OCD and fear of mistakes

[Harmocd28]

I made a meds error at work and my ocd popped in asking what if you've made this mistake before and I have no proof I have but in my mind I also have no proof I havent! I even messaged my manager saying what if I have made this mistake before and just dont know it...I'm going to sound crazy! 

[Gemma@OCDUK]

Hi Harmocd,

You definitely don't sound crazy, you sound like you have OCD. Unfortunately, we all make mistakes sometimes but OCD loves to flag up the fact that we might have made them previously and just can't remember. Inflated responsibility is common for those with OCD and when you make a mistake, it can make you feel irresponsible and careless, making you feel the need to check and make sure that nothing else has gone wrong. You have to learn to live with the uncertainty because everyone else does. Looking to be 100% sure all the time, leads to bad mental health and OCD.

Gemma

[malina]

Hey @Harmocd28

I totally get your pain! I struggle so much with this at work, fear of making mistakes and then blaming myself when I do. You have to try to let it go and accept that you will make mistakes and that it's okay. In fact, I think that my behaviours that are meant to reduce mistakes actually lead to more mistakes. I also realised that everyone I work with makes mistakes too, but I'm the only one who agonises over them. So many mistakes go completely unnoticed. You just need to relax and accept that mistakes are inevitable and not worth agonising or risking your mental health over.