Loving art full time is not cheap.
day chef GIF"This is my dream too. Been doing as much research as I can to make it a reality. I learned food preservation, gardening, woodworking and basket weaving, I already hunt and fish, I can make soap, cheese and bread, beer and mead. I just need to learn how to build a cabin now."
Ironwolf9876
FAME
"Writer/Director."
-StruckByLightning-
"I have/had several friends that do/did that. I have a buddy that was a writer on News Radio. I have a friend that runs Bloomberg in Bulgaria."
"He also has several director credits for B movies you've definitely heard of. I have another friend who produces a huge show in NYC. Bottom line- They are absolute workaholics. Like 7 days a week, no time off. Yes they make tons of money, but missed most of their kid's childhood travelling and working. Not for me, I'm not a workaholic at all."
Old-Bedroom8464
The Dream
"Stay at home dad, so I can spend more time with my son."
Prestigious_Lock1659
"That is the dream. To have everyone home at the same time goofing around. I look forward to the weekends, the three of us chill out in bed in the morning watching either toy story or minions. It’s great."
Prestigious_Lock1659
"That’s like my dream. Hoping I make less money than who I’m put with."
SCRIVVVY
Knowledge Thirst
"Permanent Student. I want to learn how to do everything!"
Bunney26
"Yes this is it for me. Being able to study and not worry about the actual result, but have it structured etc. - the dream. I’d still try, I just wouldn’t stress that a less good mark will impact my career or opportunities. I’d not feel the need to be competitive. I’d just cruise in and out and have a good time!"
GusPolinskiPolka
By the Sword
Dungeons And Dragons Pathfinder GIF by SeesoGiphy"Hosting and teaching Dungeons and Dragons games. Would be nice to have the ability to learn all the books cover-to-cover and use that info 4+ days a week as a job."
Melissa-Crown
I just want money. I'll do anything. That is all.