While only 1 in 50 adults in the United States has full on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) many more have small obsessions and compulsions they deal with each day. I call these smaller compulsions Mini OCDs and they range from the annoying to the downright hilarious.
Courtesy of the8rgrl
I have a close friend who meticulously organizes his socks in perfect rows from light to dark, he does the same with the clothes in his closet. It is so perfect it looks like a movie set. When I go to his house I like to go in his room, move a few things out of place then watch him freak out when I call him in. It’s good clean fun : )
I have my own Mini OCD. When I brush my teeth I have to have the faucet running. Sometimes I will have it on, realize I am wasting water and turn it off, only to turn it back on a second later. I don’t know why I do it, I just do. It feels wrong to brush my teeth without the water running.
How about you? Share your Mini OCD with me. You know you have one.
Lol…so true about Mini bouts of OCD, in the morning when I turn on my computer I clean my glasses during the boot and then I wipe my monitors but I can’t even log on until every last damp streak is gone and then I can start my day.
If I sleep in or get rushed and don’t properly do my ritual it always seems to cause bad juju.
YES! I do that too, re: the tap running whilst brushing. Tried turning it off and it makes me all unsettled!
I unconsciously lock doors even if I plan to go right back out the same door. Drives visitors (and probably my family) kind of crazy cuz I’ll lock the door right behind them and they can’t figure out why they can’t open the door. Sometimes I’ll drive (miles) back home to check the front door even though I’ve never to my knowledge left it unlocked upon leaving.
Also, while I appreciate my wife doing 99.999999% of the laundry, it drives me crazy when my clothes aren’t stacked or hung up in the “proper” location and especially when some shirts are folded in half while others are in thirds. It’s like fingernails on a chalk board.
and then…oh wait, I guess you just wanted one small one 🙂
I can’t cook in a messy kitchen. Even if I’m going to make a huge mess in the process, I have to clean the WHOLE kitchen first (totally empty sink, wipe down all of the counters, empty the dishwasher, etc.) It drives my hubby mad!
My mini-OCD: organizing my paper currency in denom order, facing up and out. (At least I don’t iron it like Robert Mitchum’s character in “His Kind of Woman”.)
@lisa:
As a child I ironed my money. Probably still would if I didn’t use my amex for everything.
That’s so funny – I almost said something to you last night about leaving the water running while brushing your teeth.
I would also add that you might be able to add twitter-ocd to your list.
My list might be kind of long, but here area few things: it drives me nuts to have dirty dishes or anything out of place on the kitchen counters. I also like to open up all of the blinds in the morning and have them all closed at night. I also keep busy cleaning up your piles of clothes. 😉
I add the numbers on digital clocks and license plates. Sometimes, I refuse to step on cracks in sidewalks. I put my money in order by denomination, date issued and serial number. I wash my hands after being outside and at odd times during the day, whether or not I’ve done anything to get them dirty.
I have email OCD http://www.cartoonbarry.com/2007/05/i_have_email_ocd.html
Some people think I also have efficiency OCD but I call it efficiency syndrome http://www.cartoonbarry.com/2009/02/do_i_have_over_efficiency_synd.html
When waiting for the bus I constantly have to count my money. Over and over, Like, did I suddenly drop a quarter? When waiting for a flight, I constantly touch my ticket, making sure I can put my hands on it when the time comes.
Mine’s easy, I have an obsessive hygiene routine. I shower once in the morning, and again after the gym. I’m also incredibly particular about my products – they must be hypo allergenic, have no alcohol or toxic chemicals. No matter how tight my budget, that’s something I will splurge on.
I don’t know if this qualifies but I have to be everywhere I go 15 mins early, not 14, not 16, but 15. Otherwise I feel rushed and out of control.
Hmmmm…. I must admit I have a few Mini OCD’s, but I drive myself crazy with having to turn off the kitchen tap. If someone turns it on to fill the sink I turn if off. If I turn it on to fill the sink, I turn it off – I just can’t stand to hear it run and have to consciously make myself leave it alone, so I don’t appear to be a crazed tap turner offer…
Labels facing forward… on everything, everywhere. In the refrigerator, cabinets, on the counters, in the shower. Like I don’t know what my stuff is.
Also alphabetizing… cd’s, dvd’s and video games specfically. Haven’t crazed into books yet.
I also have the running water issue, plus I must wet my toothbrush before and after adding the toothpaste.
Oh yes, there’s more, but I’ll save some of the mystery/insanity.
Whenever I finish a fountain drink … whether it be lemonade, coke, water, etc … I have to chew on the straw for at least 10 minutes, or until its unrecognizable, before I throw it away.
When I travel I must take everything out of my suitcase and put it in the drawers, bathroom, closet even if I am just in a place for 1 day and I’m going to repack the while thing in mere hours. Also I fold my dirty clothes. They fit better in the suitcase that way.
@lisa: I wouldn’t necessarily refer to it as an OCD, but I have to organize my money the exact same way! I think it’s from having so many years of retail experience.
OMG! I do the EXACT same thing! Yay! I’m not alone!
I create my own cards – maybe one of my get-well cards will cheer up all you folks with mini-OCD. I made the paper myself. It’s made from tree bark that I grow just for the paper. And I hope you like the calligraphy. I studied calligraphy with Venerable abbot Shi Yongxin at the Mahayana Buddhist Monastery for four years – he was brilliant!
Also the ink is my own formula. I deep sea dive, capturing squid and milking them before they wiggle away – “catch and release” is my motto. But my greatest achievement is the perfume added to the ink. I was able to obtain a very small portion of a rare flower essence from a blossom that only grows high in the canopy of the Amazon rainforest. I had to fight off a crazed troop spider monkeys, but it was well worth the three weeks of rabies shots to have it in my possession.
Love to All,
Sarah (with an H)