What is your own little OCD behaviour?

My house is cluttered and has things all over the place, but my closets, drawers and cabinets must be orderly and neat. I even fold my towels and undies a very specific way.

Don’t waste food.

I cannot have laptops open near me when I am eating. They make me feel closed in.

My ‘little OCD behavior’ is that I have OCD. You don’t want the list.

I don’t have OCD in general but I do have a thing about hotel rooms. I feel compelled to make the bed like it was never slept in, neatly fold the towels, clean the toilet and sink and straighten up the room before my wife ant I leave. I don’t want the maid to think that I’m a slob and perhaps impress her/him with a little style.

If it itches, scratch it.

And scratch it.

And scratch it.

Blood is good.

The list is endless and very “painful”. One of them used to be hoarding ridiculously but now the opposite has emerged!

I have quite a few. Maybe not quite as many as @ANef_is_Enuf, but probably not far off either. Such is the life of an Aspie…

Right now, I am fighting the urge to compile a complete list; I must answer questions to the best of my ability unless the answer boils down to “Fuck, you, I ain’t sayin’!”.

When I’m eating candy that comes in different colours, I make sure I have the same number of each colour (by eating the surplus ones first) and then eat the rest, evenly, in order according to the spectrum.

Anything else that comes in different colours but is non-edible, must be put away or stacked in a specific order.

My art supplies are very well organised.

At work I have to use pens until they are completely out of ink before I will replace it with another. I don’t have this issue at home for some reason.

When I am trying to find a radio station to listen to in the car I have to search in a particular order.

There are quite a few more!

I actually have the “O” part of OCD (obsessive thoughts), but not many compulsions. When I was a kid, I counted. Everything that could be counted. As an adult, I have the same quirk as @linguaphile. My house can be a total wreck, and that doesn’t bother me at all, but my kitchen cabinets, drawers and spice rack are are organized to an absurd degree. If anything is slightly off, I notice and must correct it. Meanwhile, there’s a sink full of dirty dishes I walk by without even noticing. :/

It’s not much, but I always have to put the left arm/leg/foot in first when dressing.

@harple Don’t we all favor one side, be it left or right? I bet I do too.

@selfe Ah possibly! If, for some reason, you put the other arm in first, do you take it out and start again though?...

Now you guys are just doing the Hokey Pokey. I want in…

@harple Maybe, cause I’d be clumsier starting with the other arm… With shoes though, I wouldn’t mind it as much…

@JilltheTooth ha ha! Well, that IS what it’s all about! ;-)

This is just one of many: I have to tie up my shoes several times to adjust them to the right tightness, whether it’s running shoes or boots.

Checking the iron is unplugged.

@augustlan I thought I was the only one!! People just don’t get it—it drives me berserk! :D

This question bothers me because it is based on false assumptions about what OCD really is. OCD is a real disorder that has the potential to take over the sufferer’s life, unless s/he can get some help to keep it under control and has the strength to cope with it. Medication and cognitive therapy, often of the painful “exposure-response prevention” type is prescribed. Also, as others have mentioned, OCD can take many forms. For some, the compulsions are mainly mental rituals, for example.

@answerjill Another jelly helped us understand that on a later thread. I understand your sentiment that using OCD minimizes the actual disorder. That was a new perspective for me as well, even though I have 4 “disorders.”

On a linguistic level, there is a reason for that. People borrow from differences, disabilities and disorders constantly to make a point- there’s no malice involved, just a way of illustrating someone’s experience. Similar statements would be: I had a blonde moment or Are you deaf or something? Or I’m totally LD with computers. Or I’ve been so bipolar lately. Or he’s a total nazi in the office. All of these statements are metaphors… they do minimize the actual experience but I don’t think people generally realize or understand that.

I suppose, but it is still a pet peeve of mine. I am also very careful to never call anything or anyone “retarded.” We all have different things that set us off.

@answerjill Yeah… “deaf and dumb,” “deaf mute” or “deaf, dumb and blind” is my pet peeve, so I do understand.