- Date posted
- 5y
- Date posted
- 5y
The best way I have found to deal woth OCD is to force myself to sit with my thoughts and not “react” to them. I have heard it referred to as radical acceptance. I believe that those of us with OCD have powerful minds and that we can use that strength “against” OCD by not giving it the attention it so desperately wants. We all have thoughts that are constantly running through our minds - we need to accept those thoughts by not reacting to it. Just sit with the thoughts and they will disappear. Stay strong brother. It’s a battle but you can do it. Just don’t react to the thought and force yourself to sit with it.
- Date posted
- 5y
Thank you! I really appreciate your advice! That is definitely something that I will start doing. Good luck with your journey my friend.
- Date posted
- 5y
We need to remember to be kind to ourselves. We are not perfect nor should we be. We are human beings with emotions and thoughts. Don’t fight the thoughts - remember that OCD is always trying to trick us by making certain thoughts very “real” or meaningful. Remember: they are just thoughts. Accept them (radically accept them) by just sitting with the thought, letting yourself feel the anxiety and breathing through the thought/anxiety. It will dissipate if you do NOT react to it and don’t give it any meaning. It’s just a thought that OCD is using against us. It’s just stupid OCD and we are strong...we can just sit with it and recognize it’s simply OCD trying to mess with us. Good luck my friends. I am in the battle with you!!
- Date posted
- 5y
Yes, I believe I do. I am new to the term but based on research it seems to describe my OCD. I’m glad to know that there is a term to describe this. Thank you!!
- Date posted
- 5y
Do you have any tips on how to cope with it?
- Date posted
- 5y
I am having a really hard time with real event ocd these past few days
- Date posted
- 5y
Do you ever feel like you have symptoms of possible false memories in regards to the real event?
- Date posted
- 5y
@Nick21 1000%. This is what has made my anxiety even worse these past few days. Since the events were a long time ago my memory is foggy and my mind fills in the gaps with the worst things i could possibly imagine
- Date posted
- 5y
@chamomilegirl Exactly. My event happened around 5 months ago, and I spend hours and hours on end trying to reimagine it in my mind, and I feel like it gets more and more distorted every day.
- Date posted
- 5y
Do y’all feel like you have to confess what you did or if you don’t your like a terrible person?
- Date posted
- 5y
I’ve tried confessing to a handful of people, and everyone that I’ve told said it wasn’t a big deal at all, and I’m overreacting, which is probably true. I just can’t shake the feeling that there will be consequences in the future.
- Date posted
- 5y
Hey guys. So I am struggling with this too. I was at work the other day and saw these two cute guys(I didn’t even talk to them or even really look at them) , I wear a ring on my left finger just bc (I’ve been with my boyfriend I adore for 3 years) well idk if I actually was covering the ring with a paper and I had a thought of “omg your a horrible person bc you are hiding your ring so these guys don’t see it” and now I don’t know if I even actually hid it or why I even had that thought because I don’t want to be with any other guy like I never even talk to other guys bc i have 0 desire. So now I feel this horrible guilt and feeling like in”cheated” by possibly hiding my ring even though I don’t even know why I did that. And I have so much urgency to confess and tell my boyfriend and I feel like If I tell him then more real event ocd cycles will pop up and it will never end. Help.
- Date posted
- 5y
@sam. That sounds like OCD trying to trick you!! Tell yourself that these thoughts are simply OCD messing with you and then radically accept the thought and sit with the anxiety. I also find that breathwork (focus on my breath) while I am sitting with the anxiety really makes it much easier. You can do it. And you are not alone. ??
- Date posted
- 5y
@AG KNIGHT But I did hide the ring subconsciously. Even though idk why. And I guess I knew I was hiding it and then ocd went crazy. I just feel like my boyfriend doesn’t deserve to have to put up with my crazy self.
- Date posted
- 5y
@sam. That sounds like OCD to me too. I feel like OCD latches on to things that scare us/or make us ashamed the most.
- Date posted
- 5y
@Nick21 That is exactly right Nick. I experience it the same way.
- Date posted
- 5y
@sam. Hi Sam - we have all had these situations where you are not sure what is real or not. I think the key is to be kind to yourself and be okay with possibly making a mistake (not saying it was a mistake but if you think so then forgive yourself). We are always so tough on ourselves and sometimes we need to sit back and just be kind to ourselves. With that said, to me it seems like this is OCD trying to trick you. ?
Related posts
- Date posted
- 16w
Just bombarded with the guilt of past mistakes. Not knowing the outcome of things makes it worse. Seeing things/signs that are associated with the real event I obsess about everyday. I see it in tv, you tube, songs and everything. It's so scary how it's everywhere
- Date posted
- 15w
just wanted to see if others struggle with real event ocd really kicking their a**. i feel like my mind is a constant battleground of every mistake ive made and they feel so huge and life altering to me that it’s hard to continue going on in their wake. just wondering if anyone else feels this way too.
- Date posted
- 12w
Hey everyone — I just want to say upfront that as someone who actively deals with real events OCD, most of the posts I share here are going to come straight from my personal experience. Just real & lived reality. Because I know how lonely this type of OCD can feel, and if there’s even one person out there who reads my words and feels less alone — then it’s worth sharing every piece of it. Now… let’s talk about the kind of OCD that doesn’t get enough attention. The kind that doesn’t just whisper scary things — it reminds you of real ones. Real Events OCD. This isn’t about bizarre or outta nowhere intrusive thoughts. This is the kind that takes real things you’ve done — whether it was a genuine mistake, a cringey moment, a bad decision, or even something you already made peace with — and it replays them on a loop like a horror film in your head. It’s the constant questioning: “Am I actually a good person?” “Was that actually wrong and I just didn’t realize it?” “What if I’ve hurt someone and don’t deserve to be okay?” And it’s exhausting. I’ve had moments where I can’t focus, can’t sleep, can’t breathe because my brain pulls up something from years ago and convinces me I’m evil, dangerous, unforgivable. I can be having a good day, laughing with people I love, and boom — my mind hits me with “Remember this? You should feel horrible about it forever.” Even if I’ve apologized. Even if I’ve changed. Even if I’ve done the work. Real Events OCD doesn’t care. It thrives off your guilt. It uses your conscience against you. And when you’re young — still figuring out who you are, still healing — it makes you question whether you even deserve to move forward. That’s what’s so cruel about it. It doesn’t just make you anxious. It makes you feel like you’re a danger to the people you love. That you’re secretly the villain in your own story. But let me tell you something I’ve been learning — slowly, painfully, but honestly.. You are not your past. You are not your worst mistake. And you are not the voice in your head trying to punish you forever. You’re a person with a heart. A person who cares. And that’s exactly why OCD picked this flavor to mess with you. ERP is SOO helping. So is community. But the biggest help? Giving myself permission to stop chasing reassurance and start living again. I do not have to confess, over and over, for the rest of my life. I do not have to torture myself to prove I’m good. I can grow — and growing is enough. So if you’re reading this and you know exactly what I’m talking about… I see you. I am you. Let’s keep showing up. Let’s keep living. Let’s keep healing — even when OCD tells us we don’t deserve to. You do. I do. We all do.
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