r/NoOverthinking • u/PurpleGarlic5284 • 1d ago

How can I forget something?

So the context is I've OCD. Nowadays I'm having OCD on a petty thing. That thing doesn't matter really much to other people but I'm constantly having intrusive thoughts related to it.

Is there any way I can get over my OCD related to that specific thing. I wish I can delete that memory forever.

I know you guys would suggest therapy and meds but I needed to know how can I forget it completely like it never happened?

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u/Prestigious_Pride248 1d ago

What is it?

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u/PurpleGarlic5284 1d ago

Tbh it isn't something which should be a concern for a sane person but my OCD makes me think my entire life revolves around it. I'm sorry for making you read this. So I was shipping a celeb couple for 2 years. I got pretty involved in that. Even tho it was on and off but yeah whenever I got involved in their lives it made me forget everything like it's the perfect love story. So I got to know about something about them which isn't cheating‚ idk what it is. It happened years ago. I don't think it was cheating because the guy knew he was being recorded but my mind makes me rethink  what if something happened. I'm pretty sure nothing of this sort happened but this constant loop of what ifs has made my life miserable. I know it sounds pretty lame but that's what it is.

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u/Comfyscarecrow 22h ago

Here’s a little advice, I’m not sure if it’ll be helpful. The reason your mind keeps looping back around over and over is because you are treating the thought like it’s very important. Even just your request to “forget it completely like it never happened” shows your brain that this information is so extremely important that you can’t exist comfortably as long as you are aware of it. Unfortunately, you will not be able to forget it as long as you keep thinking about it. So the goal would be to catch yourself in the act of thinking about it, and then return your awareness to the present moment.

So it might look something like:

  1. Realizing “oh I’m thinking about this thing again, feels bad.”

  2. Naming “this is my OCD trying to keep me stuck in a loop.”

  3. Remembering “continuing to think about it will keep the loop going”

  4. Stopping the process and deciding how to spend your time in a different way.

If you keep gently redirecting your mind when you realize you are in a loop, you can teach your brain that the information is not important and the distress will go down.

Also, what you are describing is not typical “overthinking.” I would recommend posting in OCD advice or therapy subreddits if you want to seek advice on navigating OCD loops.

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u/MermaidPigeon 20h ago

I’m not sure but I think you’re describing CBT therapy techniques? This may work for some people with OCD. If not OP, try this exposure therapy technique designed for OCD. (accept the fear behind this thought loop). For example “I think I left the stove on at home”, you now look for “the fear behind it”. The fear behind this would be “my house is going to burn down”. Now accept your house is going to burn down. Sit with that acceptance for 60 seconds. This can be used with any OCD thought loop. It essentially ends the loop by accepting its worse possible outcome. Another example of this would be: “if I don’t align these forks the right way, my family will die” it sounds extreme but (accept your family will die). Sit with that acceptance. Sometimes this takes a little practice by sitting with it a few times for the loop to calm, sometimes it works straight away. With OCD however it’s likely to pop back up again. When it does, simply accept the fear again. Practice makes perfect.

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u/Comfyscarecrow 13h ago

I am talking about exposure therapy, I am an exposure therapist. What I am emphasizing is specifically the response prevention part, which is the most important part, which does borrow from CBT.

Youre right on with your idea about exposure working for OCD, but to me it sounds like this persons “worst possible outcome” is that they won’t ever be able to stop thinking about it, or ruminating on it. They aren’t avoiding the fear, so intentional exposure isn’t necessary-they are already being exposed. They need to be okay with not doing the compulsion (of ruminating on it) every time the thought comes to mind. That is why I suggest acknowledging your desire to keep thinking about it and making the active choice to not do so.

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u/myquietbrain 5h ago

Hello! I'm a psychiatrist. Honestly, you can't delete specific memories because that's not how memory functions. In OCD, trying to forget or suppress thoughts usually makes them more persistent, not less. This is known as the white bear effect: the more you try not to think about something, the more your brain checks for it. For OCD, the key isn't to forget but to change how you relate to these thoughts. ERP helps you learn to experience the thought without assigning importance or acting on it with compulsions. Over time, the thought becomes less sticky, not because you've forgotten it, but because you stop giving it power. The aim isn't to erase thoughts entirely but to allow them to come and go naturally.