I’m so scared that I’m some kind of pedo primarily attracted to pubescent children. I’m 17 and I find myself attracted to the occasional 14 year old and panicking cuz they’re young . Like usually they look older but not this one . He looks 15. When the episode aired he was 14 and 11 months . If you guys search up the “have you ever been in love , five times a day “ you’ll see the guy from the meme . He looks his age . I think he’s pretty when I look at him but not hot . I’m trying to figure out what this means .

Then what do you do?

@BigGip09 Get back to your day. Choose actions aligned with your values and goals.

@pureolife Been trying. Not easy when you keep thinking of the past and potential legal trouble

@BigGip09 You have to choose to do these actions regardless of the thoughts continuing to pop up. Bring them along for the ride! But choose not to figure them out or resolve them. And choose actions that align with the person you’d want to be if you didn’t have ocd.

Yesh but I can’t be primarily attracted to 14 year olds ew ! Like That’s a year older than my sister and if someone my age tries to date her I’d fight them . It’s gross . I can no longer tell if my feelings are romantic or aesthetic anymore because ocd has twisted it

@Lucy.Wilefire Well you could keep trying to figure it out and and never be able to, or you can live life how you want to live it ☺.

@Ben84 It’s really weird though . Like how do you sit with the fact that you might be a pedo ? Like i can’t stop checking for people’s ages which often lands me in more anxiety . I saw a girl who looked my age but then found her Instagram to make sure but then stumbled on a picture of her from grade 9- grade 10 summer or early grade 10. So she could be either 15 or 14 I don’t know . I’m scared I was legitimately attracted to her . She was wearing shorts and that freaked me out . And then I can’t remember if I went “she’s cute “ or “she’s pretty “. It’s so strange idk if it’s false attraction or if I actually like her . She was pretty .

@Lucy.Wilefire I have POCD, but I work with elementary kids all year. It's doable ☺. And frankly, what you're describing isn't pedophilia anyway . Your OCD might twist it into such however.

@Ben84 I don't say that to diminish what you're experiencing, but sometimes it helps to knoe when we're operating on false beliefs.

@Ben84 I get scared that my POCD fears are real when some part of me deep down doesn't see it this way and can tell it's OCD. I came across a horrible playlist of children in it on youtube without even looking for it. Like without searching for it whatsoever. I remember my heart stopping, my body shaking, my loss of breathing, and a whole bunch of terrible feelings when that day happened basically and I use that as proof that I'm not my OCD. I also tell myself that if it wasn't OCD I would have kept looking for these videos with no problems

@BigGip09 Pureolife gave great advice. It's what I do on a daily basis with kids and it works. That doesn't mean thoughts don't occur. It doesn't mean you don't have doubts. It means you don't let those things dictate your life.

@Ben84 Not figuring it all out and dwelling on it all is definitely better than the latter. I should practice that even though it's difficult not to give into it all based on how real it feels. But still, the other part of me feels like I'm still not my OCD and it was just an accident and I can still move on from this shitty thing that happened.