Is it good to make a general confession of one"s sins, looking over one"s whole life, even confessing small sins?

Yes. We read about a priest whom St Philip helped to overcome pains in his arms. The priest was in such a bad situation that he could hardly elevate the host at Mass. He could not vest himself for Mass. Having tried every remedy he could, he finally asked his relative, a disciple of St Philip, for a piece of St Philip's clothing. Instead, he was given some of St Philip's hair. One day God inspired him to make a strange concoction. He drank the St Philip hair tea. And suddenly his arms were better. But before he drank it, he made a general confession. He made a confession of his whole life and his main sinful dispositions. He brought his whole life before the Lord. What a beautiful thing it is to be healed in body and soul.