# OCD Rituals **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 23, 2024, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669 "2024-11-23T16:43:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/41 "2024-11-25T16:28:22Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > \*CDO because it should be in alphabetical order. A thing of beauty. I genuinely laughed out loud and clapped. j ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/42 "2024-11-25T16:34:40Z")
I love this SteamPunk OCD character, Mr. Hublot! > **[Господин Иллюминатор 2013](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mDJ_eobaNA%2F)** ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/43 "2024-11-25T18:23:12Z")
> [@Ellecram](#): > > I have “Did I turn it off?” but what you describe is an absolute torment. > > And she was able to suppress her tics? > > That’s quite the story. Yes. When we first started dating she seemed just fine. I think the routine came back after seeing each other a half dozen times. Other then that she was a nice person and we got along fine. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/44 "2024-11-25T20:20:59Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > > \*CDO because it should be in alphabetical order. > > A thing of beauty. I genuinely laughed out loud and clapped. > > j Not original, don’t remember where I first heard it. mmm ---
**Author:** ![goodkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b38774/32.png) [@goodkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goodkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/45 "2024-11-25T22:08:59Z")
Never been diagnosed with OCD. But I have made several life choices of retail establishments such as gas stations, supermarkets, pharmacies up to and including banking and primary care physicians based on whether I had to make a left turn into the parking lot. I don’t have a left turn phobia. I make left turns all the time. But Home Depot and Lowes are right across the street from each other in my area. Lowe’s gets my businesses because they are on the right side of street. ---
**Author:** ![Newtosite](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/newtosite/32/8623_2.png) [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/46 "2024-11-25T23:20:21Z")
I first saw it on a birthday card. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/47 "2024-11-26T11:22:00Z")
> [@goodkitty](#): > > Never been diagnosed with OCD. But I have made several life choices of retail establishments such as gas stations, supermarkets, pharmacies up to and including banking and primary care physicians based on whether I had to make a left turn into the parking lot. I also plan all my travel carefully. Mostly so I don’t have to go all the way across a busy street without a light. Say from one parking lot, to one across the street. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/48 "2024-11-26T13:36:40Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Not original, don’t remember where I first heard it. I own a t-shirt with a variation of this saying. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/49 "2024-11-26T14:47:46Z")
My wife has severe OCD. All objects must be lined up perfectly, within ±0.005 microns. This includes cereal boxes, milk jugs in the refrigerator, papers on the counter, _everything_. Drives me nuts. I can only think of one thing I am OCD on: I do not like it when an electrical cord/cable is twisted, and I _really_ don’t like it if there’s a knot in it. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/50 "2024-11-26T17:01:04Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I can only think of one thing I am OCD on: I do not like it when an electrical cord/cable is twisted, and I _really_ don’t like it if there’s a knot in it. That’s not OCD, that’s common sense. Saw a house burn down once because of improper use of an extension cord. It was all wound up and got hot. Has your wife watched Monk? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/51 "2024-11-26T17:10:02Z")
Agree, but for me it’s any kind of cable, e.g. USB cables. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/52 "2024-11-26T17:44:41Z")
I don’t know if it is OCD or not but I count things constantly, my speedometer in the car I measure different points, I count my steps, I count corners and squares in any room I go into. If I see what I think is a bad invention I might obsess over it for several days trying to improve it or something else grabs my attention. I say it just never stops but since I passed 70 it does seem to be calming down a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/53 "2024-11-26T18:10:45Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Agree, but for me it’s any kind of cable, e.g. USB cables. Not so much with virtually everything cordless now but I was that way with phone cords. Always had to have the coils all face the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/54 "2024-11-26T20:51:51Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I don’t know if it is OCD or not but I count things constantly, my speedometer in the car I measure different points, I count my steps, I count corners and squares in any room I go into. If I see what I think is a bad invention I might obsess over it for several days trying to improve it or something else grabs my attention. I say it just never stops but since I passed 70 it does seem to be calming down a bit. Mine has also calmed down through the years. I’m just to tired to be bothered most days. But then if I have a burst of energy I sometimes bet a concurrent burst of OCD behavior. It’s usually minor and more of an annoyance than a torment. Mine often involve counting or pattern consistency as well. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/55 "2024-11-26T22:10:59Z")
@Ellecram Pattern consistency? Uh, like trying to find patterns in the holes of acoustic tile (think sitting in the dentist chair, staring at the ceiling) or patterns in the bathroom floor tile while sitting…well, you know. Lord, I’m worse than I thought… ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/56 "2024-11-26T22:33:37Z")
Yeah, I’ve got the counting thing as well. Definitely count steps - it’s usually triggered by identifying a destination for my walk - eg - if im going to _ **that** _ shop on the corner, when I see it, I will count the steps. I always start counting when going up sets of stairs. Start counting when the crossing lights turn green to see how many steps it takes my to cross the road. It used to bother me a bit, but now I think - ‘It’s not doing me any harm, and it’s not hurting anyone else. Just my brain having a little tangent’. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669/57 "2024-11-27T00:53:11Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > @Ellecram > > Pattern consistency? > > Uh, like trying to find patterns in the holes of acoustic tile (think sitting in the dentist chair, staring at the ceiling) or patterns in the bathroom floor tile while sitting…well, you know. > > Lord, I’m worse than I thought… > > ~VOW Oh those dentist chair sessions can be maddening - doctor’s offices too. Lots of patterns in the paint. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocd-rituals/1010669.md?page=2)