OCD is kicking my butt. I have to accept that I will sin. No one is perfect all of the time. I just feel like w ERP I am planning on sinning and it is stressing me out. I read to go back to your baseline to establish your true values on what your comfortable w before ocd and allow for this amount of imperfection/sin to escape the perfectionist loop. I’m just so scared of sin.
My prior therapist taught me to try reframing my point of view -sometimes it helps sometimes it doesn't -but you could try it. Like, in my culture -our faith -sin doesn't exist. Think of Buddhism: also dont really have sin. There are a LOT of Buddhists in this world. (Probably a lot more that Tlingits lol). Just as a thought exercise: try imagining yourself as a Buddhist. Sin doesnt matter. Its just your immediate effect on the world around you, and if you do something you dont like -you have the ability to fix it in the right here and now, not have to wait and worry after some later effect. I know thats pretty thin, but it might work as a sort of worry vacation, or if you are having a crisis to help you work out of the crisis mode. Like a grounding technique.
I totally get this. The only thing that helped me was learning a different definition of sin that more progressive Christians have. I had to let go of the fundamentalist conservative definition of sin.
@julianofnorwich Yes everything is a sin in conservative Christianity
@#happiness Have you considered leaving conservative Christianity? Maybe not fully leaving but just exploring or reading about other Christian thoughts and denominations?
@julianofnorwich No. The catholic faith uses venial and mortal sins and that resounds better to me in my mind than everything being an equal sin. I try to look at things as minor, moderate, major sins but my therapist says I can’t do that. I have to go w this is a sin and I’m going to do it. I don’t violate my core values but I do sin some. I’m terrified I’m going to be convicted by God eventually for these minor/moderate sins. The sh*tty feeling like I’ve sinned is getting weaker by the day but on Monday night I am going to be faced w my exposures and I know it’s going to get stronger again.
@#happiness I see! Are you Catholic?cool if you are Catholics are responsible for some pretty dope theology! If your therapist is saying to think "this is a sin and im going to do it" I think thats fine! I think another exposure could be learning about how different Christians define or look at a sin, NOT that you HAVE to believe their view, but to be EXPOSED to a different view and see how your OCD reacts. My OCD did NOT like a new perspective on theology and I felt very disturbed but in time I got used to it saying "hey this pastor may be right, he may be wrong I might never know!" Here is one alternative definition of sin from a theologian i like. You dont have to agree but being Exposed to a different possibility expands our tolerance for uncertainty. Much love! https://bsky.app/profile/pastortrey05.com/post/3m4vb7lk4us2v
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