i've really done bad things

[Grimes1904]

Hi. Title says it all... I know that OCD is the disease of the doubt but I have, with no doubt, before OCD, made some really bad things. Which hurts me, obviously, I dont like doing things bad. I just wanted to know if someone here has made bad things too... because I know for sure you haven't done a lot of what you think! Because OCD makes you think that. But I've really done it and not because of OCD which really hurt me

just wanted to know if I'm not alone...

[Sallyskins]

Is there anyone that hasn't done bad things? I don't think so. But that doesn't mean that we're all bad people.

I'm afraid OCD loads us with guilt for things we might have done without knowing it, for thoughts we don't want and would rather didn't invade our heads, and makes us beat ourselves up for things no one else would blame us for.

So don't beat yourself up for nothing! Just do your best. If there are things you regret doing - and isn't that the case for all of us? - then learn from the experience and do better for the future. That's the key to moral growth.

But don't feel you have to feel guilty unnecessarily. And remember that although rights come with responsibilities, responsibilities also come with rights. It's often a question of balancing these - to take more than your fair share of responsibility without claiming any rights for yourself isn't fair on you.

Separate out the OCD guilt from the real guilt. And don't demand too much of yourself.

[mind-full]

The "disease of doubt" is just one way to explain OCD, but it's not serving you to understand your experience right now. Discard it.

The "disease of shame" is another way to explain your struggle. Remember that OCD is an abbreviation best described as a disorder (state of confusion). Whether you doubt "making bad things" or not, you are confusing what to do with the pain. The guilt.

Read through different posts (here) on the OCD Community forum, and you'll notice other OCD sufferers feeling like "the worst human alive" or "the most horrible person in the world". Guilt is only for the goodhearted.

Good people do bad things. Nobody is perfect, and we all make mistakes. Learning from guilt is healthy. Being impaired by shame is not.

Whether it's an intrusive thought, or a distressing memory: accept it. Guilt will be there to tell you "I did bad", while shame insists "I am bad". Listen to the guilt, learn from the past, and look forward to the future. Move on.

Guilt is heavy. Your heart is strong.