Strange (embarrasing) obsessions since childhood.

[gentlewhisper]

Okay I'm a bit embarrassed to post this so don't laugh!

Since I was a kid I've had some odd OCD traits. Some are:

- If I eat food like peas or sweets I have to eat them in even numbers becasue I believed food was real and alive and when I ate them, they had to die together so I didn't feel bad.

- I have to chew equal times on each side of my mouth becasue it feels 'out of balance' if I don't.

- If I have like an itch say on my face I have to scratch the other side in the same place so it's even on both sides.

- Alarms and volume have to be on even numbers. Sometimes i tap even numbers too.

- I don't mind the odd number 3 becasue it's three dots, so two are on each side protecting the middle one.

I sound so crazy. Has anyone else had anything similar? I've never really spoken about it before.

[EnoughIsEnough]

- If I have like an itch say on my face I have to scratch the other side in the same place so it's even on both sides.

- Alarms and volume have to be on even numbers.

I've done both of these since childhood. Particularly the first one - I feel imbalanced if not and it drives me mad. It also extends to if I stub my toe I have to scrape the other one on something so it's even. It's a bit odd.

As for the second, even numbers or fives. I don't know why fives are different, but they just are!

So you're not alone. If you're crazy, I'm crazy too. :)

[silver_elf]

I do the symmetry thing (like chewing on both sides) and I'm really paranoid about making sure I do the same amount of exercise on each side of my body. I've always had this even before my eating disorder, like since I was 4? (a.k.a. conscious I had a body) I even tried to become ambidextrous so I would be symmetrical. hehe and I refused to learn the violin for the same reason. learned piano instead.

[sweetiepie]

I thought i was the only one who did things like this. I have to stub both toes too and i sometimes have to blink a cetain number of times or touch somthing a certain number of time normally 5 or 10 times.
I hate it so much when i was younger i went to see a woman about my ocd but that was like 8years ago and i hate it soo much. She didnt help me at all really. I have started to get a clean compulse at the minute i am constantly washing my hands after i touching things.
Sometime i get really bad compulsions like if i burn my hand on the straighteners then i really want to do the same to the other to feel even i have to walk away so that i dont do it! Is there any way of stopping these?

thank you for posting this has made me feel sooo much better that its not just me, i have worried since i was about 8 that i was strange and the only person to ever to do this xxx

[HoneyHeart]

- Alarms and volume have to be on even numbers.

- I don't mind the odd number 3 becasue it's three dots,

As for the three thing, it also applies to five, but nothing above. Even numbers are essential though, things REALLY start to bug me otherwise.

If i walk into a room and all the fridge magnets aren't up the right way, i can sense it. Sometimes it aggrivates me, sometimes it makes me uncomfortable, but i know...

And since i can remember, ever since i was a child every time i've had cereal i'd put the milk in first, and put the cereal ontop of it, in really small amounts at a time so that it doesn't get soggy. Then when i'm finished with it, i'll wrap the cereal up in the cellophan in comes in, make sure it's air tight, and then seal the box. That way the cereal stays extra fresh. If somebody uses my cereal and doesn't re-wrap the cereal, re-seal the box or gets milk on the cereal i SWITCH. My flatmate actually has her own box of cereal, even though we eat the same type. I feel kinda bad, yet happy because i dont' have to worry about my cereal being stale.

[UsedRomance]

My Grandparents used to laugh at me because I would only ever eat dinner in a particular order. I would have to eat all of one thing before moving onto the next. I still do that. It bothers me if something, say vegetables, are mixed because I have to pick out all of the carrots, then all the broccoli etc.

My fiance is really sweet about it and makes sure my food is in clearly defined "sections" on my plate, bless him.

[gentlewhisper]

Thanks guys. I appreciate your comments. It's hard to talk about to other people becasue I just get strange looks. My boyfriend thinks I'm a psycho sometimes lol.

[sweet_tooth]

- If I eat food like peas or sweets I have to eat them in even numbers becasue I believed food was real and alive and when I ate them, they had to die together so I didn't feel bad.
OMGOMGOMG!
when i was little, i had to eat carrots and sweetcorn and peas in twos, so they weren't alone in my belly. Think I stopped doing that when I was around 12, never thought I'd EVER hear anyway say something so similar to my weird little eating habit as a kid.

[angie]

Both me and my older brother have OCD traits that have to do with everything being even and balanced. If I made stacks of things, they had to be even. I'm also obsessed with even numbers.

If my brother touched one wall he had to touch the other, and things like that. My mom used to do this mean thing to him when he was little where she'd scratch one of his arms and say "now I'm not going to scratch the other". Poor kid used to go crazy over that. :(

[sweetiepie]

Thanks guys. I appreciate your comments. It's hard to talk about to other people becasue I just get strange looks. My boyfriend thinks I'm a psycho sometimes lol.

I tried to talk to one of my friends when i was younger about it and she didnt understand at all. I hate it so much but i dont think there is a way just to get rid of it sadly.

I have to do things so that the other isent all alone, i dont know how to explain it, like i cant leave a carrot and a brocolli on my plate because they will be lonley and i feel sorry for them. Its sooo strange xx

[AnnDeSade]

Okay I'm a bit embarrassed to post this so don't laugh!

Since I was a kid I've had some odd OCD traits. Some are:

- If I eat food like peas or sweets I have to eat them in even numbers becasue I believed food was real and alive and when I ate them, they had to die together so I didn't feel bad.

- I have to chew equal times on each side of my mouth becasue it feels 'out of balance' if I don't.

- If I have like an itch say on my face I have to scratch the other side in the same place so it's even on both sides.

- Alarms and volume have to be on even numbers. Sometimes i tap even numbers too.

- I don't mind the odd number 3 becasue it's three dots, so two are on each side protecting the middle one.

I sound so crazy. Has anyone else had anything similar? I've never really spoken about it before.

OMG! Thanks for opening up about this :D However I seem to be your mirror opposite, lol, I have to eat/do/arrange everything in odd numbers, even numbers make me feel like there's something wrong, lol and I absolutely HATE number 3, it seems utterly evil to me, however, even numers 6 and 12 are alright for me :P
Anyway, my family used to notice me doing things 5 times (can't do it once, 3 times is not an option, so yeah), and it felt weird, so I try to control it...
Also, I can never have things sitting on the edge of something (a table, cupboard or something), and if I have several items (like pens or earrings or something) they cannot touch XD

[gentlewhisper]

OMG! Thanks for opening up about this :D However I seem to be your mirror opposite, lol, I have to eat/do/arrange everything in odd numbers, even numbers make me feel like there's something wrong, lol and I absolutely HATE number 3, it seems utterly evil to me, however, even numers 6 and 12 are alright for me :P
Anyway, my family used to notice me doing things 5 times (can't do it once, 3 times is not an option, so yeah), and it felt weird, so I try to control it...
Also, I can never have things sitting on the edge of something (a table, cupboard or something), and if I have several items (like pens or earrings or something) they cannot touch XD

Thanks for sharing. Glad you felt you could talk about it :D *hugs*

[Tavam]

I can't STAND it when someone interrupts me eating. Like if I'm eating and my mom asks me to do something I have to say wait because if I start eating, I have to go until I finish the amount that I allowed myself to eat. Like if I go to eat an orange, I have to eat the entire orange before I do anything else. Or especially "unconnected" things, like a bowl of cereal I must eat it all before I do anything else because it must not be interrupted. Strange.

[niea<3]

The main habit I can think of is Scab picking x.x I've had that problem like my whole life... I cant remember a time when i didnt pick... x.x its such a gross habit... but apparently ppl who have the offical disorder also eat the scabs they pick.... but i think thats eww n horrible... i pick n then i trash... its a contamination issue...

ugh... why cant i have a normal childhood obsession... x.x i get stuck with a life of picking. ew

[Pixi]

but apparently ppl who have the offical disorder also eat the scabs they pick....


*ahem* ... *feels ashamed and dirty*

I hardly pick scabbs now tho, Grew out of it when I was 13.

[popfaith]

I do everything symmetrically. Blinking, moving, etc. And when I get nervous, I put Germ-x on my hands and rub them 'till they're sore. When I eat bread or something like that, I always rip pieces off and bite them into shapes. And god help me if anything on the plate touches each other! I've had people tell me it's very entertaining to watch me eat.

[wahwahwah]

Okay I'm a bit embarrassed to post this so don't laugh!

Since I was a kid I've had some odd OCD traits. Some are:

- If I eat food like peas or sweets I have to eat them in even numbers becasue I believed food was real and alive and when I ate them, they had to die together so I didn't feel bad.

- I have to chew equal times on each side of my mouth becasue it feels 'out of balance' if I don't.

- If I have like an itch say on my face I have to scratch the other side in the same place so it's even on both sides.

- Alarms and volume have to be on even numbers. Sometimes i tap even numbers too.

- I don't mind the odd number 3 becasue it's three dots, so two are on each side protecting the middle one.

I sound so crazy. Has anyone else had anything similar? I've never really spoken about it before.

My obsessions involve odd numbers. For some reason it just goes back to full circle in my little ol' head. I dunno. I can't have volumes at odd numbers.

I also have to be sitting directly center in front of the TV and at the theater.

I turn lights off and on thirteen times...as well as both alarms.

I constantly fear leaving things behind...so I am constantly travelling out of my way to go back and check on things.

[kallista93]

I do the alternate chewing too!
I am more obsessed with odd numbers, or really it's like...I don't know, magic numbers or something. 3, 5, 7, 9. I have to dunk my teabag 21 times before I take it out of the cup. I have to check the locks on my doors three times throughout the night or I can't sleep. And I still won't step on a crack.
I wish I could be the cleaning type of compulsive, my place would look nicer. I'm the counting type. Well, I do have to have things arranged just so or ELSe. Or else what I don't know, but it always seems like there's some impending doom.
It's why counting calories is so soothing, I think.

[OnlyGoestoShow]

I have to chew equal times on each side of my mouth becasue it feels 'out of balance' if I don't.


Oh my gosh. It's always been that way for me.

[ShadowedRose]

I do all the things you do except in odd numbers, and if I have to do something on both sides (like scratching each cheek) I'll do it three times each and then in the middle too so it all adds up to the number 9 which is my safe number. What's weird is I've done this as long as I can remember and my daughter ended up being born on 09/09/09 hahaha I was amazed.

[jupiter]

oh my god i do the chewing equal times each side thing!
i have this thing about things being even and equal.
i count my steps one-two when i walk, and have to have stepped the same number of times with each foot on different parts (colour, material etc) of the pavement/grass. when theres lots of shadow, i have to step even times in and out of the light with each foot.
i also have this strange thing i do- i touchtype and each letter/number of a keyboard is designated a particular finger. when i need to remember words or numbers for any reason, i just press the fingers i'd use to type the letters/numbers of it to my thumbs. if one finger gets used twice, i take it off, three times goes back on, four is off, etc. anybody else?

[Pointe]

I'm almost exactly the same. Although I love even numbers and multiples of 5. Buy body symmetry is major for me.

[miamouse]

Oh deary me.

I can't stand it when the time ends in anything but a 5 or a 0.. Sadly this is 80% of the time (pun not intended)
When I was little, I would line things up perfectly along the edges of tables and chairs. My dad has a picture on his desk of me lining up rubber/plastic animals across the entire dining room table when I was 3.
When I walk, I have to step off with my right foot. It made marching band LOADS of fun. And I have to cross two lines with each step (cracks in the pavement, grout between tiles, shadows, y'know). When I'm in the car I'll often tap for the telephone poles we pass two - up two down two.

[SufferForBeauty]

If I have like an itch say on my face I have to scratch the other side in the same place so it's even on both sides.

This is a really big one for me. Everything on my body has to be even. There are a lot of rules that I have to follow and it would be time consuming to write them all down.
Another big one is that I always have to put clothes on starting with the left. Pant legs, shoes, arm sleeves, gloves, socks- everything.

[scream,tobeheard]

I have a particular ruitine I HAVE to do when I get home from school.
Spray and wipe down the counters.
Broom the kitchen/rooms with hard floors.
Vacuum the living room, my bedroom, and the hard-floored rooms again. Just to be safe.
If I get interrupted,
watchout. [[x

When I vacuum,
I have a set pattern of how I do it, I guess you'd say.
and the "carpet lines" have to be straight and lined up.

I've found myself doing things in "8s" a lot lately, as well.

I obsessively check things.
Like my alarm clock.
Because you never know; it may have turned itself off, then I'd be late for school or something.
It's so illogical. But I can't help it.

I always feel like I'm leaving something, as well.
So, back to the checking thing, I'm constantly looking in my purse making sure I have everything.
It's like, "Wallet? Good. Camera? There it is. ipod? ...whereisit? ohmygosh. I bet I left it there. Ohwait. There it is."

Closet doors must be shut.

Lights must be off if no one is in the room.
or even if people are, and they don't "need" lights on.

my life is one big disorder.

[sink-or-swim]

I can't STAND it when someone interrupts me eating. Like if I'm eating and my mom asks me to do something I have to say wait because if I start eating, I have to go until I finish the amount that I allowed myself to eat. Like if I go to eat an orange, I have to eat the entire orange before I do anything else. Or especially "unconnected" things, like a bowl of cereal I must eat it all before I do anything else because it must not be interrupted. Strange.

I do this one too...

[abcba]

Okay I'm a bit embarrassed to post this so don't laugh!

Since I was a kid I've had some odd OCD traits. Some are:

- If I eat food like peas or sweets I have to eat them in even numbers becasue I believed food was real and alive and when I ate them, they had to die together so I didn't feel bad.

- I have to chew equal times on each side of my mouth becasue it feels 'out of balance' if I don't.

- If I have like an itch say on my face I have to scratch the other side in the same place so it's even on both sides.

- Alarms and volume have to be on even numbers. Sometimes i tap even numbers too.

- I don't mind the odd number 3 becasue it's three dots, so two are on each side protecting the middle one.

I sound so crazy. Has anyone else had anything similar? I've never really spoken about it before.

These are so similar to me!! The 1st one rings a bell, i beleive (not genuinelly believe, just my ocd believes) that everything is real and has feelings - like teddy bears etc. If i ate a food with a face on it or something (like a gingerbread man) i would kiss it and apologise and stuff before i ate it hahahaha. (when i was a kid!) i still don't like to eat anything that has a face or anything tho. (good thing in a vegan eh!!)
And the scratching on either side thing i do too, drives me mad cause it ALWAYS feels out of balance no matter what. Not just with scratching but touching, being touched, even like the amount of weight i've put on each foot wilst walking!

My other weird thing is that i have a really serious phobia of being sick. I can't eat anything that makes me think of being sick, anything ive eaten in my life and been sick afterwards i couldnt even consider eating, and i cant do anything involving the numbers 3 or 6... 3 cause thats the amount of 'symptoms' i had before i was last sick (when i was 5! im 19 now), and 6 cause it was the word 'sick' in it hah...

[emmma]

Omg I have so many OCD habits. I am obsessed with odd and prime numbers. I can only set my alarm on times like 8:13 or 8:11... I can't ever do anything on even numbers or I get stressed that I'll be cursed ... My OCD tendencies get really bad when I am restricting... That's when I'm psychotic about following my rules.

[RadioSilence]

Okay I'm a bit embarrassed to post this so don't laugh!

- I have to chew equal times on each side of my mouth becasue it feels 'out of balance' if I don't.

- If I have like an itch say on my face I have to scratch the other side in the same place so it's even on both sides.


I have all kinds of "balance" things like that, way too many to count. Also, if I need to delete some text that I'm writing, or if I'm trying to think of the next word to write and I've already typed a space, then the space is "dirty" and I need to delete it and type a new one... that sounds totally bizarre and I don't know how to explain it really. For example, I made a typo just now while writing the previous sentence - I hit 's' by accident before writing 'totally', so it said 'stotally'. I had to delete the whole word and the space before it before re-typing. Also, in the previous sentence to this one, someone sent me a message right before I typed 'had', when I'd already typed the space; because I paused for a moment to read it, I had to delete the space any type a new one...

[Renaissance]

I'm another obsessed with even numbers.

In particular, 0, 2, 4 and 8. I don't know why 6 isn't there, but it never is. It just feels weird.

-I have to go into the 2nd stall in public bathrooms. Always. If I absolutely can't, I'll find another bathroom!
-I have to have an even amount of food on my plate (like, a piece of chicken and veggies, not chicken, veggies and a potato)
-I have to feel "balanced" with my clothing. I have to have something in both pockets, not just one at a time, for example.
-I always try to burn an even amount of calories a day, with an even number of steps on my pedometer.
-I only have 3 classes this semester and it bugs the ever loving hell out of me! I had 4 but had to drop!
-I have to wake up at a time that ends with an even number. 7:10, not 7:00, or 7:40, not 7:30, etc
-Everything. must go in it's own place.

Etc.

[RadioSilence]

but apparently ppl who have the offical disorder also eat the scabs they pick.... but i think thats eww n horrible...
*ahem* ... *feels ashamed and dirty*

I hardly pick scabbs now tho, Grew out of it when I was 13.
*raises hand too*
I know it's not a GOOD thing, but I don't think we should be ashamed of it. It may be weird and mentally unhealthy, but to me the impulse always feels completely natural, like sucking your thumb or something. That's not to say it's right, just that it's not as 'shameful'/outlandish as you'd imagine. I guess it's kind of like rumination disorder - sounds god-awful to those of us who don't have it, feels normal to kids who do, gets seen as more shameful the older they get.

[Creamms]

Even numbers defiantly with me. With volumes and stuff. Only the number 3 is an exception.

- Washing up has to be done in a certain order. Cleanish glasses first, cutlery, plates then pans. Pans and trays have to be washed up again in fresh water. Same with plates if they are covered in a tomato sauce.
- Things have to cooked in a certain order.
- EVERYTHING has to be clean before I'll cook anything.
- Loo, teeth then shower. Has to be the order. Then it's shampoo and wash out, conditioner, wash body, then wash both out at same time.
- Clothes are sorted; undies, pj's, tops, trousers and jackets on different shelves. All hung items in length order with all spare hangers on the shortest side.
- Books in height order.
- Furthest cubical away from the door in public toilets.
- Tabs on internet browser are always in a particular order; Hotmail, Facebook, Experience project then goes by popularity of how often I use it. Same with pinned item on the task bar; Chrome, Digsby, Windows Media Player, Windows Media Centre.
- If things are meant to be symmetrical, it has to be perfect!

And that's only a few haha

[Renaissance]

Oh, and some more:

-Clothes have to be organized first by color (colors first, starting with red, then black, then white) and then by type (skirts, shirts, pants, coats) THEN by length (long sleeved, t-shirt, tank tops)
-The front of every item has to face the right
-When folding clothes, I have to fold pants first, organized by length, then shirts, then underwear/socks, and they have to be placed in a certain order in the drawer. Shirts, pants, socks, underwear. Neat corners. It has to be neat!
-When showering; shave first, shampoo next, wash body, wash face.
-When washing dishes: Big plates, saucers, bowls, pots/pans, then silverware, spoons first, then forks, then knives.
-Shoes have to be stacked on top of each other, starting with boots/heels, flats, sandals, and tennis shoes. I need more shoes.
-I have a teacup collection and I put them on shelves. The handle has to face the right.

There's a lot more, but honestly, I do them so much now it's more like a habit.

[HollowedShame]

- If I eat food like peas or sweets I have to eat them in even numbers becasue I believed food was real and alive and when I ate them, they had to die together so I didn't feel bad.

Lmao, I used to do this thing when I was a kid with wrappers from food: if there was more than one piece after it had been opened, I would have to put the smaller piece in the bigger piece and throw them away together. Sometimes I'd even keep them and put them away in a drawer somewhere or something. I believed they were like family, like the bigger piece was it's mommy, and I didn't want to seperate them. How's that for wacko?

I got over some of my compulsions, though I definately still feel them from time to time. I still have this thing though, where when I take a bath and I'm done, I have to swish my feet in the water one at a time, and then kiss my fingertips and touch the water before I pull the plug. I feel like people will die if I don't. =S

[icicle]

I get the volume thing. Mine had to be on multiples of 5 on the tv (it goes 0-100), and where it's smaller numbers (mp3 player is 0-18), it needs to be even numbers. With anything else though, even numbers are evil.

Also, I understand the 3, because for me, it prime numbers that are ok.

I can't relate to the rest of yours, but I just wanted to say I think the reasoning behind the one with peas is really cute.

[Barely_Short]

Wow, I thought I was the only one to do that kind of stuff.

-My computer mouse has a hard edge and I press my thumb into it alot, but when I do, I must press my left thumb onto something hard.
-When walking on a sidewalk I have to take 2 steps in each box and I must NEVER step on the cracks.
-Showering is always done Shampoo, body wash, conditioner, shave.
-The dock on my mac is set up in a certain way, please dont mess with it. The other day my brothers went to town, rearranging and blowing up the icons. I almost started crying in frustration.
-My comic books have to be in alphabetical order and my other books have to be in order of author and how much I read them.
- I get the 3 thing.
-When eating, I have to chew an even amount of times.
-Nothing on the plate can touch
-I also count things. Like the white lines on the road or trees.
-I used to spell random things that I saw, but I made myself stop because that was annoying.

[wmm502]

*ahem* ... *feels ashamed and dirty*

I hardly pick scabbs now tho, Grew out of it when I was 13.

I Have some pretty gross OCD habits too, and they drive my bf CRAZY. If he has a zit, I HAVE to pop it. It drives me insane if I don't and I almost always end up hurting him and making him mad. But zits gross me out and I feel like I need to destroy them b/c they're icky. Doesn't make much sense... I know. I've never told anyone about it ><

[fadeaway]

When eating anything with crust, I nibble on it first and then eat the rest. But many people do that...

Chewing even amount of times, oh yes.

I eat by how the colours of food go together. I never ever can chew things of complementary colours (let's say tomato and salad) together; if the things on my plate are hues of one colour (eg. dark yellow and bright yellow) or blends (ie. yellow & orange, green & yellow) I chew them together but in order from the lightest shade to the darkest. Also, white and black things go with anything.

Also I cut everything into small small pieces.

[No way out.]

- Washing up has to be done in a certain order. Cleanish glasses first, cutlery, plates then pans. Pans and trays have to be washed up again in fresh water. Same with plates if they are covered in a tomato sauce.
- Things have to cooked in a certain order.
- EVERYTHING has to be clean before I'll cook anything.
- Loo, teeth then shower. Has to be the order. Then it's shampoo and wash out, conditioner, wash body, then wash both out at same time.
- Books in height order.
- Tabs on internet browser are always in a particular order
- If things are meant to be symmetrical, it has to be perfect!


Me too.
Washing, cooking, shower - EXACTLY the same.

- Everything has to be equal with the exception of 5 or 7 -- 7 because the stairs in my house go 6,7,6,7 and I can't change the 7 - I have this obsesstion with counting stairs everytime I go up them.
- I count things outside, and it HAS to be even or 5, not in multiples of 5, but only 5.
- When I wake up, it has to be even number - Not :25, I'll wake up at :30, even though it'll make me late.
- Clothes ordered the way I like, so least favourite at front (IDK why least favourite is at front)
- I get on the scales twice
- I have to cut in even number or do 5 cuts
- Crack thing on pavement - I tell my friends to watch out - They're like WTF?! I need to stop that.But if there's so many cracks, I think it's fate, and I have to do it!

They've become such a habit, you don't seem to notice anymore.

[briar_rose]

Hmm Im not an even/odd numbers person. However, I do have an obsession with counting calories. So when I have a recipe I will find out the cals per 100g then divide it by 1 and x it by how many grams are put in the recipe (of whatever food it is). Then I will be able to know how many calories there are in each serving.

- I never wanted people to touch my dolls... I would be obsessed with no one moving their heads becuase I would believe that moving their heads would lead them to be floppy. towards the end of my childhood I began leaving the dolls in their boxes (however this stopped for a while)

hmm..most of my OCD habits are very blurry in childhood, in fact I was a very messy child..quite anti-ocd till adolescence and even then it was very minor things. The biggest of my ocd obsessions in my teen years was magazines. If the brim of the magazine was in any way ripped or torn, scraggily or dirty I would completely freak out. I would go into the newagent and look for the one at the very back. I also wouldnt share my food for lunch sometimes or share my things because of fear people would ruin them...(however this is a very only-child syndrome sort of behaviour, not OCD)

Only a few years ago when I began restricting my food diet I became severely ocd.

Actually...one thing ive noticed lately is that I wont eat unless the commercials finished. Like i'll stop eating in my tracks, and avoid as much food as possible till the show comes on, then resume eating. I also have to wait till ive sat down and pressed play before i continue my meal. and get really upset when my yogurt has split to curds... I literally have to push it down my throat and not freak out or cry, half the time I just put the yogurt in my mums fridge and reach for another one

[ladybird]

- If I eat food like peas or sweets I have to eat them in even numbers becasue I believed food was real and alive and when I ate them, they had to die together so I didn't feel bad.

- I have to chew equal times on each side of my mouth becasue it feels 'out of balance' if I don't.

- If I have like an itch say on my face I have to scratch the other side in the same place so it's even on both sides.

- Alarms and volume have to be on even numbers. Sometimes i tap even numbers too.

- I don't mind the odd number 3 becasue it's three dots, so two are on each side protecting the middle one.


OMG i seriously thought i was the only one with the balance thing, i seriously am glad to hear someone else has it (but am sorry too) yeah if i like stretch my shoulder or even scratch my arm i HAVE to do it to the other side its only annoying when i think about it but always have done it.

If i notice something out of place, miss the trash, drop something or just something is just WRONG i have to put it right!! The other day i noticed my towel had a tiny fold in it then tried to put it out of my mind, but even after climbing two flights of stairs i had to go back down and sort out that tiny fold (sad).

I eat my food in evens, everything in twos, Maltesers, pretzel sticks, anything (although never felt like they had to 'die' together') I don't have the chewing thing but i DEFINITELY have the volume thing, 5, 10 and 15 used to be okay because it was symmetrical kinda in the middle (i think i'm obsessed with symmetry lol) but now only even.

I'm funny about spaces and bullet points even on the computer and stuff but oh well i put up with my OCD ways it makes me happy as well as frustrated =]

xx

[lottiedances]

Okay I'm a bit embarrassed to post this so don't laugh!

- Alarms and volume have to be on even numbers. Sometimes i tap even numbers too.

- I don't mind the odd number 3 becasue it's three dots, so two are on each side protecting the middle one.



I do both of those exact things!!!

[LinnyPig]

Now that you mention it... You know when you walk and you hit one foot harder on the ground than the other?.... I used to have to hit the other one too to make it even -__-

Something else I'm glad I grew out of...

[beth_b3272]

i also have this strange thing i do- i touchtype and each letter/number of a keyboard is designated a particular finger. when i need to remember words or numbers for any reason, i just press the fingers i'd use to type the letters/numbers of it to my thumbs. if one finger gets used twice, i take it off, three times goes back on, four is off, etc. anybody else?

I do this nonstop, without even thinking to ease anxiety. And this is really weird, but I do it with my toes now too. I remember distinctly when it started. In early high school when I felt bottled up frustrations, things I wish I had said but never did, or just increasing anxiety, I would start writing in cursive on my desk with my fingers. "Dear so-and-so, please bite me" or "God Bethany, please just get it together" or sometimes just the last three words of whatever my teacher was saying, over and over mindlessly.

That eventually turned into typing on my desk (sign of the times LOL). And a year later, I started doing it with my toes. I even press shift for uppercase!!! Hah, no one knows I do this.

[needtobeskinny]

- When one of my hands touches something cold/hot, my other hand has to feel the exact same temperature.
- Whenever I blinked too hard, i had to do it 20 times again.
- I have to put things down like dead on straight so one side doesn't reach the surface before the other side.
There's loads more that have already been mentioned here aswell.

[mabel]

I like this thread! It makes me feel less alone. I didn't have quite the same category of obsessions as all of you, but maybe some of you have experienced these?

I used to scratch at the seam in my jeans just below my hips when sitting down. I would do it as hard as I could to make the loudest sound I could.

I still suck my thumb (i'm 25!) and need to put my index finger of the sucking hand hooked across my nose and rub the soft skin on the tip of my nose as I suck my thumb.

I used to wrap my finger up in my pillowcase to make a sharp point in the material and then rub it along my face, lightly scratching myself.

I used to scratch the seam in my pillow really loudly, too.

I sometimes press down in the inner corners of my eyes so they make a suction sound. I'll do this for a half an hour at a time, or until it starts to hurt.

Any compulsions like these?

[AliceIsMadeOfGlass]

I always bite the skin on my fingers/around my fingers and bite my nails, both till i bleed. not entirely similar to yours, but fingers in the mouth nonetheless.

[Brookie]

I count light poles):

[RustyHalo]

I stack my magazines in order of how much I care about them, my most prized ones at the bottom so they are being kept flat by all the less important magazines on top of them. Lol

[neverbegoodenough]

I'm the same way about being even on both sides of my body. I didn't realize though, that it's a characteristic of my OCD.

[bigfatana0555]

Every one on my moms side his OCD, so i wonder if it is genetic....

- When I walk on the side walk, i need to balnace how many times i step on a crack
- My homework must be VERY NEAT: words/numbers symmetrical, stright lines, homwwork in right pocket of folder, etc
- bite nails and sometimes pick at cuts and pop zits (eTo view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. i know...)
- Need to know how long it takes to do a lap aroung the pond so i know my speed/pace

I have more but i cant think of them now, ive actually been pretty good with my OCD

[elzie]

;D I just studied this in my Mental Health course. It's a trait of OCD but it is actually generally common! Like if I tie one lace up on my shoe tight, I have to do my other shoe, even if it's fine. If I slap one side of me, I have to slap the other!

[marierien]

- bite nails and sometimes pick at cuts and pop zits (eTo view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. i know...)

I do that too. If I notice some kind of "imperfection" on my body - aside from my weight - I have to pick and bite and scratch at it to make it go away. Of course it usually gets worse ...

[beautiful-exception]

Yea when Iwas a kid everything had to be even. i would count my steps. i would count my chews, my hair and tooth brush strokes to.
Everything had to be even or I would freak out.
I got over it mostly, but my brother is like that now. (lil brother)

[Pumpkin]

When I was little I had to do even steps, or sets of even movements (like two jumps not one). It got so that when i went to dance lessons and we did 5 skips or something I had to do an extra one, not one less to make it even. It used to drive my teacher insane.
I have to step evenly on paving stones, and if i step on a crack with the top part of my foot, I have to follow it with the opposite foot on the same crack in the same area of my foot. Because I'm usually looking at my feet I end up walking into something...

I still check under my bed, in my wardrobe and in my wash basket every night, otherwise I can't sleep. O.o

[jEm]

i used to do everything in groups of 4, or 16 because thats 4 groups of 4. like chewing, blinking, or walking id count my steps out in 4's.
i thought it was crazy and it kinda just went away in my 2nd year of highschool..

[jEm]

I have to step evenly on paving stones, and if i step on a crack with the top part of my foot, I have to follow it with the opposite foot on the same crack in the same area of my foot. Because I'm usually looking at my feet I end up walking into something.

and this. id do this all the time!

[Pumpkin]

i used to do everything in groups of 4, or 16 because thats 4 groups of 4. like chewing, blinking, or walking id count my steps out in 4's.

I used to love 4's... because I thought it was my lucky number? But then reading about it it's actually 3... so now I have to do stuff in 3's. The blinking thing I still do though, so much so that it irritates my eyes :')

[jEm]

i sometimes wonder how it stopped? like did i jst wake up one day and stop doing it? i dont remember how it happened i just remember realising one day that i didnt do it anymore. i dead set thought i had ocd, but i guess i didn't because it probably wouldn't just go away like that would it?

Like I even tried to keep doing it on purpose because it was so comforting to me but found that I'd forget to count! I guess I just grew out of it..