So - What's your compulsion?

Mine is washing my feet.
I'm a Californian, barefootin' kinda gal. Years ago my parents took EC, me and my hubby to Harbin China for
Christmas. I can't remember the last time I wore shoes all day long. That trip I wore shoes everyday all day long. I got into a weird little compulsion to wash my feet every time they were out of shoes.

So what's your compulsion?

Nail-biting. Whenever I get anxious or need to think, I have to start ripping chunks off of my nails and cuticles.

Coming from a OCD sufferer, there's a lot.

Some of my small compulsions are scratching of the scalp, messing with my cuticle (like Anita), and showering several times a day.

I used to have tricholtillomania when I was younger. I would pick out all of my eyelashes. Like, I had NONE. Eventually that moved onto dermatillomania. I'd pick at my skin. But that's just led to scratching my scalp.

Of course I have more serious compulsions that affect me socially.

I think a lot of people take these kind of mental illnesses as jokes. It's just the way some people manifest their anxiety.

I get it from my mom, and she got it from her mother.

My mom does the sign of the cross on ever light switch, lock, and 'holy' objects a certain number of times. She is also a compulsive cleaner.

Anyways, I'm done being a Debbie Downer.

When I lived in the South aka Palmetto Bug Land I cleaned the kitchen every time I touched a piece of food, and all opened food was sealed in a lidded container or a Ziploc bag if it wasn't in the fridge. So, box of cereal in large ziploc bag, etc...

There are compulsions and compulsions... I get that OCD is a whole different ballgame.

OCD ftw..

When I get stressed out I over pluck my eyebrows.
I'm an emotional eater, does that count? I have lots of feelings.

I don't know if these are compulsions (probably not, strictly speaking), or idiosyncrasies, but whatever they are, I've got a few of them. I actually do have a few compulsions that I wont admit in public...

*I don't like things to touch the back of my neck, mainly necklaces or lanyards, and I cannot STAND to have my hair touch the back of my neck. I hate it. I wear my hair in a ponytail 99% of the time, and when I wear it down, I have to flip my hair over and spray it so it stands out away from my head. I can't even wear things with a high collar - especially if it's tight.

*My socks have to be arranged exactly the right way. The rest of my clothes? Pish-posh! The rest of my house is a pig-pen... but my sock drawer has to be arranged exactly right. (Don't ask me, I just live the life - I don't understand it.)

*OH, and toenails. I can't have toenails except for a little bit on my big toe. When I say toenails I mean the white part that grows out, not that I can't have any toenail at all! I just hate having toenails. This results in me having ugly feet, and polishing my toes is next to impossible, but that's not changing the way I feel.

When I'm nervous/uncomfortable or the equivalent or even just off in another world thinking I need something in my hands to play with/manipulate. I pity rainbow when she's the closest thing (I just turn her upside down, play with her wings and feet, nothing bad but the whole time she's looking at me like I'm evil). It only gets bad when I pick up other people's stuff without asking or even thinking about it...

i have to have clean hands needless to say cage cleaning day is the worst....lol



dusty

Im a chronic picker. I pick at my face and shoulders (black heads and anything that looks like a clogged pore must die)

I have similar symptoms like Zazanomore
Plus immediately after I eat, I have to remove dishes from table. They can stay in sink and wait to be cleaned, but not on the table. Who knows why...

I cannot have any clogged pores, anywhere. can't stand it on anyone else
either. my sister says it's a form of trichitilimania (which she has),
drives my OH mad.

o'TikaandAurora wrote:

I cannot have any clogged pores, anywhere. can't stand it on anyone else
either. my sister says it's a form of trichitilimania (which she has),
drives my OH mad.

It's called dermatillomania. It's a manifestation of an anxiety disorder.

thanks for that, gonna do some googling and have a read. mum says I'm just vain

E.T.A Now that I think about it a actually constantly pick at my scalp too, it feels like I have nits, I don't, it just feels like there's things on my scalp cause I scratch it and then it has scabs on it (that sounds so gross).

I don't have any major compulsions, its odd. I do have some peeves that turn into compulsions, like at work and at home, my desk has to be neat neat neat. I'm not so overly OCD that things are lined up in rows on my desk or anything like that, but I HATE clutter. Even on my PC desktop, if I have more than 4 icon, I can't stand it, I get rid of them. I'm kind of a neat freak at home but usually only in the communal areas like the kitchen and living room, places that other people see. My bedroom is a wreck LOL

dusty wrote:

i have to have clean hands needless to say cage cleaning day is the worst....lol

What do you know! Someone else JUST like me! I'm a very fastidious hand washer and hand sanitizer user.

I guess mine would be unusual. I'm addicted to making parrot toys
. I jest can't stop. lol

I have some weird ones:
1. When I am watching t.v. I count the words with my fingers and I wont stop till I get to an even 10,20,30 etc. And I usually only do it during stressful parts of movies. But I also do it when people talk. I have done this for as long as I can remember.

2. Nail biting/pulling at the skin around my thumbs

3. I also over-eat/avoid food when I am stressed. I think thats due to watching 2 women close to me deal with eating disorders.

I have a lot more but I dont feel like sharing haha(: