How to avoid reassurance with specifics OCD
Hi everyone,
First of all, english is not my first language but i'll try my best to make my explanations clear.
I'm seeking advice and tips to avoid falling for reassurance in a specific kind of ocd (in my POV). I'm well aware that ruminations, compulsions, reassurance worsen OCDs
The main fear driving my OCD is facing dramatic consequences in the future for acts i have possibly done (according to my brain) without noticing (like creating a car accident, commenting bad things on the internet, poisoning someone with body fluid, a memory transformed into something bad...).
In those situations, my brain is like "Imagine if the police arrest you in X amount of time; your family will be alone and ashamed, you'll go to prison" or "imagine the person you insulted online will sue you and ruin you".
How to cope with this situation? Of course I identify these situations as OCD, but the fear takes the lead and it's almost impossible to deal with it without reassurance (rumination, talk to my wife...). When the possible consequences are immediate, the anxiety disappear as soon as I see the consequence didn't materialize, but what can i do when the fear concerns consequences happening (or not) in the future?
I've met several therapists who all told me not to ignore or ruminate, but to accept the anxiety. And I don't understand what it means. I'm supposed to go through the rest of my day with these thoughts, just telling myself "okay, it's just anxiety, it's normal, there's nothing you can do about it." ?
Continuing to live with the fear that something might or might not happen is incredibly difficult. The anxieties that arise daily (accidents, online comments) eventually go away (sometimes via reassurance, sometimes by thinking about something else), even though I can sometimes be triggered long afterward if I drive through the same place again, for example. But the altered, distant memories come back from time to time without warning, and I don't know what to do.
How you cope with those fear of a dramatic future?
Thank you in advance