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Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors

mad jew said:
That's apparently very common, according to my psych lecturer. I have the same issues, FWIW. :cool:
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Very interesting. I wonder what causes it. It's such an annoying habit because most of the time the best volume is at an unappealing number, so sacrifices have to be made.
 
max_altitude said:
Very interesting. I wonder what causes it. It's such an annoying habit because most of the time the best volume is at an unappealing number, so sacrifices have to be made.
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Just paint over the numbers with new ones. ;)
 
I do the checking my pockets to make sure I have my keys, wallet, etc - and constantly. Not really OCD, because I'm very absentminded about those kinds of things. Not good kinds of things to be absentminded about, but what can you do.

I have this weird thing about everything having to line up. For example, my keyboard has to be lined up exactly parallel to the edge of my desk. I'm not really obsessive about it because it's not like I get really bothered about it, it's just something that tugs at me if I notice something a bit... unparalleled. :)

I also have this thing about stopping a marker in position. I get glad if there's stop-gaps or something, but if the widget's smooth-moving, I tend to rather to have it at either ends of the bar, instead of somewhere in the middle, just because there's no definite "marks" there. :confused:

Finally, I'm a freak about washing my hands. i HATE to use any of my electronics (computers, game consoles, etc) without washing my hands first. I hate the oily and dirty feel of unwashed hands.
 
Sutekidane said:
I wash my hands any chance I walk near a sink or sometimes I go way out of my way just to wash them. I sometimes wash my arms too.
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Me too! Also my cell phone can't be dirty/fingerprinted. I am constantly cleaning it.
 
I also find myself strangely attracted to default settings. For example, I've tried changing my desktop wallpaper, but I always resort back to the Apple default within a few days. Also, just a week ago I deleted my dock preference file to resort back to the default (only to add the items I had just gotten rid of, but now they followed a more default order).

On my new MacBook ( :) ) I always use the "Normal" power setting. Why? ...Because it's "normal." :eek:

PS - I just realized, with the exception of 1 widget placed off in the corner, my MacBook still has the default widget configuration.
 
The only thing I can think of for myself is an insistence on setting my alarm and time in odd sum-related times.

For example, if I need to get up @ 7 am, I will choose either (a) 6:51, or (b) 7:07. I also set the time in the same manner.

I only do this on my alarm clock, however. My watch, cellphone and any other clocks I don't care, although I do sometimes set my microwave cooktimes by the same method.

I am not sure where you draw the line between a compulsion and a superstition. I have always had bad luck with waking up with alarms, so over the years I have had to invent elaborate mechanisms to ensure I get up on time. At some point, my time-setting seemed to work, so I am superstitious about ever changing it, even though it probably had little to do with anything.
 
blackfox said:
The only thing I can think of for myself is an insistence on setting my alarm and time in odd sum-related times.

For example, if I need to get up @ 7 am, I will choose either (a) 6:51, or (b) 7:07. I also set the time in the same manner.

I only do this on my alarm clock, however. My watch, cellphone and any other clocks I don't care, although I do sometimes set my microwave cooktimes by the same method.

I am not sure where you draw the line between a compulsion and a superstition. I have always had bad luck with waking up with alarms, so over the years I have had to invent elaborate mechanisms to ensure I get up on time. At some point, my time-setting seemed to work, so I am superstitious about ever changing it, even though it probably had little to do with anything.
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I occasionally set my alarm to a strange time. But mostly because I stop when it gets to 'around the right time'. Like if I'm getting up around 7:30 I'll set it for like 7:23 or 7:31. Mostly because I'm too lazy to get it right. :D
 
OutThere said:
I occasionally set my alarm to a strange time. But mostly because I stop when it gets to 'around the right time'. Like if I'm getting up around 7:30 I'll set it for like 7:23 or 7:31. Mostly because I'm too lazy to get it right. :D
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I do the same, so that I can justify staying in bed for a few extra minutes. If it's set to 7:23, that gives me an extra 7 minutes, without really depriving me of too much sleep. :D
 
I have the numbers thing for volume controls - they have to be odd numbers. Sometimes I can manage even numbers as long as they are divisible by three.
 
CoMpX said:
When riding my bike, I absolutely HAVE to feel in all of my pockets to make sure I have everything (cell phone, wallet) even thought I can FEEL it through my pants. Just me being overly cautious I guess.
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I always do that. Whenever I go out I pat my pockets once every 10 minutes or so just to make sure nothings lost. That hardly counts as being obsessive compulsive though does it?
 
1) When I go into a building that has a Left and Right door, I go in through the Left door and come back out on the Right. If you think about it, going in on the Left and comming out on the Right, is the same door.

2) I can't enter a building through the front door and go out the back; I always have to leave the same way I came in. I retrace my movements always.

3) When I drive my car into a parking lot, I have to always go with the arrows in the direction they're pointing; never against them.

4) If I buy something from a store and then later on return it; I have to make sure the item goes in the exact reverse route that it came.

5) If I'm working with fasteners on a piece of machinery such as a car, I have to make sure the nut goes back on the bolt with the same side facing down as before it was removed.

6) I can't allow myself to throw anything away that may not be replaceable even though I would very much like to get rid of it.

7) When I go into a grocery store to shop, I always try to make purchases at registers one, three, or five; they are the numbers I feel safe with.

8) The number thirteen scares me. If I buy something that costs seven dollars and I hand the person a twenty, the thirteen dollars in change bothers me.

9) If I touch something that belongs to someone else, I try to touch it only one time; if I accidently touch it twice, I make sure I go ahead and touch it a third time to be safe.

10) Right now number ten is sticking out passed number nine above, and I'm thinking about leaving number ten out of this post, but I'm going to go ahead and tell you about it anyway because you might want to know.
 
I vacuum the house about three to four times a week.

I organize my desk incessantly.

I figure I am OCD, but it isn't affecting my regular life badly, so oh well. The house is damned clean, though.
 
thedude110 said:
Right on.

I'm obsessed with 5s, to the point that almost everything I do, I do in 5s (not posting, though -- the internet is a strangely fiveless zone to me). I'm always summing numbers to see if they get to five
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I like the number 5 too. When I'm ordering some special fasteners, I always order in multiples of 5. I try to post all my posts on the 5 minute mark. I noticed that you posted yours at 8:10PM, that's cool. I posted my last post at 5:07AM; I'm wishing that I would of went ahead and waited until 5:10AM. I tried to post this at 5:25AM, but my clock is not in sinc with MR's clock.
 
MACDRIVE said:
3) When I drive my car into a parking lot, I have to always go with the arrows in the direction they're pointing; never against them.
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I think this one is called "Good driving". ;)
 
BakedBeans said:
Heh, I think the less I say the better :)
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Why do you feel that way? We're all complete strangers here that can't tell on you since we don't know who you are. :confused:

Lau said:
I think this one is called "Good driving". ;)
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I appreciate the compliment, but in reality; I'm a very sick person with OCD that should probably locked up somewhere. :eek:
 
MACDRIVE said:
Why do you feel that way? We're all complete strangers here that can't tell on you since we don't know who you are. :confused:
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'Sright. There's nothing you can tell us that we haven't already compulsively Googled.:)
 
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