Any tips on how to deal with mental compulsions like memory scanning?

You have confession compulsion too??? Girl same

When triggered about something terrible that someone should feel guilt over, recounting every memory in a situation that *could have* led you to do something terrible but didn’t, (or where you thought about it but didn’t, or came close but didn’t, or could have made a better choice even though the choice you made was fine) to make sure you’re not guilty.

I do that sometimes. i wanna know this too. sometimes i even fool myself i actually did the thing

Me too. I hate that guilty feeling ??? makes me want to confess all the menial details that don’t need confessing that would make me seem really suspicious!!!

Same! I lost the love of my life of 3 and a half years because of my urge fo confess :( if i did not, i would just feel guilty and try to lessen talking to them just so i would not feel guilt. I miss them so much but i had to let them go because of my ocd and thoughts

So of course I tell her I haven’t but the conversation continues and I start memory scanning and wondering if I need to confess anything and the urge is so strong but it would just make her worry when there is no need to.

What is memory scanning sounds familiar

It’s the WORSTTTTT

I’m so sorry ?? this is seriously so hard and I understand that completely. Ocd can be SO isolating and make conversation extremely difficult when you’re constantly worried about what youve done/are doing. I can’t stand it or myself sometimes. The whole thing that brought this one on is that my gf had a dream of me cheating on her and woke up asking me if i ever had. I haven’t, but like everyone I’ve been in situations where I could have reciprocated flirting but didn’t. But didn’t say I had a gf. I just hate that I always wonder what’s required of me in certain situations based on really tiny different nuances within those situations.

I HAD A SIMILAR THOUGHT. thing is i did not know i had ocd before so i just thought i they were “normal” thoughts. i thought i liked somebody else, and so i confessed to them. they were heartbroken. that person i thought i liked, until now they keep popping in my head just bothering me and scaring me what if u actually like them but i dont, infact they’re starting to annoy the shit out of me. now even if we are broken up, it feels wrong to find even a stranger attractive. the urge to confess is still there too.

I can relate shishi. I left my ex a confession letter, even the fleeting imagines i had with little crushes and strangers i confessed and it just put the load on them heavier. Idk if it exists, but they probably called it “mental cheating” :-( i understand why they would label that though but i have told them after i did not want the thoughts

Yeah I know that all too well, been there with exes too. This time around I talk to my therapist about it and she’s given some reassurance that this is OCD and the things I’m worried about aren’t necessary to confess. Sometimes I doubt that and question everything further or wonder if she would get mad- but then I just remind myself my therapist said not to go there and if that happens so be it then you can talk about what happened in a defending context because you didn’t cheat and your anxiety about cheating shows you wouldnt do it to them.