How do you seperate ocd from reality?

[Ironborn]

Hi all,

Considering most of my ocd themes are about past doings etc etc, i started wondering how i can recognize that if i feel guilty, bad, sad, depressed or anxious about anything how much of it is actually a 'normal' emotion or behavior and when it becomes a obsessive / compulsive behavior. Because if for someone with ocd the best thing to do is try and not think about the emotion you feel like feeling sad or guilty or anxious then how can you cope with real events that really cause such emotions regardless if you have ocd or not. 

So what i am trying to say here is, when do you ''know'' your emotional state is being taken over by ocd? 

Because in my case i always try to make amends for things ive done wrong, but before i know it im doing compulsions, but my wife or any other person might also be trying to make amends for things they feel bad about. 

What do you do to identify the ocd is at work when you think what you are going trough is a regular emotional process?

[humbleno1]

your not really supposed to differentiate because the need to do that, is the cause of the disorder. If you are trying to "figure out" your emotions as justified, or valid, its just  a subtle form of a compulsion basically you really have to be ok with what ever your brain is making you feel, and act only according to your values if you can act this way ocd has no power, in terms of chipping away at it, try to think of any emotion that is anxiety provoking and not coming from a sense of clarity and acceptance, as an ocd worry, but remember this labelling is the problem, you have only truly become absolutely a master of your mind and ocd, when these emotions are handled the same, wether they are "ocd emotions" or "real emotions" because, wrestling with that question is what keeps the disorder alive, all ocd emotions will becoming with a high state of anxiety and some form of doubt, or question, again you ahve to take the risk that because you recognise certain characteristics of emotions you are gonna treat it as "ocd"

[Handy]

One characteristic of OCD is you waste time.