- Date posted
- 1y
- Date posted
- 1y
I'm not sure anything I say could shake that feeling of dread. In the past, it was something I had to gradually move past on my own. I guess I'll tell you what I wish I had known at your age. First, your life isn't being wasted. It hasn't even started yet. For a good amount of people, their lives don't really start until their 20s. That totally shouldn't even be a concern for you. If you were to dedicate the next 5 years just working on overcoming OCD, that wouldn't be a waste. You would still have an entire lifetime ahead of you. And secondly, I don't know what these mistakes are that you feel will haunt you forever, but I PROMISE you they are not as bad as you think. I cannot stress this enough. I spent so much of my life thinking I was a horrible person for dumb mistakes I made as a kid. But that's the thing; we were just kids. You have to understand it's just part of growing up. Can't be too hard on yourself. You've clearly learned from the past, and you still have so many future mistakes to learn from, but that's alright. We all do. It's part of being here dude. Don't feel guilty for it. This Christmas might not be the greatest for you, maybe not even the next, but I promise you one of them will be. And it'll be that much more special because of this. And just one last thing, you don't have to feel sad. You don't have to stop yourself from forgetting about it all. I don't know if you have this problem too, but I used to feel guilty for even enjoying myself. I'd forget about all my worries for a little bit, then I'd suddenly remember and feel like I had to go back to being sad. Like I deserved to be miserable constantly. I just hope you give yourself a break sometimes.
- Date posted
- 1y
@bxygenius I promise you no matter how bad those things might have been, you're alright. You were young and you still are. You learned from them and changed. That's a good thing, not a bad one. Like, a good person isn't good because they've never done terrible things, they're good because they've decided to do better. I'm sorry you aren't able to get professional help though. Just know that it's not a requirement for overcoming OCD. It helps a lot yeah, but I actually never got any in my journey to recovery. I don't know if things have changed in recent years, but my regular doctor prescribed me an antidepressant a couple years ago which helped me a lot. Didn't need a psychiatrist or anything. It wasn't some magical cure, but it did help me see things a bit clearer. It varies for everyone I guess but yeah. If you have a family doctor, might be worth asking them about it.
- Date posted
- 1y
Have you send a physiatrist? Meds might help
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 1y
I'm so sorry you're struggling, please know you're not alone. There are many of us on here who also struggle. You deserve to get better, you deserve to live the life you want, no matter what. Recovery is a journey that takes time and practice, keep trying, you are worth it. When you are on the other side of this disorder, your journey will inspire others who are suffering. Take care!
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 1y
Everyone has mistakes that haunt them forever. I have done messed up things that still haunt me til this day and I know other people who have messed up but they are still good people. I did something really messed up last year and I also felt like my life was wasted and honestly so many people feel the same after doing something they regret. Good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things.
- Date posted
- 1y
Be patient time will give you perspective. We are all human and will make mistakes sometimes big ones. The important part is to acknowledge them which you have, learn from them, and to try to do a little better each time as life goes on. I have a hard time letting go of past mistakes and I sometimes fixate on them as well. It can really waste a lot of time which can make you feel even worse about it. There is a book called brain lock you might be able to find at your public library for free or close to it that could help with OCD.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 19w
Everyday I wake up, all my mind makes me think of is the stuff I’ve done in the past, like all day I’m in a constant cycle of judging who I used to be and it hurts so so much. I wish I never thought to do those things, I wish I had been more mature than how I was before, it’s really lowering my self worth and I don’t think I’ve ever felt this miserable before, like last summer was the worst because I was dealing with this shit, I about almost ended my life over it, and I thought it would get better, which it did, but it didn’t last but for a while. As soon as it became 2025 I was going through it again, having constant cycles of “I’m a good person” to “I’m the worst person imaginable” and I’m so sick of it because I just want to feel like the good person l like to imagine myself to be, but I can’t because of shit I did in the past that I obsess over. I’ve cried and screamed so much over it and it seems like it will never leave me.
- Date posted
- 11w
It’s never been this bad before. I feel like I’ll never get better. Every day I remember new things to feel guilty about and new fears pop into my head. What if I get doxxed? What if I said something online that could get me in trouble? What if I was hacked? What if someone is looking through every post, every message, every account I’ve ever made. I feel like I’ve dug myself into a hole and there is no way out. I’m 21, I keep thinking “no one will have grace for you because of your age. You are an adult. You should have know better. You don’t deserve to get better”
- Date posted
- 7w
I just feel like therapy isn’t working… like I get to talk about myself and understand myself… but I’m already incredibly self aware. My therapist thought I was like 5 years older than I am… and she gives me such basic strategies that do absolutely nothing for me. And a psychiatrist prescribed me with Zoloft… but I don’t know if T want to take medication. I’m scared of side effects… and I’m scared of getting better… I’m scared of letting my guard down. I know it will make me less cautious which makes me less likely to push myself to perfection like I currently do, which I can’t have happen. Every time I talk to my mom about it, she’s always like “Let’s talk about this some other time, I’m busy with other things”, and then never remembers. But in the rare moments we do talk about it, she treats it like I’m signing up to be a drug addict. I also feel very guilty for spending so much of my parents’ money- therapy… medication… etc… and also the idea of my being unlovable is so deeply engraved in my brain… I genuinely, truly believe it. No therapy or medication can fix it. I can’t change my mind. My therapist tells me my misophonia is not a “deal-breaker” and that someone would be lucky to have me as a partner… but then why hasn’t anyone ever liked me? My own FAMILY can’t stand me. How do I believe something I know isn’t true? That’s even harder to accept than me being unlovable. I can’t see someone loving me. And it is so incredibly exhausting to seek love,e I know I cannot have. My sister says, “It will get better with age…” It has only ever gotten worse. To the point I don’t want to get better. It has reached the severity where I feel more safe and successful with anxiety. My past 3 birthdays have been me wishing for therapy. And now I have therpay- and medication, the potential key… and I refuse? Am I too deep in? I cant get out, it’s too late. How did absolutely no one notice how much I had and have been hurting? Why did no one listen to my cries or worries? I feel really depressed and hopeless right now. It takes so much effort to get up every day… I’m so tired.
Be a part of the largest OCD Community
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond