OCDing
Written by: Amy on April 23, 2009No, not ODing, though ODing on margaritas about now sounds…tempting. (I’m writing this Thursday night in case you’re worried about me and tequila before 6am. *g*)
Anyone out there have some OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder…though if you don’t know what it stands for, you probably don’t have it) issues? I used to think I didn’t.
Then I realized I count steps, every time I go up them or down them. The stairs between our first and second floors…there are 16. And I still count them to be sure that hasn’t changed. Every time.
Sometimes when I’m on a walk, I count steps. It annoys the snot out of me when I do this, but I do it anyway.
So counting is the main “symptom” I’ve had of OCDing in all these years…until I started working at a bookstore. Imagine looking at books stacked mostly neatly all day. Except…that stack over there is off. Oh, and that stack on that other table is just a leeeetle bit crooked. And these books are not lined up on the edge of the table which wouldn’t be a problem except all the other books ARE lined up on the edge of the table. And these two piles are not spaced evenly.
O. M. G.
Maybe if I just BUY all the books and toss them into the trunk of my car, I’ll kill two illnesses with one stone. If nothing else, I’d overextend my credit, get thrown in jail where there are NO books and stairs…and find something new to make myself crazy. (Maybe counting the bars…)
So tell me…do you do anything remotely obsessive or compulsive? Please share. Surely someone out there is sicker than me. :)
April 24th, 2009 at 1:14 am
Amy - I don’t know if I’m sicker than you but I had to laugh at counting the steps. All I could think of is what if one day there were 17. Wouldn’t you just freak?!
Like you, I straighten and neaten the bookshelves at the bookstore - except I don’t work there!
There is something I’ve been doing for years, it has to do with the money in my wallet. It has to be in ascending order, rightside up and the faces towards the fold of the wallet. It bugs me if it’s out of order. :)
April 24th, 2009 at 6:49 am
My only OCD thing is my bookcases. Everything else is too chaotic, but those poor bookcases are organized to a T. One bookcase is all paperbacks, in alphabetical order by author,then by series, then chronologically. The other bookcase uses the same system with tradesize, bookclub hardbacks, then regular hardbacks. The only time I run into a problem is when I get an odd size book, like those tall paperbacks. I hate those. They don’t fit! Which freakin genius came up with those, anyway?
April 24th, 2009 at 6:54 am
I’m quite obsessive about some things, like my craft supplies, my DVDs, my CDs and how I put away the clean laundry. [Just washed stuff goes at the bottom, so I take the drawer out, empty it, put the just washed at the bottom, then the rest in the order it was]
The thing that alternatively entertains or frustrates my family is my tendency to tidy up in stores. (If you ever visit a Ross in central Florida, I’m the one picking stuff up from the floor, finding a hanger, and hanging it properly.)
April 24th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Well, there’s not enough space to share all of my OCD tendencies but I’m totally laughing at you obsessing over book stacks. I couldn’t tell you how often I’ve straightened displays in stores WHILE SHOPPING! It just occurred to me that maybe that’s one of the reasons that shopping stresses me out so much…so much disorder everywhere. Hmmm…that would mean that being home should be uber stressful too though. ;-)
April 24th, 2009 at 9:34 am
There is not enough space in the comments for my OCD tendencies. Let me just say, I understand!! LOL
April 24th, 2009 at 10:59 am
And I thought I was the only one. I count stairs, too! I also walk along the sidewalks making sure my steps fall between the concrete lines (sometimes I even do this in the hallways with the floor tiles); heaven forbid I step on a crack!
April 24th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Please. I have MANY OCD compulsions, lol. I am a neat freak. Can’t stand a dirty dish in sight, EVER, lol. Can’t stand if counter has anything one it, bathroom or kitchen, lol. Am totally anal at work that rows have to be organized, and neat.
And there is more, these are just the most prevalent, lol. I sometimes think it’s a control thing.
April 24th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Another guilty party. The thing with me is it’s either all or nothing. I want to start things from the beginning and if I don’t, I don’t want to do them at all lol. I try to keep my books in alphabetical order (couple thousand) but I still buy books and I’ve run out of room so in order to put new books in order I have to move most of the books from different shelves and book cases - takes hours and hours. I’m guessing all of us have certain OCD tendencies - my dad use to check the locks constantly and when he got older he recounted his pills over and over. I’ll probably be counting my books when I get older roflmao.
April 24th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
I count things all the time, too: Steps, ingredients in recipes, anything that can be counted. And I do anagrams constantly in my head, more when I’m stressed.