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What are your OCD tendencies/ habits?

jenna8984jenna8984 member
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edited March 2014 in Chit Chat
  • I always count things in 3s, like the volume on the car radio has to be 21, 24, 27, 30
  • I will only set my alarm clock on an odd number that's not 5. So 6:21, 6:27
  • I always eat the most unappealing bites of food first, saving the best bite for last. Like I eat around the outside of a burger leaving the perfect center piece for last. 
  • When I leave for work each morning I kiss my cat and tell her to have a good day. 
  • On my way to work, I pass by FI's work and I wave at the building and say out loud "love you babe!" 
  • Every time I enter my car or house I lock the door behind me (I guess that's just safety)


                                                                 

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Re: What are your OCD tendencies/ habits?

  • I'm twitchy. I'm constantly picking my nails or cracking my thumb joints.
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  • I don't any.   My mom has a lot of OCD tendencies/habits.   It bugged the crap out of me, so I think go out of my way not have such habits.   

      I pretty much have no routines at all.  Except maybe drinking chocolate milk every morning (although not during Lent) or generally doing laundry on Saturdays?  Seriously.  I do not have a set wake-up time or go to bed.  I do not have any set times for meals.  Except for the milk, I do not have set meals items.  

    I'm strange.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • I always have to feel 'even'...

    If I rub/scratch the webbing/skin where my fingers meet my hand (inbetween my fingers), I have to repeat that inbetween every finger on both hands. Same goes for if something rubs between my toes (ie: the bed sheet).

    If I bite the corner of my mouth/cheek, I have to do the same to the other side.

    I know there are other things, but I can't think of them right now. However, I wouldn't call it OCD, because although I feel compelled to do these things and can't resist, I do not think that something bad will happen if I resist. 


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  • I count my knitting stitches in threes. But only my knitting stitches.
  • @pumpkinsandturkeys Same here, I just do it out of habit. I don't have any real OCD or psychological connection with these things and not doing them. 

    @lyndausvi Huh- I always thought everyone had a few small things, interesting! 

                                                                     

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  • When in public and using a public bathroom, I have to use the even numbered stalls and even numbered sinks if possible.

    I occasionally count my steps.

    I try to not step on any cracks in the floors or concrete when walking.

    I constantly play with my hair and tap my foot when bored.
    Formerly known as bubbles053009





  • jenna8984 said: I always count things in 3s, like the volume on the car radio has to be 21, 24, 27, 30
    I will only set my alarm clock on an odd number that's not 5. So 6:21, 6:27
    I always eat the most unappealing bites of food first, saving the best bite for last. Like I eat around the outside of a burger leaving the perfect center piece for last. 
    When I leave for work each morning I kiss my cat and tell her to have a good day. 
    On my way to work, I pass by FI's work and I wave at the building and say out loud "love you babe!" 
    Every time I enter my car or house I lock the door behind me (I guess that's just safety)


    I tend to do the bolded too.  I wouldn't call it obsessive or compulsive though.  I don't
    have to do it I just prefer for my last bite of food to be the best tasting.  
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  • phiraphira member
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    My partner has OCD so it's put a lot of my habits into perspective.
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  • As I said, I'm the strange one.

    I've been sitting really trying to think of something and I just can't think of anything.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • I'm a little OCD about food. If I have a plate full of food I eat my least favorite thing on the plate first and my favorite last. When I'm eating things like starburst, fruit loops, skittles, ect I eat the colors in a certain order. Also I don't like it when food on my plate touches each other.
  • ::hugs::

    I can't even imagine prettybird.   Glad you are getting treatment.  Good luck.







    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • @prettybirdy27 I'm so sorry you're going through this.  A close friend has OCD and it is nothing to joke about.  I don't have it, but I am currently working through a different mental illness of my own, and it sucks shitballs.  
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    "I'm not a rude bitch.  I'm ten rude bitches in a large coat."

  • phiraphira member
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    @prettybird27 I'm so sorry that your OCD is so severe. My partner's isn't too terrible, although it gets so much worse when he's stressed. His compulsions don't really affect our relationship too much, although I do wish he could eat leftovers or share food. Mostly, it impacts how he relates to other people. For example, splitting holidays is very difficult for him because he feels as if he's disappointing his family and turning his back on them. Meanwhile, he knows that they expect him to split holidays, and they're actually glad that we both spend time with each other's families. But that's the fun thing about OCD: just because you know something must be true (like, it's okay to drink tap water, or if you can make out with someone then you can share food with them, or of COURSE my family is 100% fine with me leaving Christmas dinner a bit early so we can spend time with my phira's family) doesn't mean you can just stop having OCD.

    Which, honestly, is the most important thing I learned about OCD since I met my partner. It's really not a question of logic--OCD can't be reasoned with.
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  • phiraphira member
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    My partner likes to say that everyone has obsessive thoughts and everyone has compulsions, but that doesn't equal OCD.

    It's totally okay to say, "I really like it when these knick-knacks are arranged in this particular way," or, "I like to eat my least favorite food on my plate first," because, heck, I can relate. Like many people, I start with my least favorite food on my plate and work up. I also always make my bed a certain way (tags on bedding have to be in a particular orientation, open ends of pillow cases have to face the center, etc), and because I'm so particular about it, I don't let my partner make the bed because I feel like he does it wrong.

    But if someone else made the bed and a tag was in the wrong orientation, I could sleep. If I eat my food out of order, I'll still enjoy my meal. If the books in our apartment are arranged alphabetically by author and not by size, it doesn't make me feel anxious.

    (I feel bad that we kind of hijacked the thread, but I do think that it's legitimately worthwhile to talk about what OCD is like, for both posters with OCD and posters in relationships with people who have OCD. When people say, "I'm OCD about this thing," I know that they don't mean to minimize what OCD actually is like, and that it's genuinely meant to be entirely inocuous. But it's important to rethink some of the language we use in everday conversation.)
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  • I think most people do not trivialize OCD.  Sadly there really isn't a good word for people like my mom who do have some tendencies.  I believe my mom's tendencies are more obsessive than compulsive.  I guess some would just call it a controlling, but from my view point it's more than that when it comes to my mom.  

    Mom is from an older generation.  She often says stupid things like "we didn't have such disorders when I was growing up".   Yeah, okay mom.   ::rolls eyes::   She really should see someone but that will ever happen.  Sign of weakness in her mind I guess?

     Anyway, just because my mom didn't go into full panic attacks doesn't mean her tendencies didn't effect our household.    Trust me they did and still do.    I still get nervous putting dishes away at her house because I don't want her to freak out that the forks are not all stacked up neatly in the tray.  When DH cooks in her house I go around behind putting the ingredients back in the cabinets correctly.  My mom has some sort of x-ray vision that knows when something is out of place.  She will go behind you and "fix" whatever you just did.  You can see her getting physically nervous and anxious just thinking something is out of place 

    I don't want you to think she gets mad at us for doing it "wrong". That's why I think it's more than just trying to be controlling. It's that she can't live knowing the forks are not stacked neatly, so she will fix it herself.   When you are a kid and your mom is  always behind you to "fix" things you take it as "doing it wrong". It's heartbreaking to see you mom get anxious over labels not facing outward in the pantry and knowing you are the one who didn't take the few seconds to put it in the pantry "correctly".  Sometimes I just want to scream "LIFE WILL NOT END IF THE FORKS ARE MESSY IN THE TRAY", but logically I know it's not something she can just snap out of.

    I guess what I'm trying to say is most us of know that there are people who have a diagnosed disorder that is completely debilitating.   There are others who have mild tendencies and still others that fall between mild and debilitating.  Those in the middle can also effect their loved ones.  I think it's good to talk about mild to strong tendencies so they do not manifest into a full blown disorder.  We just need a good term for those with strong tendencies that have not be diagnosed with a full blown disorder.







    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • phiraphira member
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    @lyndausvi I mean, my partner's OCD is not debilitating. I wasn't saying that there aren't levels of severity or different flavors of OCD, but that liking to eat your food in a particular order is not an "OCD tendency" on its own. Or that having obsessive thoughts or compulsions, on their own, don't constitute OCD.
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  • phira said:
    @lyndausvi I mean, my partner's OCD is not debilitating. I wasn't saying that there aren't levels of severity or different flavors of OCD, but that liking to eat your food in a particular order is not an "OCD tendency" on its own. Or that having obsessive thoughts or compulsions, on their own, don't constitute OCD.
    Sorry if you think I did. 

    I agree not all actions should be defined as OCD or even an OCD tendency. I find eating food in a certain order as a quirk not an OCD tendency.   Sometimes quirks become more than just not normal, but don't fall into OCD either.    

    My mother will walk into her home from being gone for 3 months and the first thing she does is open and pantry to "fix" all the labels because she knows my dad didn't have them all lined up right while she was gone.    The woman didn't even use the bathroom first.  She had to fix the pantry first.  She says things like "your father messed up my cabinets".   Everything was in order, jut the labels were not facing out. Not OCD, but not rational, logical behavior either.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • @lyndausvi I agree, there really is no good way to define people who have strong tendencies but not full-blown OCD. The best I can think of is OCD tendencies. I'm very sorry to hear about your mom's tendencies and how they affected you and your family. I didn't mean that people like your mom are trivializing OCD, I meant people that say stupid-ass things like "I'm OCD because I always like to eat the green skittles first and the red skittles last." That's a preference or a habit, not a symptom of an anxiety disorder. And unfortunately, I hear that kind of crap all the time. I am very scared of my OCD affecting any children I will have like your mom's affected you - this is why I'm seeking treatment before we start TTC. Unfortunately, it is already putting a strain on our marriage - DH can't quite swallow that you can't reason with OCD, and that yelling at me actually makes things worse because it makes my brain go haywire and then I have to start my routine over. I feel awful when I see how it affects him, and I wonder if your mom may feel the same way. I know it can be frustrating to deal with, but you're 100% right when you say it's not something she can just snap out of. But getting treatment for it sometimes, to me, seems more scary than leaving the stove on would be. It's also really hard to admit that there's something wrong in your mind that you can't control - it feels like a horrible personal failure. Your post made me think long and hard about how my OCD is affecting my husband and how it's not fair to him, so thank you for giving me a better idea of how it is for the loved ones of someone struggling - sometimes it is really hard for me to put my own OCD issues and how it affects me aside and see how deeply it really can affect others. Sorry for no paragraph breaks, I'm on an iPad.
    Good luck with your treatment.   First step is to admit there is a problem.   It will not go away, but you might be able to control the feelings better.








    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • @prettybirdy27, I'm a checker, too. I have to check the stove, the lights, the refrigerator door, the doors, the faucet,  the car doors before I go to bed or leave the house. I touch all of those buttons and switches, just to be sure. If I forget one, I start from the beginning. If I've ironed anything, checking the iron must be included in the sequence. I have gotten half way to my destination, many times, and have gone home to check the iron and the stove. That drives my husband crazy so often he will double check for me, before we leave. One of our dogs is a crook, so I check to be sure all medications have been put away correctly. When I'm stressed about anything, the checking increases. Fortunately, for me, I don't have anxiety attacks and the checking is just part of my routine.There is some relevancy to the things I check. I have a disabled son who doesn't always close the door, turn off the stove, put away his meds etc....He's also left my car door open so my battery is dead the next day. So there's that.

    I'm sorry about your anxiety attacks. That must be awful for you. It would be great if your husband would go to some therapy sessions with you to help him understand. 
                       
  • Sorry if that was insensitive to any of you who are diagnosed with the disorder. I didn't mean it in a joking manner, I think some people like myself have it very mildly since I am compelled to do these things but obviously not to the extent of severe OCD. I've seen documentaries about people living with that and it seems very difficult so I didn't mean to down play that in any way with my question. Maybe I should have called it "What are you quirks?" Thank you for answering!! 

                                                                     

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  • @lyndausvi I agree, there really is no good way to define people who have strong tendencies but not full-blown OCD. The best I can think of is OCD tendencies. I'm very sorry to hear about your mom's tendencies and how they affected you and your family. I didn't mean that people like your mom are trivializing OCD, I meant people that say stupid-ass things like "I'm OCD because I always like to eat the green skittles first and the red skittles last." That's a preference or a habit, not a symptom of an anxiety disorder. And unfortunately, I hear that kind of crap all the time. I am very scared of my OCD affecting any children I will have like your mom's affected you - this is why I'm seeking treatment before we start TTC. Unfortunately, it is already putting a strain on our marriage - DH can't quite swallow that you can't reason with OCD, and that yelling at me actually makes things worse because it makes my brain go haywire and then I have to start my routine over. I feel awful when I see how it affects him, and I wonder if your mom may feel the same way. I know it can be frustrating to deal with, but you're 100% right when you say it's not something she can just snap out of. But getting treatment for it sometimes, to me, seems more scary than leaving the stove on would be. It's also really hard to admit that there's something wrong in your mind that you can't control - it feels like a horrible personal failure. Your post made me think long and hard about how my OCD is affecting my husband and how it's not fair to him, so thank you for giving me a better idea of how it is for the loved ones of someone struggling - sometimes it is really hard for me to put my own OCD issues and how it affects me aside and see how deeply it really can affect others. Sorry for no paragraph breaks, I'm on an iPad.
    I wanted to remind you that it is no more a failure on your part than your eye color is, I know it's easy to forget that.  Having the disorder is something beyond your control. I understand getting help is scary.  Would it help to think of it in terms of being just a chronic health issue like any other?  It's scary to face that there is something "wrong" with you and the road to recovery can be difficult but in the end it can be possible to manage the condition. 
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  • phiraphira member
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    Agreed with @mysticl Sometimes my partner apologies when his OCD-related depression gets the better of him. It's definitely not a personal failure at all, not any more than any other chronic illness is anyone's fault.
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