If I have a ‘little fragment’ of something in one eye, and I blink it to relieve the fragment, and then I have to blink the other eye, ‘just to be sure’. Likewise, if my (say) left shoelace comes untied and I have to re-tie it, I also have to re-tie my right shoe lace, so one isn’t tighter than the other.
I definitely have my obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but what does this one mean? Why would you get in your car and not go anywhere, but still put your seatbelt on? Just grabbing something out of your glove box? Cleaning the dashboard? I’m genuinely curious.
I am right handed, and apparently right side dominant, because when I am walking, I HAVE to lead off with my right foot. I have to make the first step up a stairway with my right foot. When I leave work at night, I have to take the first step down the steps with my right foot, even though far more often than not, it’s my left foot that is there (does that make sense?). I only became aware of this in the last few months. I’m weird.
When dressing I always put my right sock on before the left one, but then the left shoe before the right one.
Wife pointed this out to me. I explained that if I did it any other way I would walk funny all day.
Previous wife asked me why I scratch my right eyebrow with my right little finger when said eyebrow is not itching. I don’t know, but it just seems like the right thing to do.
when I exit my car and lock it, I always have to turn around a few feet away and re-lock it with the remote just to make sure. This is a car that has a 30-second self-locking function, by the way.
I’m constantly checking to make sure I have my keys. Usually they’re in an outside pocket on my purse, so it started as me making sure they hadn’t fallen out. Sometimes they’ll be in my pocket or my hand and my brain is freaking because they’re not in the pocket. It’s gotten better since I’ve stopped carrying a purse (I moved the essentials to my backpack so I don’t have to carry both).
When I’m copying something, I hit ctrl-c three or four times to make sure it copies. I often do the same for saving.
After one too many times accidentally shocking myself, I’ve started touching the back of my hand to the keypad at work before I enter the entrance code. Even now that it’s humid and I don’t have to worry about static, I can’t stop doing it.
I MUST check for my wallet, my cellphone, and both sets of keys. At least once every ten minutes, or every time I think about it. I have my work keys and home keys on distinctive keychains I can distinguish by brief touches from the outside of my pocket specifically so I don’t look like a perv or moron groping in my pocket every five minutes. =P
Could be worse. I lock *every *door, even at my friends’ houses. They mock me, and I understand why, but I still can’t stop.
The doors at my office drive me crazy, because they have this weird-slow-moving mechanism (so handicapped people can use them, I guess) and they take forever to close. I can’t lock them, or close them any faster. Adds a little stress to my morning every day.
I’m definitely a leftist. I think the habit formed when I was in marching band in HS. Always lead with the left foot. This, incidentally, made learning ballroom dancing easier, as men always start off with the left foot.
If I’m carrying a ball-point-pen, the type with a button you press to click out the business end, I’m always clicking it. It’s not a “gotta click” habit; I need to ensure that the writing point is not deployed so I don’t accidentally mark up my clothes. Unfortunately, I constantly forget what position it’s in as I walk along, so I’m constantly pressing it to remind myself that it’s un-deployed.
In my last car, I was constantly making sure the parking brake was not engaged. It was the handle type between the front two seat that you pull up on. i was always pressing the button and making sure it was all the way down. Always doing that without even noticing it. Other people would notice though…
I can’t say I have any recognisably “OCD” type behaviours at all. About half of these things I wish I did do, then I wouldn’t do boneheaded forgetful things all the time.