i do this too. i always have my keys in my right pants pocket, wallet in the back right pocket, and cell phone in my left pants pocket. if i ever have one missing - i freak out...start searching everywhere. sometimes i'll accidentally leave the phone in my car - and no matter where i am when i notice it's not in my pocket, i'll go to my car. umm...other things - Hockey when accessible - like at university. we have an outdoor rink there...and i would play 6 hours a day - many a times skipping class or not studying for a test that i had the next day. Oh yeah, and sometimes in minus 40 weather as well (Alberta). Also NEVER miss a Vancouver Canucks game. I go to school in Alberta -- so i buy tickets every time they play the Oilers or Flames. Of course i can't afford seeing every game live while i'm living home (Vancouver)...but i still get out to as many as possible. - checking my email. - checking the BBS. - blackjack/poker - buying those $1 lotto tickets every time i fill up with gas. Before i turned 18...i would just buy my gas in 5$ intervals...such as 20 bucks of gas...or 25...or 30. now i always buy $19 or $24 or $29 and then grab a lotto ticket to round it off. yeah, there's definately a lot more...but i won't say them all.
I have OCD tendencies... I like things organized and clean... I don't remember being this way growing up, but when we had kids, I disenfect everything (ie. wipe down tables, seats, toys, etc.)... I like looking at boobs, but I don't know if that counts...
I've been treated for OCD a few times in my life, so I could probably give a pretty good list. Thankfully, it seems to have gone away, which it sometimes does as a person gets older. But I still do a few things. I'm a contamination freak. Public restrooms are scary. Of course, there's a sense in which I think I'm just being rational about it. It's all the gross people with the problem. Although I don't always do it, I prefer to open the door to get out of the restroom with the paper towel I dried my hands with. I also step on lines, or between lines, or alternate between the two (two on and two off, or four on and four off). Four tends to be my number. I have to do some things the "right" way. Of course, my definition of the right way to do these things is almost always arbitrary. I like things to be uniform. For example, I'm a preacher, and I use multiple versions of the Bible. The differences in translation don't bother me, because I understand that there is often more than one way to translate a passage. But it bothers me that some translations capitalize pronouns referring to deity (NASB, NKJV, and HCSB) and others don't (NIV, ESV, RSV, NRSV, ASV, and KJV). I don't care which it is, just settle on one approach. Actually, I do care a little bit. It seems strange to me that translators render passages that record the words of people who didn't believe in Jesus with capital letters: "There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, 'He is a good man'; others were saying, 'No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray'" (John 7:12 NASB). Since there were no capitalized pronouns in the Greek (or Hebrew) manuscripts, why do it in English? I check to make sure the doors are locked when I'm leaving the house (or my office). I can't leave some things plugged in when I leave the house (iron, my wife's curling iron, and things like that). After all, I don't want to trap my two little dogs in an inferno. Also, under no circumstances can I leave the house with a halogen lamp or the clothes dryer on (which I actually think is wise, but there's no doubt OCD also plays a part). I'm sure I could think of others if I tried -- or if my wife was home.
I need to add one: Whenever I take a dump no matter how much I wipe after the act I must take a shower. I have no idea why but I just feel stinky and dirty after doing that and must get FULLY cleaned and not just washing the hands.
I would not say these are excessive/obsessive! Halogen lamps have started many fires. Someone (who?) here had their dryer catch on fire. I also heard that hair dryers can self-combust when plugged-in. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=18342
I understand. But there's a difference between recognizing that something shouldn't be done and having a compulsion. Many of my obsessive-compulsive tendencies are actually rational. The obsession or the compulsion, however, is still there all the same.
I have to sleep with my head resting on one pillow while I'm cradling another pillow and have another one between my legs. I have to be 10-15 minutes early for everything. I go on the internet 6-8 hours a day, most of my other "disorders" are offshoots of this.
haha i do that same thing Im so paranoid about locking my keys in the car i will check 5x to make sure they are in my pocket before I close the door