Extreme overwhelming feeling of pointlessness of reality

[Hailzey]

Hi all,

I have been having 'episodes' of an adrenaline rush when I consider my own mortality.

If I start thinking about death I get an overwhelming sadness.

I sometimes feel like I am in a bubble of reality, like I can feel how small we all are in the universe.

I get scared. I get very sad. Lately I have had it alot.


I keep wanting to scream. I keep crying.

I am on medication. I used to be on a higher dose but it didn't stop these thoughts from happening and overwhelming me.

What can I do? Has anyone ever felt like this? I am not religious and just cannot convince myself to believe in them.

[CaptainSwing]

Hi Hailzey,

The universe is overwhelming. It's beyond our comprehension huge. We will never understand it in either of our lifetimes. These feelings are normal.

What helps me is contemplating the wonder of it all. I am not religious in any sense, but I am reminded often that this indifferent, vast, cold, dark, violent and random place produced organisms that can love, comfort and care for each other. That they love, comfort and care for each other without any expectation of a reward.

Some simple human touch when you are feeling that way may help. It helps me.

[notokay]

Hello Hailzey,

I’m a long time lurker first time poster. I wanted to comment because I’ve had similar feelings of existentialism for probably the last 11 years. I often ask myself what’s the point in anything because we live and we die and the universe will continue on for billions of years after us. Year after year my thoughts became more and more existential until everything crumbled around me because I couldn’t shake the pointlessness of the minutiae of every day .

It was and is a huge mental block for me when I think about existence. I talked a lot about it with my psychiatrist and all he told me was it was my job to figure out what the meaning of anything is.

I’m sorry I can’t offer anymore comforting words than yes, I feel this way too. No medication I’ve been on ever stopped me thinking existential thoughts but it did get me well enough to stop fixating.

Existential depression is a real thing and I hope you reach a point where you have a grasp of the universe enough so it doesn’t overwhelm you.

[White_Rose]

Dear Hailzey

Hello and welcome to the forum. Trying to solve the mystery of the universe on your own is setting yourself up for disappointment, frustration and depression. It's been around for billions of years and when we look at the human habitation on Earth it's a mere blink of an eye by comparison. Regardless of this do you realise you are asking the basic questions humans have asked since they became homo sapiens sapiens. That is clever, clever man. And the time we have been here can be counted in thousands of years, not the millions of the universe.

So your questions are reasonable and common. The why, what, when,where, who, how, have been in our human thoughts constantly. So do not be dismayed, you are following in the footsteps of your/our ancestors. How amazing is that?

Captain Swing thinks about the wonder of it all and it's true. Our universe is a wonderful place. I wonder if you have ever watched any documentaries about the universe or our Earth on TV. Thanks to modern technology we can go back in time and see where we came from, how the universe combined in different ways to produce us. I have become a fan of these documentaries. Brian Cox does a great job explaining these mysteries to us in a way we can understand and learn so much. Similarly there are the recent David Attenborough series about Earth. Amazing.

Instead of wondering or worrying about these things why not get some real information from experts such as these or other experts. It can make us feel small I know but it shows how small can become great. Instead of being afraid we can delight in our world. The other two posters agree how great is our world and it's a far better way of thinking.

Not knowing how old you are means I am unsure what sort of thoughts you are having about death. If you are an older person I think it's quite natural to think about it. I do. If you are a young person I am a little concerned you are becoming fixated on the subject and may be quite depressed. Young folk should be out revelling in life and believing they are immortal. I did in my teens and early life.

May I ask who prescribes your medication? Is it your GP or do you see a psychologist or counsellor? Like notokay I agree that medication cannot stop this kind of thought, at least not until you are zonked out which is not a good idea. Perhaps it would help if you had a few sessions with a psychologist. Your GP can arrange this.

What do you think?

Mary