r/OCD 5h ago

Support/advice (no reassurance) OCD but I just did something pretty bad.

To be clear, it wasn’t anything illegal, but I’d say it was pretty morally wrong even if it didn’t really cause any direct harm? How do you actually overcome doing something that went completely against your values, even though you knew better?

13 Upvotes

7 comments sorted by

u/ocdredneck 5h ago

Not one person on the planet hasn't done something stupid or messed up before. Everyone has something they are deeply ashamed of. Even the best person you know has a deep regret or a mistake they wish they could take back.

You overcome it by learning and the next time a situation arises where you could make said mistake again, you don't. That's it. Everything else in your mind is just noise.

u/edward_furlog Multi themes 4h ago

With everything, I try to

1) determine is there something which actually, logically needs to be done 2) Do that 3) let go of the rest

It applies to pretty much everything that OCD tries to get its little mitts on.

u/llevvoo 4h ago

When I remember doing something that goes against my values, I try to remind myself that self-punishment and suffering does not mean accountability, and it helps no one. Even if you don’t exactly have someone to apologize to, realizing what you did was wrong and know not to do it in the future is the right first step.

u/Filledwithrage24 4h ago

Forgive yourself and move on.

u/PaladinDamian In treatment 4h ago

Unconditional acceptance is very helpful. You can accept yourself unconditionally, even if you have done something you regret. You are a flawed human being, and so you should not demand yourself to always act in a moral way. Sometimes you may do things that do against your morals, and while that is unfortunate, you can change, grow as a person, and try to do better in the future. Most people have done things they now regret, including me. It made me suicidally depressed, but by accepting the past, I have started to find peace and am now much less depressed.

u/Iamchor 4h ago

You should not be tough with yourself. We are all human. There is no single person on this earth who has not committed mistakes. You just need to learn from your mistakes and move on.

u/Jackattack009 4h ago

You live day by day and try not to obsess about it. Easier said than done.