OCD is the new QUIRKY...
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We've all got quirks about us. Some are more pronounced than others. In a society that's quick to diagnose people with anything and everything, I have to wonder if there is something actually wrong with me or if it's just quirkiness.
People joke with me that I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
This is no joking matter.
It is simply NOT FUNNY to leave a number of seconds on the microwave display.
It is not funny to turn the volume on the TV to an uneven number...such as 17. Ick.
It is not funny to get up from a table and not push your chair in.
If you ask Ava, it's not funny to leave a light switch on or a door open.
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One of the hardest battles we've had with her was convincing her that she could drink milk from a "juice cup"...the kid is strange sometimes. She's certainly got my quirkiness. She's gone through so many stages where she created a pattern that we had to break:
Kissing her arms each night to actually fall asleep is just one example...
I count my steps. Well, I don't always count my steps...I actually only count my steps when I am carrying something or running. Depending on the amount of strain I am under, my counting style will vary.
Light strain/something not so heavy: "1,2,3,4-1,2,3,4-1,2,3,4"
Medium strain/moderately heavy item(s): "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8"
Heavy strain/struggling to hold something while walking:"1,2-1,2-1,2-1,2"
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I also have an overwhelming need to move my legs. I can feel myself thinking I need to move my legs and I'll have to move them. This is far more noticeable when I lay down to sleep. Sometimes I drive my wife crazy. Certainly modern medicine would say I have Restless Leg Syndrome.
These things don't seem to be hindering me in my life...I'm good with them.
So, I'm curious...what are some of your quirks/OCDisms?
46 waggish utterances thus far...:
My OCDness comes out when there are organization issues.
I like to rearrange everything like once a month, even here at my desk at work.
I cant have it the same for too long. It just grates at me to change it.
And things have to be organized, they have to have a place.
My youth pastor makes fun of me because hes a mess and I like organization. I dont spend too much time in his office. It drives me crazy!
I have to see the face of the fish.
Ok Ryan, I am currently on medication for mine, but i still have a few that won't respond to the meds!!!!
1. fringed carpet ( not an option )
2. chairs must always be pushed in!!!!
3. Wiping the counters. I wipe all the time. Even if tim wipes them, I have to wipe them after him. 1st thing i do when i get home is wipe the counters!! ( this is my worst )
4. Everything has its place, and must stay there. If you dont dust often this is easy as the mark is left on the table ( not counter, table )
* I could go on, but I can't share all my secrets!!
1.I'm the opposite - my life REVOLVES around odd numbers (and preferably prime if possible). The volume on the TV, the number of skittles I put in my mouth, etc, etc, etc.
2. I insist on standing/sitting/walking on the LEFT side of people (the clear exception is in the car. I've tried sitting backwards but apparently it's illegal when you're over the age of like 2).
..and the list goes on. I'm a new blog-lurker of yours, and you/your family are fantastical. What kind of camera do you shoot with?
I also count my steps, usually only when I am exercising or stressed out though. I thought I was the only human being that did such a thing!
I love the incognito story! That is awesome, I want to try it sometime.
Oh, man.
We go through the same things with out 3 year old daughter.
A simple kiss goodnight/goodbye turned into "hug, kiss, letters, touch"
Hug and kiss- obviously a hug and kiss (but make sure you say mmm mmm during the hug)
Letters- I have no idea where she got this but you hold out your hand and she slaps your hand 3 times, giving you 3 letters.
Touch- You hold out your pointer finger and she will touch your fingernail with her pointer finger.
She is also very weird about the placemnet of things, like her 5 pillows, 3 at the top (Ariel, Froot Loops then round pink one, Thomas pillow and princess pillow at the bottom. All of these are a security thing for her. Once she gets into a routine it is very hard for her to break.
I also have the counter wiping thing mentioned in one of the comments. I really can't help it. I use a dish cloth and then a clorox wipe. i can't prepare any food or drink until the counters are clean. I clean them while the food cooks and then after we eat.
Yeah, I might need to see a doc about it.
My sister is worse though. I can't even begin to explain it.
I suddenly don't feel so alone.
For me, everything is around balance. If I scratch the back of my right hand, I MUST do so to the back of my left hand, etc.
I don't think of that type of thing as quirky... quirky, IMO, is my need to wear scarves all the time. :) it's a trait that is slightly "different".
I am with you on your first two points...I can't stand when the microwave has any time left on it, and I simply cannot have the volume on anything that has corresponding numbers on an uneven number.
Every single time I walk by an outside door in our house, I make sure it's locked...I also have an issue with being on time, not just like any normal person would want to be on time...I start to panic if I know I am going to be late.
My friends didn't realize the extent of my OCDism until I recently informed them about my quirks. My mom knows mine, and she has always tried to ignore them, but lately they have been annoying her beyond all belief. I'm not on any medications though for these.
-Parking lots DRIVE ME INSANE. If I park my car, and the parking space in front of me is open, I have to pull forward. It's not even if I don't. And it bugs me until I leave unless I do it.
-I count my steps. Especially when taking stairs.
-I love groupings of 3. Anything divisible by 3 is fine too.
-I also like even numbers.
-When I knock on doors, I knock 9 times (that divisible by 3 thing). Only I count it 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-5.
-If I do something on my body voluntarily (for instance, crack my knuckles) I have to do it on the other side to make it even. This is making it hard for me to cope with a nose piercing.
-The TV channels not being on a number that ends in 5 drives me insane. So even though 22 is even and I like even numbers, it has to be on 25 because it's a cleaner number.
-At school, if someone erases the board but leaves the tiniest bit of unerased chalk, I can't concentrate. At all.
-I have to stay on the right side of all path ways. I'm going to have a hard time when I move to the UK in January.
Those are all I can think of momentarily... I know I have more...
I used to work at home interiors store and I would have to go around and make sure every single pillow was fluffed exactly the same way, the towels would be folded to exactly the same size, baskets lined up exactly on the shelves, etc. I wish I was a little more like that at home. LOL
But I have to tell you what my son called OCD the other day when he realized he was doing something over and over. He mis-spoke and called it Excessive Compulsive Disorder and I thought how true that is for so many of us in terms of possessions. How we must compulsively acquire things.
Okay...you've all just reminded me of several hundred other quirks I have.
Maybe I do need meds.
Oh my word. This post is just calling out my name. I prefer to call my "quirk" obsessively & compulsively delightful...Because really it helps me get through the chaos sometimes.
I wouldn't have been able to do our wedding under $1k without my OCD tendencies. I wouldn't have lasted at my last job, doing the books as long as I did in a down right mess of a small office with 4 other people in it at a time. Ugh.
But I find the small things that used to make me downright anxious, like not clearing the microwave to the clock {!!!} or my husband's cluttered desk {does it really effect me?? well okay sometimes} don't as much as they used to.
But I'll still find myself clearing the microwave, shutting the cupboard doors {a sure sign he was in the kitchen}, folding and refolding towels...Okay so maybe they still make me a little anxious.
*twitch*
I know there are things like the pillows have to be in a certain order on the sofa, the blankets I have folded over the backs of the recliners have to be folded a certain way. I have other "tendencies", but have never really thought of them as OCD...maybe I'm in denial. ;)
Blessings!
Kim
I think pushing your chair in is just good manners :-) I do that too. I was raised that way.
I like cupboard doors to be closed. They are not to be left open.
I must spell everything correctly. Always.
I'm sure I have more. I just can't think of them off the top of my head.
I have to have even numbers. A friend of mine jokes about my OCD since I made him change the rows of youth group chairs to 3 rows of 4 instead of 2 rows of 4 and 1 of 3. I freaked out once when I had eaten 3 tic tacs and he told me he ate the last (he didn't, and he reminds me of that story a lot). Volume on anything has to be even. And I obsess over chores and whether or not the door is locked. Can't stop thinking about those things until they are done/checked.
I have to make sure that I put the same amount of deodorant under each arm. I count the swipes to make sure.
I'm with all of you here. I simply can't list all of them. There's not enough space & time for that. However, I'll list a few:
1. Everything has its place. (I can't stand disorder)
2. Chairs MUST be pushed in.
3. The toilet paper MUST pull over, not under.
Everything in my closet has to be hung so the front faces to the right, and it must be organized by color and style.
All my CD's and books must be alpha by artist/author. I will shift as many shelves as needed to fit one CD in it's proper spot.
Let's see...
I hate numbers on the microwave too
When I get out of bed, to go to the bathroom or something, I have to get back in laying down facing the opposite direction from before. (I hope that makes sense)
I used to count my steps
I used to add numbers together until they were just one digit.
I used to not be able to get out of bed unless the last digit on the clock was 0 or 5, but having a kid changed that one.
I cannot stand unstraightened rugs.
And I think that's it.
Crooked Pictures. Actually anything that is crooked. I work in a photography studio. I walk in the door and straighten the wall pictures. The books on the table and the chairs need to be straight and evenly spaced or i can't work.
I would assume that everyone has a quirk of some sort. I think this because it is what makes everyone unique, although the same...
I have to make my bed. It drives me nuts that it doesn't get made. And you can't sit on it. That drives me nuts too. And of course still going with the bed theme, I don't like the pillows, throw pillows or anything to be messed up. They all have a place and are put on the bed in a specific fashion.
I don't like dishes in my sink. I dislike them so much, there is never dishes in my sink, counter, or anywhere. If they get there, I instantly do the dishwasher so that I can place them in there.
I function better in organization. I don't go crazy if I am not organized {its what happens when you are married to a laid back kind of dude} but I work and function better that way.
And as stupid as this sounds, my microwave is always clean. I think you can tell a lot about a person and their microwave! LOL.
I dislike opened drawers. Of any kind. They need to be shut so I spend about 1/2 of my life shutting them when my guy leaves them open. It simply drives me nuts.
Since I have gone back to college, I have rediscovered some OCD-isms that had lain dormant for oh,so many years. The worst being-- I have to outline chapters while I'm reading them so that I can understand and remember them. But I always remember what I learned about creating an outline in high school -- you can't have an "A" unless you have a "B", you can't have a "1." unless you have a "2.", etc. So I'm constantingly erasing and revising my outlines to conform to that rule and if a page gets too messy then I have to throw it out and rewrite it neatly. My class notes have to be neat so I usually rewrite them when I get home. I can't study something if it is messy! The messiness distracts me.
I also count my steps, but only when I walk up or down stairs. I also keep the volume on the TV (it shows as a number) even for the most part, but not 6 or 8, in that case I have to have 5. I do the same thing in my car with the temperature control on the AC/heater.
I actually like my quirks. I tend to be a perfectionist and I believe my perception of my own quirks are a gift from God. They remind me how imperfect I am and help me not be so very judgemental of others.
I do not like seconds being left on the microwave either
If walking on the sidewalk, I have to step on the lines
I count when walking if carrying something or doing something somewhat strenuous
I count when kayak or canoe - same number of strokes per side, unless there is a sudden obstacle that takes priority and attention off counting
I count ceiling tiles in waiting rooms
I too, if I crack my knuckles on one hand, have to crack the other hand too.
Eye drops, doesn't matter that only one eye needs them, they both get the drops, can have one feeling that way and not the other.
just so you know, I cleared the numbers on the microwave this morning to intentionally remove one obstacle from your day.
the beautiful benefits of community
I will leave my house, drive down the street, be convinced that I left the garage door open and the coffee maker on, need to turn around to check, and never find the garage open or the coffee on.
Also, when I get out of my car or leave my office, I have to say "keys, keys, keys, keys," over and over to make sure I don't lock myself out.
I could go on.
When I was a kid, they just called me fidgety...there was no OCD then (or was there?) Haha.
--Microwave seconds bother me too!
--I have to fix people's shirt tags...I usually don't do it to strangers, but it feels wrong to leave it go (this could also apply to letting people know about other out of place things like food in teeth)
--I didn't walk on sidewalk cracks as a kid, have gotten over that one though, but still feels weird when I step on them
--I count my steps esp. when excersizing
--In grocery stores when I was a kid I used to try to step on the lights' reflection on the floor, it was almost impossible, but I had to try every time
--My cell phone has to be completely cleared of menus before I close it
--I can't wear socks/nylons with dress shoes but I prefer socks to shoes...hehe <--makes me a lil weird.
Guess mine isn't that bad because I have overcame many of them and know that if I work at it, I can ignore them (for the most part). But weird that so many people have them. Wonder if it is just a part of being human?
Anyway, thanks for sharing Ryan and everyone... :)
I can't stand to have messy storage spaces. The entire House can be disgusting and the closets, pantry, kitchen cabinets, and Garage are all clean, I am a happy momma. But if the house is spotless and I know the storage spaces are dirty or messy I feel like the house is Filthy.
I don't count sheep to go to sleep, I repeat random numbers, usually phone numbers. It drives me crazy.
ok, all of you people who have to wipe down counters, or do dishes, or constantly feel the need to clean this or that, please by all means, come to my house. My house will keep your ocd occupied for hours on end :) I always feel the need to clean but am good at ignoring it.
My youngest daughter can not have the volume of the radio or the temp in the car left on anything other than a 0 or 5. 65 is good. 68 is not!
My oldest daughter had the same problem with moving her legs that you do. I won't medicate for her. I think that's silly. She also can not deal with crinkled papers. If one of her school papers gets even the slightest bit crinkled, she has to throw it away.
A few years ago I prayed (to God) and asked if I had OCD...
The LED readout on my new over-the-range microwave quit working; my hubby re-organized the silverware drawer and our downstairs shower broke, leaving teenagers with a gazillion bottles of hair/face products to shove them all in our bathroom! I almost couldn't stand to be home.
Those who aren't quirky, are usually messy.
A lurker from P-Dub chiming in... And I have SO many of these quirks other people have! But I do have a few of my own...
When fueling up, either the money or the litres must be a round number, and preferably either in 10's or 5's. Fringe on rugs must be brushed straight. Rooms must be cleaned in the same order every time, as must the things within said rooms. If organizing is begun it must be finished before anything else is done. Brushes must be cleaned after every use. Pegs on clothes must be the same colour. If you can go completely around one line of the clothes line with the one colour, even better. Clothes must be hung THE RIGHT WAY. When I was a kid, my toys on my bed had to be placed the same way every time. Rabbit on the right, Little Ted in the Middle, Jemima on the left. Pound puppy in the middle of the bed, Raggedy Anne and Big ted at the foot leaning against the wall. Double space after a fullstop.
I am a frootloop.
My kids have inherited it to some extent. They say the same thing every night "Hug, Kiss, Pray". My eldest gets completly twitchy if you go a different route to a place he goes to often.
I think I might be the least OCD person ever... No dusting, no counter wiping, no door closing, etc. I might be whatever the opposite of OCD is, but I must say I sure do have quirks. Like I love to have the bathroom door open @ all times, even when I come to your house sometimes! HAHA I'm funny I always make sure everyone else is in the tv room or something or I say is Ryan outside. See I'm weird just in a grosser way than everyone else.
Not so much OCD, my husband handles that side of things. In fact, he probably wishes I had some of these neatness tendencies that others have.
Everything must be in even numbers.
I count my steps.
When I order chicken nuggets I must count them twice.
I have to fall asleep a certain way.
When I am falling asleep I rub my feet together or bounce my foot. But when I'm sitting up, or standing, I bounce my leg or move my legs back and forth.
I have hand sanitizer in every compartment of my car, bedroom, and other miscellaneous parts of my house. And I overuse it.
I cannot sit down to do anything unless the house is straightened up.
Seriously ... I could go on for hours.
Also, no seconds left on the microwave and no tv volume on an odd number. Ick is right! I thought I was the only one.
All household clocks on the same time.
My gas total ending on an even number. My bff ends hers on the DOLLAR (6.00 or 7.00)!
Bath towels folded a certain way, like my Grandma use to.
Toilet paper "under" like my Grandpap did. I will change it if someone else puts it on "over".
When I wash my car, I must wash the wheels. I really don't like seeing black wheels on vehicles.
I roll down my car windows at the sound of a diesel engine or fire trucks.
Can't walk around barefoot. Too icky, and may step on something sharp. ?
Wash my hands a lot.
Need to sleep with the radio on. Need.
~~ My dd use to have issues around the age of 5 where she HAD to put a headband on and pin back small stray hairs so none would touch her ears. It drove me insane. This has thankfully passed, but she still has to make sure her hair looks good before bed (at the age of 8). I tell her she's going to bed, it WILL get messy. Doesn't matter.
And thank you Ryan, for pointing out that my dd likely inherited this from me, lol. Makes me feel so much better. :)
I actually try not to think about my "quirks" too much because I don't want to get too dependent on them. But when I was a kid if I stepped on a crack with my right foot, I had to step on one with my left foot. I always had to be even. I can't imagine what I looked like walking up the sidewalk.
Well, one time my dad laughed at me for straightening the cheese chunks in an omelette, so they were evenly spaced apart...and doing the same thing to the magnets on the side of the fridge.
I used to count steps a lot more, I think I still do if I jog.
I straighten while I cook a lot - like if my husband makes a frozen pizza, I've already thrown away the box, plastic, and cardboard round, the last of which he's forced to retrieve so he can use it to remove the pizza from the oven.
Also crooked paintings, photos, wall hangings.
I have restless leg too and DO NOT want the prescription medication that the dr's would love to give me (since they have a "cure" for everything) BUT I DID find something you can buy at the grocery store (if it has an organic aisle) or here on line: http://www.hylands.com/products/legcramps.php
Awesome stuff and it gets rid of them in minutes and it is as natural as drinking chamomile tea!
I am OCD also and only like 4 ice cubes in my drink at home -doesnt matter how many if I buy a fountain drink, I like the number 4 or 13 (and 1+3=4!) and I can not STAND stickers or having to remove sticky labels from things or scotch tape.
And here is my weird one... in the morning when hubby leaves for work, we give 4 kisses, when its bedtime we give 13 kisses.
It bothers the crap out of me when my son mixes his legos and Bionicles or similar small pieces of toys in a big box. They should be separate! I dont notice my 15 year old son having many if any OCD traits.
My 6 year old daughter has to find the "cold spots" on me or hubby when she is cuddling with us, it gets annoying after awhile because you start to get the creepy crawlies from her constant rubbing on you with the backs of her hands or arms. She used to have to sleep with a "freezy pack" (the cold boo-boo things) but she outgrew that. She also likes her bedtime kisses a certain way. If they are too wet she wipes them off and you have to give another one or if you kiss half way off her mouth then you have to re-do it so it is square on the lips and dry. (I dont like wet kisses either)
I will end by saying I am quite certain I also have A.D.D. because I have a hard time concentrating on one subject when I am talking. When writing or typing, I am very straight minded but when talking to someone I have a billion things in my mind and I get paranoid that I am making no sense to anyone because if I get off topic I cant remember what the heck I was originally talking about.
Yikes! Should I post that?
ps. I noticed there IS a restful legs "pill" at Hylands but I havent tried it. I have only tried the leg cramp one since that is all my store carried and it works...
http://www.hylands.com/products/restfullegs.php
Thank you everyone! I am feeling MUCH BETTER about myself!!
Snapping my toes, if I snap one toes, I have to snap the other toe too. There (in my mind) is a measure of toe snaps and the left and the right have to be equal.
Just one of many quirks that I don't focus on.
1.When you see the asterisk after a name, and KNOW that it is going to say "names have been changed, blah, blah, blah..." I still HAVE to look at the asterisk at the bottom of the page and read it anyway.
2. When I plug my laptop into the charger each night, and KNOW the little green light will flash in a minute, I still have to wait and watch it flash...
The bed MUST be made before I can go to bed. It can stay messy all day, but it must be made before I can sleep in it. I also hate wet countertops. My Ava,8 yo, used to line toys up into elaborate mazes. At 18 months old. Cardboard bricks, then the Little People figurines, then the stuffed animals. I guess that nut didn't fall far from this tree,eh?
I have yellow and red dishes and I stack them in alternating colors. I also put them in the dishwasher in alternating colors so that they are easier to put away. I also count stair steps when I go up or down. My problem is that the number of steps to upstairs is 13. I am not typically superstitious but I don't like ending on thirteen so I will count 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3, 1-2-3 etc.
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