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How to get over OCD about scratches, dents, blemishes, etc on Apple gadgets?
- Thread starter Daikyouju
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There is nothing wrong with OCD.....especially if it brings result.
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Though it's obviously pretty late for this, take some advice from me and keep this in mind for the rest of your life.
I've learned throughout the time I have lived for, that I wasted my time being OCD with how my gadgets look, how it functions, etc. For example, I recently purchased a MacBook Air, and I have been super OCD with it. I would not let a piece of dust touch it. I soon realized that I'm really not enjoying my precious Air but I really was just fibbing with it and cleaning and just spending money on all the cases, etc. I now know that, it is not a living thing, it can be replaced, it can be fixed, it can be customized and so much more. Trust me you probably have another phone now rather the 4s you had back then. To come thinking of it, think about the people who can't even afford such a thing, that live on the sidewalk. It's just irrelevant. My suggestion for you, enjoy it while you still have it. You will get something new in the future either way.
I really hope this helps you.
Pretty old thread that somehow got resurrected, but I'd like to add my two cents. I used to be pretty OCD about my electronics. And to some extent, OCD is just a psychological thing that you can't shake. You have it or you don't. You know? BUT.
I'm a very OCD and anxious person. However, I was able to realize this truth: My phone, my laptop, my DSLR... they are just tools. That is ALL THEY ARE. They are a means to an end. They are tools to help me accomplish my task, to get from point A to point B. So while I want to take care of them and I want them to last me a long time, I have to remember that they are just tools to help me accomplish a task and I will use them to their fullest extent to help ME get MY job done. I rule my devices, they don't rule me.
I hope this helps anybody struggling with the same thing.
I'm a very OCD and anxious person. However, I was able to realize this truth: My phone, my laptop, my DSLR... they are just tools. That is ALL THEY ARE. They are a means to an end. They are tools to help me accomplish my task, to get from point A to point B. So while I want to take care of them and I want them to last me a long time, I have to remember that they are just tools to help me accomplish a task and I will use them to their fullest extent to help ME get MY job done. I rule my devices, they don't rule me.
I hope this helps anybody struggling with the same thing.
If this poor soul writing in 2012 (in reference to the iPhone 4S) only knew what lay ahead...
I'm only OCD of my products 3-6 months, after that I don't care, because, I know, there's always something newer and better in the next year to come. So enjoy your products, because it's not going to last forever.
You just replied to a 6 1/2 year old post posted by a member that hasn't been on these forums for over 9 months.
i get pretty protective with mine but nothing overboard not even a case. as soon as it gets a first scratch/scruff, i consider it 'dirty' and stop caring
Wanting to keep your products in a new condition isn't OCD unless you mentally cannot cope, or struggle greatly with other areas of your life if your product is damaged in some way. Calling things 'OCD' is a gross exaggeration, OCD is a genuine psychological condition that can be treated, but worrying over scratches is not even close to this.
Anyway, usually people are concerned when they perceive a high value to the product. If you're spending 100% of your salary on it, then loosing/damaging it is going to hurt you financially - as you cannot simply replace it. The easiest solution, is to spend less, if it only cost you $40 then I'm sure you wouldn't have any issue if you dropped it. So just bear this in mind, it's normal to want to keep it in good condition - it's abnormal to obsess over this. You can buy a case and just take care of it, it will pick up scratches but personally I see these as battle scars - it's the personality of the device and the time you've had it. Nothing lasts forever, give it 5 years and it'll be ripped apart for the raw materials. So it's not worth obsessing over too much. If you plan on keeping it, just take care of it and enjoy it, get a new one in a few years and be happy. If it's something you plan to sell, then put a case on it and hope for the best.
Personally, I don't use any cases or skins and stuff as I hate them. If you pick up your phone, spin it around, play with it, you'll be less likely to drop it as you'll become accustomed to it. If you put it in a case, I believe there's a perceived protective value so actually you'll be more likely to drop it. It's like when you get a new-ish car, you'll cry if it's scratched right? But ever had a 10 year old scratched up car? Don't care about it, it's a car - gets you from A / B and you're happy. Try get to that point.
Anyway, usually people are concerned when they perceive a high value to the product. If you're spending 100% of your salary on it, then loosing/damaging it is going to hurt you financially - as you cannot simply replace it. The easiest solution, is to spend less, if it only cost you $40 then I'm sure you wouldn't have any issue if you dropped it. So just bear this in mind, it's normal to want to keep it in good condition - it's abnormal to obsess over this. You can buy a case and just take care of it, it will pick up scratches but personally I see these as battle scars - it's the personality of the device and the time you've had it. Nothing lasts forever, give it 5 years and it'll be ripped apart for the raw materials. So it's not worth obsessing over too much. If you plan on keeping it, just take care of it and enjoy it, get a new one in a few years and be happy. If it's something you plan to sell, then put a case on it and hope for the best.
Personally, I don't use any cases or skins and stuff as I hate them. If you pick up your phone, spin it around, play with it, you'll be less likely to drop it as you'll become accustomed to it. If you put it in a case, I believe there's a perceived protective value so actually you'll be more likely to drop it. It's like when you get a new-ish car, you'll cry if it's scratched right? But ever had a 10 year old scratched up car? Don't care about it, it's a car - gets you from A / B and you're happy. Try get to that point.
I know this is an old thread but still important to people. I am not OCD about my phone but since it costs more than the laptop I own I put my new iPhones in a case. If I feel like living dangerously I pop my SIM card into an old phone so if it gets dinged up or broken I don’t feel so bad.
I'm OCD about scratches/dents/blemishes especially on electronic equipment and brand-new items. Once the items has taken enough cosmetic damage, it seems to matter less (I get over it more quickly).
Unfortunately for me, obsessing over a scratch is not something I do because I derive pleasure from it. Asking my to not obsess about it is like asking anyone to not feel pain when punched in the nose. Ultimately some complex chemical process is going on in my brain. A month ago I dropped a bowl on the floor and chipped a tile (interestingly the bowl didn't break at all). OCD kicks in and I can't think about anything else for the first 15 minutes after the incident. I know it's utterly ridiculous but it's like sound, it's there and I can't not hear it. A month later, seeing the chipping every day, my brain seems to rewire itself to accommodate for the new appearance of the floor, until it becomes normal. People who are able to get over things like this very quickly go through the same process but at a much faster rate. I admire people like this. For me being able to get over imperfections quickly is a trait as desirable as being good looking or being smart. People who are not OCD about petty sh*t like this get stuff done and are more successful. In a sense, my non-ocd "idol" would probably Casey Neistat who is very good at breaking stuff. Whenever he unboxes a brand-new product one of the first things he does is drop it LOL and he's fine about it.
If you have OCD it can be harder to focus because everything, sooner or later, is going to get damaged. And every time damage happens you end up wasting one hour obsessing over it, rubbing it, polishing it and trying to repair it. One thing that helps is getting rid of stuff you don't really need. Less stuff = less stuff to break. A minimalist life is certainly a lot easier easier on the brain of someone with OCD of any kind.
I think ultimately the only way to truly and definitively combat OCD is to go into full Casey Neistat mode and deliberately damage something every day, that is, turn scratching stuff into a daily routine that you must perform every morning. Pick an item and scratch it a little. Eventually the brain would become immune to cosmetic damage and subsequent incidents would most likely feel unimportant.
Unfortunately for me, obsessing over a scratch is not something I do because I derive pleasure from it. Asking my to not obsess about it is like asking anyone to not feel pain when punched in the nose. Ultimately some complex chemical process is going on in my brain. A month ago I dropped a bowl on the floor and chipped a tile (interestingly the bowl didn't break at all). OCD kicks in and I can't think about anything else for the first 15 minutes after the incident. I know it's utterly ridiculous but it's like sound, it's there and I can't not hear it. A month later, seeing the chipping every day, my brain seems to rewire itself to accommodate for the new appearance of the floor, until it becomes normal. People who are able to get over things like this very quickly go through the same process but at a much faster rate. I admire people like this. For me being able to get over imperfections quickly is a trait as desirable as being good looking or being smart. People who are not OCD about petty sh*t like this get stuff done and are more successful. In a sense, my non-ocd "idol" would probably Casey Neistat who is very good at breaking stuff. Whenever he unboxes a brand-new product one of the first things he does is drop it LOL and he's fine about it.
If you have OCD it can be harder to focus because everything, sooner or later, is going to get damaged. And every time damage happens you end up wasting one hour obsessing over it, rubbing it, polishing it and trying to repair it. One thing that helps is getting rid of stuff you don't really need. Less stuff = less stuff to break. A minimalist life is certainly a lot easier easier on the brain of someone with OCD of any kind.
I think ultimately the only way to truly and definitively combat OCD is to go into full Casey Neistat mode and deliberately damage something every day, that is, turn scratching stuff into a daily routine that you must perform every morning. Pick an item and scratch it a little. Eventually the brain would become immune to cosmetic damage and subsequent incidents would most likely feel unimportant.
It’s 2018 and people are still describing petty stuff as “OCD”, which is a genuine and debilitating illness. Disappointing.
Unlike your reply, the topic of this thread stays relevant 6 years on. Typical bored person scouring the internet for 'old' threads to point out. Well done Captain Obvious!
Thanks so much for pointing that out. From now on I’ll resurrect threads from the Paleozoic era instead of starting a new thread.