How to cope with guilt from past mistakes without confessing?

Real event ocd

I’m sorry to ask, but I need support from someone with this particular subtype or who has dealt with real even around past mistakes. I’ve done a lot of things wrong and advice from my therapist is to not confess. Confessing is my compulsion, but some are really big mistakes from my younger years. How do you handle the feelings of guilt and shame without confessing? Have you ever confessed and were met with harsh judgement? I’m scared I’ll lose my will or desire to live just sitting with this guilt.

Real Events OCD

Username: Garrett MaguireGarrett Maguire

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 35w ago

You won't...... anxiety doesn't stay on a straight line.....it will ease if you don't do compulsions.......confessing only gives temporary relief with OCD. The feelings of guilt and shame, you can habituate to, through ERP therapy but compulsions only make the obsessions worse....even if you doubt ERP can help....you need to take a leap of faith and do the therapy and see where it brings you. My guess is you won't regret it.

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 35w ago

@Garrett Maguire I’m trying, but I hate myself.

Username: Garrett MaguireGarrett Maguire

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 35w ago

@Anonymous I hope your therapist is an OCD specialist, using ERP therapy, as that is the gold standard and will bring you relief from this, once you give up the compulsions

Username: AnonymousAnonymous

Date posted: 35w ago

@Garrett Maguire She is. I just haven’t taken that leap of faith yet. I need to stop the compulsions. It doesn’t make it better

Username: Garrett MaguireGarrett Maguire

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 35w ago

@Anonymous The compulsions will never help for long. Confronting the thoughts and feelings without compulsions will gradually cause them to lose their power as you hadituate to them.

Username: titaniumonetwotitaniumonetwo

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 35w ago

Your therapist is right. The problem is confessing won’t solve this. You’ll either just find the next thing to confess or you’ll decide you didn’t confess ‘right’.

Username: BigGyro09BigGyro09

Date posted: 35w ago

Hi. For a long time now I've struggled with trying to come together with the things I've did when I was a teenager. I just try to tell myself I did the best with what I knew at the time. The truth is, I didn't know as much as I think I did. Something else that we do is think about what happened when we were younger with the mind that we have now, as opposed to back then. It's an unfair judgement that we should try to separate from the situation along with the judgement we give ourselves for what happened. Confessing is a compulsion, as you've already said yourself. You have to focus on not giving into that compulsion and sit with how you feel about what happened all those years ago. It's clear that you feel awful about this, and that means something. But, reassurance will not help you. Sitting with those feelings will.

Username: rachelm89

Date posted: 5y ago

Hi there! Does anyone else experience real event OCD? My days lately are filled with (sometimes) crippling guilt and shame over real things that have happened in the past. These are all things that are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. I’ve talked to friends/family/therapists about them and I’m reassured they aren’t “that bad” but my mind can’t seem to let them go. Anyone else dealing with this? Any tips for forward progress? Much love to you all. ❤️

"Pure" OCD

Username: Anonymous444444

Date posted: 1y ago

What if our Real Event really is bad?

I know this is such a typical OCD thought, but I really feel mine is. Without going into too much detail feel like I basically SA'd my ex without meaning to and got away with it. I feel like I need to confess to everyone, including ny current gf, but I'm worried people will never look at me the same again. I'm trying so hard with ERP but I feel like I'm just using it to avoid confronting what I've done. I feel like I'm going to get cancelled or thrown in jail and my life is going to fall apart. I feel so guilty and sorry. I want to be a good person.

Real Events OCD

Username: Coffeelover11

Date posted: 1y ago

Anyone else experience this?

Does anyone struggle with real event ocd and having to confess to their partner? I have so many regrets on things I’ve either done or thought and feel like I can’t move on or be better until I’ve been forgiven for them. Mostly things that happened a couple years ago and I don’t know why it’s all of a sudden bothering me now but it makes me feel like I’m the worst person ever. I’m even questioning how I thought or felt during that time and I’m confessing to thoughts or things I may or may not have done or thought. It’s so confusing and I feel trapped in my own head. If anyone has any tips I would appreciate it. Thank you for you time

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How to cope with guilt from past mistakes without confessing?

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