OCD stuff, anyone?

[megalicious]

The more and more I examine my behavior, the more I notice that I have a lot of OCD-type tendencies. I thought I might create this thread in hopes of finding a) that I am not the only one who deals with this kind of stuff and b)some advice/support on how to deal with said issues.

Please, feel free to share your experiences and advice. I'll begin by explaining a few of the behaviors I find myself repeating the most.

-Feel like odd numbers are bad luck. Try to avoid them whenever possible... set my alarm for 7:16 instead of 7:15.

-Feel the need for all things to be organized. Sure, this increases my efficiency at work, but... sometimes, I'll catch myself putting my groceries onto the check-out conveyor and realize I'm sorting everything by size, and making sure that the labels are all facing the same direction. This is not necessary, so why do I do it?

-Feel the need to stick to a routine. If this is messed up, I get super pissed.

-Feel totally preoccupied with luck. I have everything in my house organized a certain way, and if someone messes it up, I become very distraught.. not because my things were moved, but b/c I feel like moving those things out of their rightful place will adversely impact my life.

So... there it is. Anyone else do stuff like this?
:D

[capt. scotty]

The more and more I examine my behavior, the more I notice that I have a lot of OCD-type tendencies. I thought I might create this thread in hopes of finding a) that I am not the only one who deals with this kind of stuff and b)some advice/support on how to deal with said issues.

Of course you arent the only one who does this stuff, all the other people with OCD do it as well  ;)

[megalicious]

The more and more I examine my behavior, the more I notice that I have a lot of OCD-type tendencies. I thought I might create this thread in hopes of finding a) that I am not the only one who deals with this kind of stuff and b)some advice/support on how to deal with said issues.

Of course you arent the only one who does this stuff, all the other people with OCD do it as well  ;)

lol... you got me there!
;D

[Ghostess on TV]

I can't wear jewelry on my right side.. always my left.  If I get a hand stamp at a concert... I feel better when they stamp my left hand.  Weird.  I know.

[Buckles]

Between the ages of about 7-12 I would compulsively (and obsessively!) blink whenever I thought the car was exactly half way between electricity posts along the road. I would usually do this the entire trip, sometimes for up to 6 hours! Not sure what stopped it, but I'm glad I did before I started driving myself!

Also, when I was doing my VCE (end of high school certificate exams) I was so stressed that I became a massive clean freak. I was showering 4-5 times a day, washing my hands constantly, and just generally being obsessed with cleanliness.

It's the only time I've ever done that, and I've definitely been as/more stressed since then. Weird.

[the sun and moon]

You're not the only one, everyone has a little bit of OCD. When I was little, if certain objects were positioned a certain way at the corner of my eye, it would somehow trigger excessive blinking. ha someone told it's a mild form of turrets, but I don't know. I still get annoyed by objects that are placed in the corner of my eye but there's no blinking.

I also HATE looking at bumby things. Makes my skin crawl. It's kind of one of my pet peeves. Hahaha this is weird, but a couple days ago I had pizza that was baked on a pan that made the bottom of the pizza bumpy, I instantly lost my appetite. I had a couple bites and decided I couldn't eat it.

[the sun and moon]

.....It honestly looked like smallpox.

[megalicious]

I also HATE looking at bumby things. Makes my skin crawl. It's kind of one of my pet peeves. Hahaha this is weird, but a couple days ago I had pizza that was baked on a pan that made the bottom of the pizza bumpy, I instantly lost my appetite. I had a couple bites and decided I couldn't eat it.

lol... i am the same way! i remember when i was in high school and taking biology 2, we examined bug eggs. just looking at them and how bumpy and gross they were... made me puke. fun day in class...
;D

[meggha]

I've found that my OCD is much appreciated at my restaurant job, and those of us who have this intense need to organize and clean everything constantly ban together at work and talk crap about all the slackers who are not detail-oriented. not that we don't like them, they're just not as gifted as us.
;)

[Leontheslut]

The more and more I examine my behavior, the more I notice that I have a lot of OCD-type tendencies. I thought I might create this thread in hopes of finding a) that I am not the only one who deals with this kind of stuff and b)some advice/support on how to deal with said issues.

Please, feel free to share your experiences and advice. I'll begin by explaining a few of the behaviors I find myself repeating the most.

-Feel like odd numbers are bad luck. Try to avoid them whenever possible... set my alarm for 7:16 instead of 7:15.

-Feel the need for all things to be organized. Sure, this increases my efficiency at work, but... sometimes, I'll catch myself putting my groceries onto the check-out conveyor and realize I'm sorting everything by size, and making sure that the labels are all facing the same direction. This is not necessary, so why do I do it?

-Feel the need to stick to a routine. If this is messed up, I get super pissed.

-Feel totally preoccupied with luck. I have everything in my house organized a certain way, and if someone messes it up, I become very distraught.. not because my things were moved, but b/c I feel like moving those things out of their rightful place will adversely impact my life.

So... there it is. Anyone else do stuff like this?
:D

I feel your pain. I have to have everything organized at all times. Everything on my bureau has to be in a specific spot or I can't concentrate. What's odd is I'm not even looking at it and it still bothers me.

Another thing is money. I will hold up a line when someone gives me money as I stand there and make sure it is all facing the same way.

I have the numbers problem too. I hate odd numbers. I will never set the speakers in my car or at home on an odd number.

[Leontheslut]

I thought about it and here's another one.

Sometimes I cuss out loud in inappropriate situations involuntarily.

I will be thinking of something in my head and I will just blurt out "FUCK" or "SHIT" or something along those lines.

Everybody has a little OCD. I have more of the compulsion side of it. I do the same things over and over.

[Gripe]

Between the ages of about 7-12 I would compulsively (and obsessively!) blink whenever I thought the car was exactly half way between electricity posts along the road. I would usually do this the entire trip, sometimes for up to 6 hours! Not sure what stopped it, but I'm glad I did before I started driving myself!

That electricity post thing really brings back memories for me. That's so weird. When I was a kid I was pretty much unable to "feel" a smooth car ride, because I couldn't help imagining a blade or saw of some sort cutting through every power pole (we call them power poles here) we passed by, even at over 100 km/hr. There was a kind of an inaudible yet "felt" thump, thump, thump in my head. Eventually, it bugged the hell out of me. To this day I think about it occasionally while I'm driving, and it takes effort to put it out of my mind.  

Fortunately, I grew out of almost all of my OCD stuff. It was strongest from about age 10 to 12. I didn't know anything was out of the ordinary at the time, but thinking back on it I did a few things that many people don't:

-- Tapping my feet or moving my tongue against my teeth in a pattern that required the left and right sides to be even in the number of taps they received. Apparently, that kind of need for symmetry is pretty common amongst OCD folks.
-- Staring at words, counting the letters and finding every combination of units. For example, "morning" has seven letters and can be broken up in a few ways: seven units of one, or 2-5, or 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 1-6, 6-1, 2-5-2, 1-5-1, 3-1-3, etc. I would go through every possible combination and only then would I feel okay about it. I know, it's weird. It left me with the ability to tell you, a split second after I've said it aloud, how many letters are in a word or short phrase, much like Jon Lovitz's character in one of those City Slickers movies.

Anyway, I grew out of pretty much everything that I once felt a "need" to do. You'll be familiar with this "need" only if you've experienced it, I assume. I'm thankful I was never in a position where I HAD TO wash my hands compulsively, or check over and over again that doors are locked -- although, I did check them two to three times for a few years -- but I hope everyone who identifies with this stuff in any way is able to keep it at a level that is manageable and comfortable.

[hizzo]

My little sister cries if the TV volume isn't at an even number. Seriously.

[capt. scotty]

bump for you OCD folk in the other thread  :D

[johnnYYac]

You're a busy mamma jamma today, Cap'n!  Diggin' through the old posts.  Picking up on what's hot in other threads.  Nice work.  

I am clearly OCD, not medicated or diagnosed by a professional.  It serves a purpose at times.  I have learned to let things go with three kids and being a teacher to 75 freshman high school students every day.  

Probably the greatest manifestation of OCD lately (as my wife laments) is my time on this forum.  I check it all the time, at home and work.  None of my friends share my interest in MMJ and the forum offers discussions beyond the band that are fun to read and chime in on from time to time.  

[Sticky Icky Green Stuff]

Between the ages of about 7-12 I would compulsively (and obsessively!) blink whenever I thought the car was exactly half way between electricity posts along the road. I would usually do this the entire trip, sometimes for up to 6 hours! Not sure what stopped it, but I'm glad I did before I started driving myself!

That electricity post thing really brings back memories for me. That's so weird. When I was a kid I was pretty much unable to "feel" a smooth car ride, because I couldn't help imagining a blade or saw of some sort cutting through every power pole (we call them power poles here) we passed by, even at over 100 km/hr. There was a kind of an inaudible yet "felt" thump, thump, thump in my head. Eventually, it bugged the hell out of me. To this day I think about it occasionally while I'm driving, and it takes effort to put it out of my mind.  

Fortunately, I grew out of almost all of my OCD stuff. It was strongest from about age 10 to 12. I didn't know anything was out of the ordinary at the time, but thinking back on it I did a few things that many people don't:

-- Tapping my feet or moving my tongue against my teeth in a pattern that required the left and right sides to be even in the number of taps they received. Apparently, that kind of need for symmetry is pretty common amongst OCD folks.
-- Staring at words, counting the letters and finding every combination of units. For example, "morning" has seven letters and can be broken up in a few ways: seven units of one, or 2-5, or 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 1-6, 6-1, 2-5-2, 1-5-1, 3-1-3, etc. I would go through every possible combination and only then would I feel okay about it. I know, it's weird. It left me with the ability to tell you, a split second after I've said it aloud, how many letters are in a word or short phrase, much like Jon Lovitz's character in one of those City Slickers movies.

Anyway, I grew out of pretty much everything that I once felt a "need" to do. You'll be familiar with this "need" only if you've experienced it, I assume. I'm thankful I was never in a position where I HAD TO wash my hands compulsively, or check over and over again that doors are locked -- although, I did check them two to three times for a few years -- but I hope everyone who identifies with this stuff in any way is able to keep it at a level that is manageable and comfortable.

dude that is exactly what I was going to post.  from megs first post it seems like her brain loves symmetry.  we're all built to, that's how our society defines a beautiful face.  Symmetry.  Patterns, our brain is constantly interpreting these things whether it be consciously or subconsciously.  

I used to be scared aliens would abduct me in 6th grade for like a year a half after I watched "Fire in the sky" so I slept with the windows shut so the aliens super advanced technology couldn't abduct me.  that's more of paranoia than OCD though I guess.

The clock thing seems like the perfect place to break your habit.  Does the even number of Time make you feel like you're sleeping more? Or being more efficient? or is it purely superstition?  00 is an even # why not set your alarm for 7:10 instead meg?  

We're all weirdos in our own right, you don't see odd, perhaps just overly stressed out?  keep it cool girl, and happy birthday.

[Penny Lane]

i don't think it's OCD but i have a fear of walking under scaffolding or anything's that's propped up high...those monitors down in the subways? i have to wait for people to pass sometimes so i can walk around, also don't walk on grates in the street. whenever i am in a new room, i look to see what the ceiling is like...i just feel like i'm going to die because of faulty infrastructure. i don't know whether NYC has caused this or not. i constantly am checking my ceiling tiles, too...

[AMightyCaporal]

i don't think it's OCD but i have a fear of walking under scaffolding or anything's that's propped up high...those monitors down in the subways? i have to wait for people to pass sometimes so i can walk around, also don't walk on grates in the street. whenever i am in a new room, i look to see what the ceiling is like...i just feel like i'm going to die because of faulty infrastructure. i don't know whether NYC has caused this or not. i constantly am checking my ceiling tiles, too...

Penny "chicken little" lane

[Soulshine]

i don't think it's OCD but i have a fear of walking under scaffolding or anything's that's propped up high...those monitors down in the subways? i have to wait for people to pass sometimes so i can walk around, also don't walk on grates in the street. whenever i am in a new room, i look to see what the ceiling is like...i just feel like i'm going to die because of faulty infrastructure. i don't know whether NYC has caused this or not. i constantly am checking my ceiling tiles, too...

I dont know if they're still there, but in 2002 there were grates in downtown Denver that would talk to you when you walked over them.

The gas pump always has to be on 0's. My alarm clock has to be on a 15, 30 or 00. The volume always has to be on an even number. I have to check the alarm time and switch about 3 times before I can go to sleep. I have to unpack and put everything away as soon as I get back from a trip before I can relax. I like things to be clean and organized.

[TEO]

Unloaded, put away, and laundry going!  :)