OCD related (or not) obsessions

[LottieandSoul]

Hey!

I actually just recently got diagnosed with OCD and I was curious about other people on the forum with obsessions like mine. Personally I have an obsession with picking scabs and imagining myself in violent situations. For example, I'll be sitting in class and just. Think about stabbing my eye with my pencil. I don't particularly WANT to, I just think about it.
It also doesn't help that I have Mirror Touch Synesthesia and I can feel the pain. Vividly.
Besides that, I always open and close the fridge to check if something if properly sealed, get out of bed to check if all the lights in my house are out multiple times, and lock and re-lock doors multiple times before using the bathroom/going to bed.
I also compulsively make Spotify playlists. Most of them don't have any songs on them???? idk. it's weird. im new to this if you couldn't tell lol.

 

[cornimer]

I repeat some actions a certain number of times as well (either 3, 12, 18 or 25 depending on what feels right). I feel like if I don't, something mysteriously bad will happen. Sometimes also if something bad happens, I will try to "redo" everything I did that day to undo the bad thing, if that makes any sense at all. As a kind of dumb example, if I had just changed my collectibles lineup and then I had a terrible day, I would change my lineup back to what it was before in hopes of stopping the bad luck. Other than those two things, I am lucky that OCD does not interfere with my life too severely and it just makes me super paranoid.

 

[nintendofan85]

I have intrusive violent thoughts as well. I've thought about stabbing people even though that's something I'd never do.

 

[AlyssaAC]

I'm kinda paranoid about everything too. I'm not sure if I have OCD, but soon I'll be checking with my doctor if I do, but right now I do feel like I have it. I'm always changing things all the time and when I do, it drives me nuts if I don't go back and double check everything just to make sure it's right. Sometimes I even double check things like 15 times. I really hope I don't have it, but they way I'm doing things these days, I feel like I do. x.x

 

[dedenne]

i'll consistently make sure my phone and stuff is in my bag before i go on a ride. idk why i do it im just stupid lol
like i'll check at least three times this is not ok why my phone

 

[LadyDestani]

I have mild OCD that doesn't really affect my ability to function but does cause me occasional frustration. I have an obsession with the number 3. I have to group things in groups of 3, check things like the alarm clock 3 times, and my favorite numbers are all multiples of 3. This is something that most people don't even notice about me.

I also have some obsessive quirks when it comes to eating. I have to alternate chewing on the left side and the right side of my mouth so that it's always even. If I'm eating something that comes in bite-sized pieces already and there is an odd number, I will bite the last piece in half so I can chew it evenly on both sides of my mouth. I also only eat one item at a time, meaning if I have a main dish and 2 sides on my plate, I must eat all of 1 side, then all of the other side dish, then the main dish. If I'm eating candy like M&M's or Skittles, I have to first arrange them by color and then eat one piece at a time finishing one color before I move onto the next color. I have had people notice these quirks and comment on them, but I don't get too upset about it. They just think it's odd but usually don't make a big deal about it.

My biggest issue is that I have an obsessive need to keep everything organized. Let's say I'm displaying pictures on a shelf. I will literally spend hours adjusting the frames by a millimeter or less until I am 100% satisfied with their placement. Then, if someone comes by and casually picks one up or even just brushes it out of place, I absolutely can have a meltdown.

 

[cornimer]

I have mild OCD that doesn't really affect my ability to function but does cause me occasional frustration. I have an obsession with the number 3. I have to group things in groups of 3, check things like the alarm clock 3 times, and my favorite numbers are all multiples of 3. This is something that most people don't even notice about me.

I also have some obsessive quirks when it comes to eating. I have to alternate chewing on the left side and the right side of my mouth so that it's always even. If I'm eating something that comes in bite-sized pieces already and there is an odd number, I will bite the last piece in half so I can chew it evenly on both sides of my mouth. I also only eat one item at a time, meaning if I have a main dish and 2 sides on my plate, I must eat all of 1 side, then all of the other side dish, then the main dish. If I'm eating candy like M&M's or Skittles, I have to first arrange them by color and then eat one piece at a time finishing one color before I move onto the next color. I have had people notice these quirks and comment on them, but I don't get too upset about it. They just think it's odd but usually don't make a big deal about it.

My biggest issue is that I have an obsessive need to keep everything organized. Let's say I'm displaying pictures on a shelf. I will literally spend hours adjusting the frames by a millimeter or less until I am 100% satisfied with their placement. Then, if someone comes by and casually picks one up or even just brushes it out of place, I absolutely can have a meltdown.

Coincidentally 3 is the number I obsess over the most as well! When I do things 3 times it just makes me feel calm.

 

[MelloDimensions]

Thanks to my stuff mysteriously getting lost I do this thing where I proceed to take every thing important out of my purse, then put it back, then take it out again, then put it back. I treat it as though my purses are like black hole suddenly, and I've even choosen not to bring one at all if I don't feel it's needed.

 

[LottieandSoul]

Coincidentally 3 is the number I obsess over the most as well! When I do things 3 times it just makes me feel calm.

Now that you say it, I actually do things three times over quite often... Flick off the lights, check to see if everything is in my bag, etc.
I really am starting to realize how much OCD has affected my life now. It was a slight suspicious for a long time but it turns out I have it quite severely-- I'm even checking to see if my anxiety was incorrectly diagnosed.

 

[LadyDestani]

Coincidentally 3 is the number I obsess over the most as well! When I do things 3 times it just makes me feel calm.

3 is the best number! I feel the same way. It's like I get this itchy feeling in my brain if I don't do something 3 times.

My mom was almost the same, but for her it was 4 times. She said it was because there were 4 members of our family and she felt like if she didn't do something 4 times, something bad would happen to one of us.

I don't have any particular reason for the number 3. It's just what feels right to me.

 

[cornimer]

3 is the best number! I feel the same way. It's like I get this itchy feeling in my brain if I don't do something 3 times.

My mom was almost the same, but for her it was 4 times. She said it was because there were 4 members of our family and she felt like if she didn't do something 4 times, something bad would happen to one of us.

I don't have any particular reason for the number 3. It's just what feels right to me.

Yup I am the same. If I do something one or two times my brain is just like "do it again, do it again, do it again!!" and it's faster to just do it again than to try to fight it

 

[Bizhiins]

I don?t think it counts as OCD but I definitely suffer from anxiety especially related to social situations. If I feel like I was acting off because of my anxiety or said something weird to someone in a conversation because of social anxiety. Then I won?t stop thinking about it until I apologize, which sometimes makes thing worse!

 

[Giddy]

When I was younger I would also repeat actions about three or nine times; but it's tuned down to whenever I pass by a place I knew someone had tragically died - so for example there's this road I go by sometimes where four people and a fox has been killed by traffic - and I always blow three kisses each to them; probably sounds weird but I'd feel bad if I didn't XD

But I also have an obsession with the number 39
I dunno why I have such a fascination with this number, but I do and I have several things in my room with the number 39 across and it makes me feel better.
I also like organising my things a lot and if it's already organised; I make stuff messy or my documents in the wrong order and do it again~I think I do that with my video games actually, I usually delete my save data and start over again a lot of the time.

 

[LottieandSoul]

I make stuff messy or my documents in the wrong order and do it again~I think I do that with my video games actually, I usually delete my save data and start over again a lot of the time.

I used to delete my old Toontown characters to make new ones, even if I got far in the game. I just couldn't stop. Same goes for other games like Free Realms and Wizard 101.

 

[Stella-Io]

Similar to Lady Destani, I have mild OCD that both my sister and I got from our mom, who also has mild OCD. Each of our habits slightly differ but we have some shared ones too. It doesn't hinder my life totally, it just makes me do little habits and check things.

The one that sticks out the worse for me actually came from a bad dream. As a result of that dream, I HAVE to turn on the back room light to eat breakfast in the kitchen. The 2 rooms are connected and I sit not even a foot away from the back room. When I wake up and go eat breakfast, I check the kitchen floor first, then turn the light by the oven, as I walk to the back room I check the floor also but I don't walk into the room. Only when I turn on the light will I enter the room and check the floor. If I don't turn on the light in the back room to eat breakfast in the kitchen (I've tried not too) I just keep thinking of that dream and I'm uneasy about having the light off. The only exception to me not turning on the light is if someone else is in the room or one of my pets walks into the room and stays there. Idk even having one of my pets there helps.

Other minor habits include checking/touching (I have an odd thing with touch that I don't even know how to put in words) to see if things locked, esp the key lock I use at work. Even after I close the lock I pull on it to make sure it's locked, even thou I know it is. I did the same thing with combination locks back in middle and high school gym class. If the pull didn't 'feel right' or rushed, I do it again.
If a cabinet door/really any other door is slightly open I close it cause the slight openness of doors bothers me.
Other times I'll do a pat down, making sure I have items on me like my belt, cell phone, lanyard (for work that has my locker key on it) purse, chapstick, other items and my watch. I had to go 2 days without wearing a watch since my other one broke and it felt unnatural to not have a watch on my wrist. The first thing I do when I get out of bed is put on my watch. If I go to the kitchen and realize I'm not wearing it, I will go back to my room and put it on, even thou there are 3 clocks in the kitchen. I have a slight obsession with having to know the time.

Typing this made me realise I check things more often then I realized, hm.

 

[Buttonsy]

I've been particularly bad about germs the last year or two, I've had a couple of phases where I've used so much hand sanitizer that my skin actually dries out and peels off. When I was a little kid, I had 28 stuffed animals on my bed, and every night before bed, I had to arrange them in their very specific order and position I had assigned them (and it was usually a pretty big ordeal because I toss and turn in my sleep so everything gets kicked around). I also definitely have pretty scary intrusive thoughts that I'd rather not get into here.

 

[dizzy bone]

Gonna put this in spoilers cos it might gross people out.

Spoiler

Throughout high school and college I had an obsession with biting the skin around my nails (think black swan bad lol). I would even get a nail clipper and just clip away parts of my skin around my nails. I couldn’t help myself and eventually I got really self conscious about how messed up my hands looked... so I would always wear long sleeves and hide my fingers and avoid getting into situations where my hands would get really wet and puffy and expose how weird they are. It kinda affected my social life a little and I’d get panic attacks when people pointed it out or asked about it. I didn’t know it was an OCD thing at the time, but I did eventually learn how to control it a bit better (maybe it was my willpower wanting to fit into society better after realizing it was prob a disorder). Sometimes I do bite my nails and skin when i’m nervous but it’s not as near as bad as before (like maybe I just scratch at my cuticles sometimes without realizing and then I stop). Sadly, I still do pick at other scabs like on my face or on my body but mostly I do it without even realizing, like the hands stuff. I just can’t help myself sometimes. U_U

 

[Giddy]

Gonna put this in spoilers cos it might gross people out.

Spoiler

Throughout high school and college I had an obsession with biting the skin around my nails (think black swan bad lol). I would even get a nail clipper and just clip away parts of my skin around my nails. I couldn’t help myself and eventually I got really self conscious about how messed up my hands looked... so I would always wear long sleeves and hide my fingers and avoid getting into situations where my hands would get really wet and puffy and expose how weird they are. It kinda affected my social life a little and I’d get panic attacks when people pointed it out or asked about it. I didn’t know it was an OCD thing at the time, but I did eventually learn how to control it a bit better (maybe it was my willpower wanting to fit into society better after realizing it was prob a disorder). Sometimes I do bite my nails and skin when i’m nervous but it’s not as near as bad as before (like maybe I just scratch at my cuticles sometimes without realizing and then I stop). Sadly, I still do pick at other scabs like on my face or on my body but mostly I do it without even realizing, like the hands stuff. I just can’t help myself sometimes. U_U

I also bite my nails and the skin around my fingers, for quite a few years now. Sometimes I'd do it without noticing but I'm still finding it hard to stop. The only time I ever stopped biting - without knowing - was my first time flying out to see family. It was insane glancing down at my nails and seeing that they were actually not bitten down but sadly I continued once I came back.
I never knew that was an OCD thing though?

 

[dizzy bone]

I also bite my nails and the skin around my fingers, for quite a few years now. Sometimes I'd do it without noticing but I'm still finding it hard to stop. The only time I ever stopped biting - without knowing - was my first time flying out to see family. It was insane glancing down at my nails and seeing that they were actually not bitten down but sadly I continued once I came back.
I never knew that was an OCD thing though?

I don't even know what's officially classified as an OCD but all I know is my nail/skin biting was something I'd do unintentionally and so much of that it was affecting my daily life (like my hands constantly stinging from the cuts and getting panic attacks after seeing the results of my biting lol). Ironically, biting is something I'd do when im nervous and anxious and it "helps" at the time to keep my mind off whatever was making me anxious. But then the after effects would be worse than biting at the time. I'd get this idea that when i bite it once, I have to kinda continue?? And i'd justify doing it thinking it's just gonna grow back anyways so it's not a big deal. But of course, it's a terrible bad habit that I was just trying to justify Thankfully I'm better at controlling it now but it did take a long time!