Diego

Date posted: 5y

Anyone here could share your experience with real event ocd Because I think I'm going through something like that right now

gratefulsuns...

Date posted: 5y

I havent experienced that so i cant help a lot but i wish you well❤️

Diego

Date posted: 5y

Thanks♥ But what theme is bothering you?

Diego

Date posted: 5y

Plz

gratefulsuns...

Date posted: 5y

What do you mean by that

Diego

Date posted: 5y

I'm having obsessions about some mistakes I did in the past And It's freaking me out Now my mind is saying that I'm a bad person who shouldn't be forgiven I'd like to know if someone goes through that too And a help to deal with that

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Diego It's often more helpful if you lead with what you're experiencing. If I'm hearing you correctly, the obsession is a memory and the distress is shame or guilt. What do you think is the compulsion?

Diego

Date posted: 5y

@NOCD Advocate - Katie I'm always trying to remember what exactly happened over and over So I can prove to myself that I'm a good person And that was just a stupid mistake But that actually is not helping,just making my anxiety worse

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Diego How is that helping or not helping?

Diego

Date posted: 5y

@NOCD Advocate - Katie I keep ruminating the situation trying to prove that I'm not a bad person That gives me a relief for a moment But it doesn't help at all

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Diego What is the ruminating keeping you from doing that you enjoy or value?

Diego

Date posted: 5y

@NOCD Advocate - Katie Sorry Didn't understand your question

Diego

Date posted: 5y

@Diego I keep ruminating for hours and I just can't concentrate at all

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Diego What would you choose to do if you weren't ruminating?

Diego

Date posted: 5y

@NOCD Advocate - Katie Keep living the present Not worried about the past or the future would be nice?

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Diego What does "living in the present"mean though? What would you DO? Go fishing, call a friend, jog, play a board game, read a book, etc

Diego

Date posted: 5y

@NOCD Advocate - Katie Socialize a lot Play games Learn new things

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Diego Are you willing to do those things instead of ruminating, even with the thoughts and feelings you dislike?

Diego

Date posted: 5y

@NOCD Advocate - Katie Yesssss But how do I do that Ignore the thoughts and feeling?

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Diego You acknowledge them but don't let them direct your actions. Like loud annoying kids in the backseat of the car while you're driving. They're along for the ride, but not navigating or steering

Diego

Date posted: 5y

@NOCD Advocate - Katie Okay I'll try that Thank you for listening to me♥

ocdillustrated

Date posted: 5y

@Diego My pleasure ?

Fathomable

Date posted: 5y

I've had the same thing. I made a small mistake which made me feel like I'd made a MUCH bigger one and caused a lot of harm. I did a lot of compulsions of going over my memory and doubting myself and arguing with and avoiding the guilt. I thought it was my conscience and the guilt must mean something. Even once I processed some feelings to see that I was wrong, I still believed I'd made some medium sized mistake. I was able to have compassion for that mistake but then a while later realised that one wasn't true either. The truth is that all I ever actually did was the very small one. Once I talked to a friend about the small mistake, she didn't even think that would count as a mistake and didn't see how it would be harmful. So I processed more feelings instead of ruminating on it, and now I see it clearly. I did one very small thing which most people wouldn't think was doing something wrong, and turned it into something HUGE and completely ridiculous because of guilt and compulsions. Now I don't believe the OCD whatsoever and the problem I am left with is the fact that I talked to people like my fears were TRUE and claimed they were, with all this shame and confusion and self hatred attached. I worry more about what they think of me now, I created the problem, so I really recommend you don't do guilt-confessions even if you say accurate facts. It doesn't make you feel better, it just seems like it would. It makes more problems. The rumination and memory checking can sometimes help at the exact moment if you can get some reassurance out of it, but that makes the doubts keep coming back. Really all you can do is to stop doing compulsions as much as possible. The truth will get more clear over time, the more you accept the feelings into your body without accepting or disagreeing with the actual meanings they claim. It doesn't matter if your mistake was a thing you actually KNOW YOU DID it, I guarantee it still doesn't deserve the level of guilt and shame you're giving it. Do feeling first, think of meanings later. Feelings aren't facts.

Fathomable

Date posted: 5y

So the things which worked for me is doing ERP/somatic emotional processing, and promising myself that I will worry later in the day but not right now (that gives me a lot of time back and also breaks the link of the thoughts with compulsions, so your brain gives you less thoughts and it feels less urgent, easier to resist). Now I try to do the same things about my worry of being misunderstood from what I said.

Diego

Date posted: 5y

@Scoggy Thank you so much? It's so hard not to ruminate But I'll try my best

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