I think I may have this disorder. I fidget incessantly when a picture's not straight. Nothing can be 'good enough.' It has to be PERFECT with me. I correct teachers all the time. My room is unceremoniously clean. I can't wear clothing for more than a couple hours without feeling completely disgusted. I wash clothes that I've only tried on. I don't know. I can't tell my parents because they'd just laugh at me (they already have). How do I just cope, or gradually help myself?
I think there is a seperate disorder for what you are experiencing and its not really ocd. Or maybe its partially ocd but more of something else.
i learned to live with my oddities,,,, i also have sorta out grown alot of them and moved onto others,,, its me i just try n deal with it n adjust myself to my lil things i do that some find weird strange or obsessive n compulsive,,,, some of mine are or have been i loved bleach n use it on everything,,,, everything has its place should be in it,,,, alphabetically or numerically, by genre,,, etc etc,,, odd numbers are horrible,,, n i tend to count everything,,, whether its words on a screen or numbers of objects etc,,,,i count inssantly n tend to do things in even quantities... chapstick,,,, i use it about 50 times aday,,,, finger n toe nails,,, gross me out,,,, n bug me,,,, therefore they are extremely short n gross to most,,, crooked things on walls really really annoy me,,,, n is hard to go places n not fix them,,,, i memorize numbers (phone n license plates especially),,,, not intentionally ,,, n them have them all stored in my head n can spout them off at anytime,,, there are more but those are some of my quirks,,,,
dillgaf, almost every single quirk you just mentioned I have too! I'm OBSESSED with bleach based products, too! My mom told me to clean the bathroom the other day, so I took a bottle of bleach based cleaner to it and our entire house smelled of chlorine all day. I also organize everything specifically. My entire closet has a specific order and my mom knows better than to even touch my laundry because she disturbs the balance. Hehe. I also have my DVDs in a certain order, my cds, my bed when it's made...lol. My boyfriend and I have also been helping his mom close the store she works at on weekends and I spend about 45 minutes every night in the cooler, organizing it. I also spent tonight reorganzing the 12 packs of soda on one of the shelves, lol. I hate odd numbers, too. And long fingernails/toenails are SO GROSS. I totally agree with you there. Mine are just long enough to scratch itches and that's it. If I notice they're too long and don't have clippers, I just tear them. Gross, I know, but I can't stand having long fingernails. Basically all the advice I can give, Rev, is if it's not really causing a major strain on your lifestyle, then just learn to accept your obsessions and compulsions as quirks. Think of them as blessings. I love that I'm such a freak about sanitizing things and keeping things organized, it makes my life a whole lot easier. If it starts ruling your life, though, then you may want to talk to a counselor or something about it. Until then, don't worry too much about it. I haven't been diagnosed with OCD, but I pretty much know I have it (you don't have to be a doctor to figure out certain stuff, you know) and I really don't see myself seeking treatment for it anytime soon.
Thank you very, very much. That was exactly the advice I was looking for. 'Quirks,' hmm? Good word. And one 'quirk' you guys didn't mention was my worst one... Online. I edit, re-edit, and re-edit my posts. I preview them, and I always read them when I'm finished. No typo is safe. No leetspeak or slang is used. I talk like a human being in real life, so I might as well in my web life also. My worst obsession.
And, not to mention I just noticed that my signature box (it's an image, with the words) was darker then the surrounding color by only a smidge, so I boxed it off. Still doesn't look right thought, but I have neither the time nor energy to fix it at the moment. But it's going to bug me all night. I'll make it white tomorrow.
