What is this?

James Turner3 said:Someone mentioned just "chilling out," and honestly, maybe you should try being a little wild instead. Just break a few rules once in a while and see if you actually get punished; I bet you'll realize those "mistakes" don't actually matter, and the only thing that really mattered was the satisfaction of doing things perfectly in the first place. Like, take that sandwich of yours—try throwing the deli meat on all crooked and messy. You'll see the sandwich isn't any less delicious, it won't poison you, and it certainly won't give you crooked teeth. I guess all that effort to make it symmetrical was only for your own sake while you were making it.

I’m saying this from experience, because when I was a kid, I had this habit where every time I scuffed my sneakers against the floor, I’d feel like I’d somehow "damaged" them. I felt like I had to walk backward just to "fix" the scuff. It wasn't even noticeable, but it became this weird compulsion. Then one day, I realized sneakers are built to handle a little wear and tear. So, the next time it happened, I just stomped even harder in the same direction, and seeing that my shoe didn't fall apart was a total epiphany (🤣). I haven't done any of that nonsense since.

🤣 🤣 Fine, I'll give it a shot 😁

Oh, man, exactly! That thing with the sneaker? I do that with pretty much everything! I feel this frantic need to correct an action because I have this nagging sensation that I've altered something permanent. Obviously, I know logically that I haven't (I'm not actually that crazy...), but the impulse is just there, driving you to fix it. You described that feeling perfectly.

I tried being wild too... but after a while, I realize I haven't cleaned everything up properly, and then I just get this constant internal nagging that things aren't right!!

I'm the same way. Except I never took it that seriously. There were plenty of times I'd just stop and ask myself, wait a minute, who is the actual lunatic here? 😁
I only recently realized that it's okay to let go.
There's something else, though—not sure if you guys deal with this too. When I wake up and look at the clock, say it's 9:36 AM, I feel like I can't leave bed until 10:00 sharp because I can only get up on the hour. But enough of that crap, I'm cutting these stupid habits out. I just wonder... is it actually possible to reach a point where you don't even think about them anymore? Hmm... 🤔

Yeah, I guess things eventually settle down after a period of total chaos.

crimsontinker7 said:🤣 🤣 Fine, I'll give it a shot 😁

Oh, man, exactly! That thing with the sneaker? I do that with pretty much everything! I feel this frantic need to correct an action because I have this nagging sensation that I've altered something permanent. Obviously, I know logically that I haven't (I'm not actually that crazy...), but the impulse is just there, driving you to fix it. You described that feeling perfectly.

I tried being wild too... but after a while, I realize I haven't cleaned everything up properly, and then I just get this constant internal nagging that things aren't right!!

I'm the same way. Except I never took it that seriously. There were plenty of times I'd just stop and ask myself, wait a minute, who is the actual lunatic here? 😁
I only recently realized that it's okay to let go.
There's something else, though—not sure if you guys deal with this too. When I wake up and look at the clock, say it's 9:36 AM, I feel like I can't leave bed until 10:00 sharp because I can only get up on the hour. But enough of that crap, I'm cutting these stupid habits out. I just wonder... is it actually possible to reach a point where you don't even think about them anymore? Hmm... 🤔

Once you start breaking those habits, they'll start feeling less important, and the urge to follow them won't make any sense anymore. Eventually, that drive to "fix things" might fade away entirely. That’s really the only way to do it. It isn't even about stopping the thoughts themselves; the most important thing is becoming indifferent to them. Once the impulse loses its power over you, you've won.

Hey, crimsontinker7... haha... man, waking up feeling like that in the morning? That hasn't happened to me yet! 🙂 Maybe tomorrow will be the day, who knows? Haha... I'm not going to dwell on it too much right now though—I'm heading straight to bed. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to try to cut through the noise and just go wild, like you guys always say... we'll see how it goes! 🙂 You should give it a shot too, then let us know how it turns out... 🙂

Look, this could easily be an entire thread dedicated to treating OCD 🙂

Oh, absolutely!! So, are you going wild today? Because honestly... I’m feeling pretty intense myself!! I think I might even push it even further... though, to be fair, I haven't quite figured out the trick to it yet... so let's just see how far this goes!

Lawrence White16 said:Oh, absolutely!! So, are you going wild today? Because honestly... I’m feeling pretty intense myself!! I think I might even push it even further... though, to be fair, I haven't quite figured out the trick to it yet... so let's just see how far this goes!

I suppose I am.
Whenever I feel the urge to perform some kind of ritual, I make sure to do it differently on purpose 🙂

So, are you still doing the whole thing with the salami and cheese? Just curious! 🙂 Honestly, whenever I crank up the volume, I end up having to fiddle with the knob—turning it way up then immediately back down—just to get the vibe right! Hahaha...

Lawrence White16 said:So, are you still doing the whole thing with the salami and cheese? Just curious! 🙂 Honestly, whenever I crank up the volume, I end up having to fiddle with the knob—turning it way up then immediately back down—just to get the vibe right! Hahaha...

Look, I didn't grab a sandwich today, 😁 so I'll let you know about that tomorrow.
See, I’ve never had that issue where I need to fiddle with the volume constantly. But I do have these ridiculous little rules depending on what I'm listening to. For certain genres, the volume level has to be absolute. I actually measure how much I turn the knob... down to the millimeter. Just set it once to the perfect level and leave it alone... 😉

It's easy enough to say, just let me know if you actually pulled it off 😉

Hehe... yeah, honestly... once someone starts breathing down your neck like that, there's just no way to outrun them 🙂. . . So, James Turner3, are you dealing with the same kind of headaches? I have to say though, this idea you've got here is actually pretty solid—perfect for when you just want to cut loose... I think it really works... but eventually, you know? You reach that point where you're just totally chill and you stop giving a damn about all the nonsense. Hahaha.. hope you guys get what I'm saying 🙂

I saw this woman on some documentary once who dealt with a much more intense version of this disorder... basically, the second she walked through her front door from wherever she’d been, she’d strip off every single stitch of clothing and just dump it right there in the hallway floor, and leave it there for a full 24 hours!! (She couldn't even touch it, because in her mind, it would somehow "reset" or cancel out whatever she had built up over those 24 hours... you know how these things go, it's all in the head) and then she’d go scrub herself down super aggressively, just scrubbing away. And man, she washed her hands so constantly that they were literally raw and red up to her elbows sometimes!!! It was mostly centered around bacteria, obsessive hygiene, stuff like that.

So, she started therapy, and bit by bit, she began doing things on purpose—like intentionally not washing her hands after eating, or putting back on the same clothes, maybe even wearing something that might have been dirty... or petting the cat and just not washing up afterward... etc. And things actually got better after that... at least her hands weren't so bloody and irritated from all the washing anymore.

There was also this guy who had to count everything. Everything he laid eyes on, he had to count, and he couldn't find any peace until he finished the count...

And another guy who had to "cancel out" everything (sort of like how you wash your face), like if he did one action, he had to immediately follow it up with another specific action to "undo" the first one, just to keep everything in some kind of balance... :/

Look, if this is starting to actually mess with your head, maybe look into getting some professional help, or if you think you can tackle it yourself, just try taking tiny baby steps... like someone suggested making an asymmetrical sandwich or something like that.

Honestly, I think we all have these little quirks or weird habits... like, I always wipe down my mouse after my sister touches it (and she always manages to get it gross), or when I'm walking along a sidewalk outside, I always try not to step on the cracks... or if my stride is going a certain way, I'll try to land my foot exactly in the middle of the line... :/ and then sometimes I'll purposely step on it with just part of my foot, just so I don't become obsessed with it.

crimsontinker7 said:🤣 🤣 Fine, I'll give it a shot 😁

Oh, man, exactly! That thing with the sneaker? I do that with pretty much everything! I feel this frantic need to correct an action because I have this nagging sensation that I've altered something permanent. Obviously, I know logically that I haven't (I'm not actually that crazy...), but the impulse is just there, driving you to fix it. You described that feeling perfectly.

I tried being wild too... but after a while, I realize I haven't cleaned everything up properly, and then I just get this constant internal nagging that things aren't right!!

I'm the same way. Except I never took it that seriously. There were plenty of times I'd just stop and ask myself, wait a minute, who is the actual lunatic here? 😁
I only recently realized that it's okay to let go.
There's something else, though—not sure if you guys deal with this too. When I wake up and look at the clock, say it's 9:36 AM, I feel like I can't leave bed until 10:00 sharp because I can only get up on the hour. But enough of that crap, I'm cutting these stupid habits out. I just wonder... is it actually possible to reach a point where you don't even think about them anymore? Hmm... 🤔

But won't you end up being late for work or school? (Or whatever)

Try setting your alarm for something random like 7:17 or 9:34...
I usually end up setting mine to an odd number 😱 is that some kind of obsession with being non-obsessive or something?! Someone actually asked me why I set my alarm for 8:02 or 9:13 :/ but for some reason, I feel like I sleep way better if the time is just... off... 🤷

Morgan Bishop4 said:I saw this woman on some documentary once who dealt with a much more intense version of this disorder... basically, the second she walked through her front door from wherever she’d been, she’d strip off every single stitch of clothing and just dump it right there in the hallway floor, and leave it there for a full 24 hours!! (She couldn't even touch it, because in her mind, it would somehow "reset" or cancel out whatever she had built up over those 24 hours... you know how these things go, it's all in the head) and then she’d go scrub herself down super aggressively, just scrubbing away. And man, she washed her hands so constantly that they were literally raw and red up to her elbows sometimes!!! It was mostly centered around bacteria, obsessive hygiene, stuff like that.

So, she started therapy, and bit by bit, she began doing things on purpose—like intentionally not washing her hands after eating, or putting back on the same clothes, maybe even wearing something that might have been dirty... or petting the cat and just not washing up afterward... etc. And things actually got better after that... at least her hands weren't so bloody and irritated from all the washing anymore.

There was also this guy who had to count everything. Everything he laid eyes on, he had to count, and he couldn't find any peace until he finished the count...

And another guy who had to "cancel out" everything (sort of like how you wash your face), like if he did one action, he had to immediately follow it up with another specific action to "undo" the first one, just to keep everything in some kind of balance... :/

Look, if this is starting to actually mess with your head, maybe look into getting some professional help, or if you think you can tackle it yourself, just try taking tiny baby steps... like someone suggested making an asymmetrical sandwich or something like that.

Honestly, I think we all have these little quirks or weird habits... like, I always wipe down my mouse after my sister touches it (and she always manages to get it gross), or when I'm walking along a sidewalk outside, I always try not to step on the cracks... or if my stride is going a certain way, I'll try to land my foot exactly in the middle of the line... :/ and then sometimes I'll purposely step on it with just part of my foot, just so I don't become obsessed with it.

😲
This whole thing is giving me the creeps...
Over the last few months, I’ve started washing my hands after every little thing. I don't know. Touch the carpet, wash hands. Eat a candy bar, wash hands. Sometimes even just opening a door—touching a handle—though not every single time, just whenever the urge hits. Basically everything.

I make sure I'm never late. If I have class at 7:30, I set my alarm for 6:30. It’s a nice, round number, so I still make it on time...
Maybe you have OCD too :P
It doesn't matter if you aren't obsessed with round numbers; you're clearly obsessed with something else.
The thing is, I perform these rituals constantly, but I wouldn't say I'm totally addicted to them. I can break my own rules whenever I want without it being a massive crisis. Sometimes it gets a bit annoying, though. Like when I shower, I always have to pour water over a specific part of my body at the very end. It's my signal that the shower is done. 😁 Yesterday, it was actually hard not to do it. I was sitting there thinking, "Do I pour the water or not? Should I or shouldn't I?" In the end, I didn't do it. It was tough to push past in the moment, but nothing bad happened.

But the absolute worst part was when I was taking a crap (excuse my French), and I wasn't allowed to use more toilet paper than my self-imposed limit. And then, after hitting that number, I'd realize—damn it—that I wasn't clean yet, but I couldn't help myself. So what am I supposed to do? Just get dressed and move on. I don't do that anymore, but back then, it was a total pain in the ass... I don't know, Morgan Bishop4, do you deal with stuff like this?

crimsontinker7 said:😲
This whole thing is giving me the creeps...
Over the last few months, I’ve started washing my hands after every little thing. I don't know. Touch the carpet, wash hands. Eat a candy bar, wash hands. Sometimes even just opening a door—touching a handle—though not every single time, just whenever the urge hits. Basically everything.

I make sure I'm never late. If I have class at 7:30, I set my alarm for 6:30. It’s a nice, round number, so I still make it on time...
Maybe you have OCD too :P
It doesn't matter if you aren't obsessed with round numbers; you're clearly obsessed with something else.
The thing is, I perform these rituals constantly, but I wouldn't say I'm totally addicted to them. I can break my own rules whenever I want without it being a massive crisis. Sometimes it gets a bit annoying, though. Like when I shower, I always have to pour water over a specific part of my body at the very end. It's my signal that the shower is done. 😁 Yesterday, it was actually hard not to do it. I was sitting there thinking, "Do I pour the water or not? Should I or shouldn't I?" In the end, I didn't do it. It was tough to push past in the moment, but nothing bad happened.

But the absolute worst part was when I was taking a crap (excuse my French), and I wasn't allowed to use more toilet paper than my self-imposed limit. And then, after hitting that number, I'd realize—damn it—that I wasn't clean yet, but I couldn't help myself. So what am I supposed to do? Just get dressed and move on. I don't do that anymore, but back then, it was a total pain in the ass... I don't know, Morgan Bishop4, do you deal with stuff like this?

you have to pour water on yourself to show someone you're finished? that sounds kinda pointless 🤷

And I'm thinking maybe it has something to do with control. Like, do you generally feel like you don't have control over your life? Or like things just happen and they aren't how you want them to be? Maybe you're just trying to compensate by exerting control over those tiny little things...

man, I don't have those issues with my business 😁 I mean, just fold a sheet a few extra times, or wipe, or refold it if your precious little measurement isn't cutting it... or just deal with being messy later? 🤷 Or just use what you need... sometimes one square does the trick, sometimes you need half a roll, whatever 😁 )

Morgan Bishop4 said:you have to pour water on yourself to show someone you're finished? that sounds kinda pointless 🤷

And I'm thinking maybe it has something to do with control. Like, do you generally feel like you don't have control over your life? Or like things just happen and they aren't how you want them to be? Maybe you're just trying to compensate by exerting control over those tiny little things...

man, I don't have those issues with my business 😁 I mean, just fold a sheet a few extra times, or wipe, or refold it if your precious little measurement isn't cutting it... or just deal with being messy later? 🤷 Or just use what you need... sometimes one square does the trick, sometimes you need half a roll, whatever 😁 )

Generally speaking, the whole thing makes zero sense 🙂
And I'm not sold on your theory about control, to be honest...
🤣 Anyway, the bathroom stuff doesn't bother me anymore. I've moved past those problems 😉

As Morgan Bishop4 points out, OCD is deeply rooted in the need for control. And honestly, what they said about treatment is spot on too—the most effective way to tackle OCD is through exposure therapy. It’s about forcing yourself to face those fears head-on, like resisting the urge to constantly wash your hands or stopping those repetitive rituals before they start. In the beginning, it feels absolutely brutal, but if you stick with it, things definitely start to get easier over time... Hang in there, Michael Jordan

I'm not sure if this is even related, but my cousin had these weird little rituals growing up—stuff he did constantly until he finished high school. Basically, there were these stretches where he’d shake his head like crazy, even though he was totally fine otherwise. Then, once that would stop, he'd spend a few months shaking his hand instead, and after that, it was just constant, intense blinking... It would go away for a bit, and then the head shaking would start all over again. He actually opened up to me about it once, saying he just *has* to do it—like he doesn't even know how to make it stop and it feels like it's pulling him along... People used to mess with him and call him all sorts of names, but honestly, I didn't find any of it funny at all. Is this some kind of medical thing or what?

I’ll be the first to admit I fall for those strong nervous tics too. But let's not jump straight to diagnosing someone with OCD... It’s probably just a naturally high-strung personality. Does he bite his nails?