My ocd is telling me I cheated on my partner 3 years ago but I don’t have any evidence at all. I keep thinking maybe I got my timing off because I was seeing someone a few months before him, but my ocd is saying that was at the same time. Any advice? Should I confess something that might have been three years ago with no evidence? How do I let go?

I am sorry that your ocd is giving you a hard time. Here is the important thing - confessing is a compulsion and will make ocd stronger - so I would recommend doing your best and do not compulse. This is hard thing to do, I know. Here is how I may handle this using my response prevention skills. OCD: you cheated on your partner. You were seeing him and your previous partner at the same time. Me: acknowledge the thought and accept the thought as intrusive. Remind myself that I am living my values and my values do not include cheating on my partner. OR ME: maybe I did cheat, or then again maybe I didn’t. I am not going to try and figure this out because I can’t. OCD will not allow me to figure it out. And do my best to go on with my day. The key is to sit with the uncertainty. OCD wants you to provide it certainty and then won’t accept any answer. So arguing with ocd is a waste of time because it will come up with another what if. Live by this motto: if it feels like ocd, treat it like ocd and move on. OCD will say maybe it’s not ocd this time - don’t buy it. That is the key to recovery. If it causes anxiety and upset assume it is ocd . I hope this helps.

Im Going through cheating ocd too but different - my ocd tells me i wanted to cheat on my partner 2 years ago with my friend but i just didn’t carry it out and it makes me feel sick because i just don’t see myself doing that or wanting it and i keep getting the feeling that i have to confess this BUT WHY

@ocdstinks Thank you for sharing what you are going through. I am sorry to hear you’re struggling. Please keep in mind that OCD is the doubting disease and it is going to attach to the things that are most important to us. Therefore, it is not surprising that it is attaching itself to your relationship. Since, as you stated, there is no evidence that anything happened, it seems best to treat these thoughts as any other thoughts. Remember thoughts are just thoughts. They are not facts and just thinking something does not make it true. If you try to just push them out of your head, they probably will just increase. Instead try to let yourself sit with the thoughts without engaging with them. However, of course, that is easier said than done, but with time and practice it does get easier.