- Date posted
- 19d ago
Question
What to do when we feel guilty about our ocd checking and compulsive behaviors?
What to do when we feel guilty about our ocd checking and compulsive behaviors?
Same thing we do to not resort to compulsions, nothing. Sit with the uncertainty, separate from it, "I don't like this, but I'm going to allow it to pass"
My therapist gave me this idea: imagine putting your intrusive thoughts into a purse, a bag, or a pocket. You don’t try to make them go away, but you kind of set them aside so they’re not the focus. She explained that we can do the same thing with feelings like guilt, shame, anxiety, and stress, we acknowledge them, put them in a pocket, and keep going with our day. It’s a way of not letting those feelings take over, but also not pretending they’re not there. It’s not easy, but it’s one way to deal with them without letting them control you.
Hi Tony, I appreciate you sharing this! I’ve been in the same boat, feeling guilty because I know giving in to compulsions isn’t good for me, yet I still do it. Sometimes, we forget that emotions aren’t inherently good or bad; we’re the ones who assign them meaning. In moments like that, I try to be compassionate with myself. OCD is hard, and that’s okay. We’re going to make mistakes on this journey, and that’s okay too. What matters is remembering that one day doesn’t define our progress. We can notice the feeling of guilt, sit with it for a moment without doing anything, and then let it go. We just have to keep going and continue resisting compulsions. <3
@AnonymityK Solid point, I just feel guilty about the compulsions I have done and or the checking from this comes a lot of what if’s
@Tony Davies Hi Tony, I totally understand. OCD keeps us stuck in a vicious cycle, no matter what the content is. The best approach is to treat it all the same—even when the thoughts are about OCD itself and its compulsions. (I hope this makes sense)
@AnonymityK It’s hard to believe my compulsion was a compulsion…. It feels like it’s not and ocd tells us it’s not… it lies to us.
@Tony Davies Yes, the lying disorder l.
I just feel the need to fix this, and or really regret my compulsive behavior from recent past and have no idea
It’s hard to believe my compulsion was a compulsion…. It feels like it’s not and ocd tells us it’s not… it lies to us.
His so I have a question. Should I feel guilty for things I do like without thinking or naturally. Like for example if I’m around a person I find attractive I will naturally try to be funny or come off as attractive not in a bad way like it just happens I’m not usually aware of it until after it happens.Sometimes I do and say things without an intention it just kinda happens and then My brain after it will Be like oh you did that because of this and that. Or sometimes it’ll tell me I did it for a certain intention that I didn’t do it for, but it’s hard sometimes when I do things without a certain intention so then I can’t tell my intentions and I spiral but sometimes my brain is right and it makes me feel guilty because if I knew that’s was my intention I never would have done it if that makes sense. Is this part of OCD
Feel guilty for not giving into compulsions like rumination and confessing? I feel guilt for having an intrusive thought, trying to shrug it off or just giving it a few seconds of thought and moving along. This sounds like improvement but I still struggle with the anxiety and the guilt. The shame. I’ll be okay and then I’ll remember I have OCD and my stomach will drop and I just want to curl up and cry.
When OCD latches onto your morals, it can make you question whether you're a good person, even over small things. Have you ever felt overwhelming guilt over something others would brush off?
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