Friday, January 20, 2012

OCD....or, maybe not?



Oh look, me as a child, organizing things. Not really, but I so did do this.


So, yesterday as I was showering/putting on make up, and getting ready, I started thinking of all of the random OCD like things I do. Do I really think I have OCD? Probably not. Do I think I have a very mild form of OCD? Maybe.




From PubMed Health:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something (compulsions).
Often the person carries out the behaviors to get rid of the obsessive thoughts, but this only provides temporary relief. Not performing the obsessive rituals can cause great anxiety.

Moving on, allow me to share with you some things I do that I think are weird.
*I always have to do the same exact order of things in the shower. Every time. Wash body, wash face, shampoo, conditioner, shave, exfoliate. I also dry off in the same way.
*Lotion has to be an even number of pumps-I use 6 pumps for my body. Can't handle seven. I like even numbers too. Odd numbers skeeve me out.
*Deodorant is the same way. 12 swipes if I'm not doing anything, if I have plans to be out and active, we'll up it to 16. 
*I have to load the dishwasher the same way every time. All the plates go first, then silverware, then cups and baby food paraphernalia. Conversely, when I unload the dishwasher, I have a system. I get out alllll the plates, cutting boards, bowls from bottom, and place them on the counter. Then I put them away, then do all the silverware and cooking utensils, then move to the top. But I like to make stacks of similar items to I can put htem away all at once.
*Vacuuming has to be done the same way each time. I have a "path" that I make around each room. And it never changes. WTF.
I know there are other weird things, but right now I'm thinking I need to check myself in to Betty Ford for OCD. :) What do you do that is weird or OCD like?

6 comments:

  1. Yes, you are OCD and have been all of your 33 years! Happy birthday!
    I do have a system I use on loading and emptying the dishwasher. Seems like everything else in my life is "by the seat of my pants"!
    Can you get your blog lady to darken your yellow and pale pink writing? Yo Mamma can't see it very well!

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  2. So funny!! I am the same way with the order of showering and drying off. :)

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  3. Officially, you don't have OCD. Might you have traits or features of it? Perhaps. But your "OCD" doesn't interfere with your everyday functioning, which is the hallmark of the diagnosis!

    Despite the fact that I know that shiz, I still get a bit anxious when I think about my OCD traits, because I HAVE to clean every Sunday, I HAVE to have the dining room table cleaned off every night, I HAVE to have things done in a certain order or a certain way. I drive G UP THE MOTHERFLIPPIN WALL with my traits!

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  4. Doing things in a certain order is very important to me. If someone helps me do something, say load the dishwasher, and they aren't doing it correctly I wait until they're not looking and redo it. Towels have to be folded a certain way. I upset my bride one evening long ago when she had folded all my towels for me, but they were wrong so I unfolded and refolded every one of them. (I made the mistake of doing this in front of her. Bless her, she was just trying to help.) Squares are important to me, I like to fold things, in squares. I can't take a straw out of its paper wrapper and not fold it, starting at the part that I tore, in little squares until I've reached the end of the paper. If one part of my morning routine is out of order my whole day is a holy hot mess. I constantly straighten up papers and pens on my desk so that they are evenly spaced and have perfect margins from the edge of the desk, or closes break in my desk top. I organize hangers at department stores and will straighten all the lip gloss displays at the counter until they are as close to being in the number sequence/pattern I feel is needed, all labels have to be out so they can be read. If there is a stack of papers/business cards at the counter, I make sure they are all stacked neatly, and marginally correct to their surrounds. I could go on and on about the things that happen that slow down my daily life. But all these things have to be done.

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  5. I do the same thing with my shower routine...every.single.time. I also used to HAVE to switch the lights off in the same order in my bedroom/bathroom before I went to bed...so weird...I finally broke that after I had Mills. I also prefer even numbers on random tasks, too. Haha!

    We're so OCD quirky! ;)

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Thanks for taking the time to comment!