OCD

I have what is known as obsessive compulsive disorder, otherwise known as OCD.  There are varying degrees of OCD, ranging from people who have to have everything in perfect order, to people who are paranoid and cannot leave their homes.   Fortunately, I am on the lower end of the scale. 

The main characteristic that defines someone who has OCD is the fact that they feel like they “have to” do certain things.  If they do not do these things, they don’t feel “right”.  In some cases, things must be done until that feeling of it being “right” is attained.  For example, I used to have this alarm clock when I was a teenager.  Every night when I went to set my alarm for school the next morning, I had to move the switch from the right, past the center and to the left.  The center position is what controlled the radio.  The only way that I could feel “right” is if I moved the switch fast enough that the sounds from the radio could not be heard.  (I couldn’t turn the volume off, otherwise my alarm would be silent and I wouldn’t wake up.)  I often had to move the switch back and forth 3 or 4 times before I would feel okay about going to bed.

Earlier this week I babysat my friend’s kids so that she and her husband could go on a date.  Ever since I was a teenager, whenever I babysit I always tidy up after the kids are in bed.  I do it mostly so that when the parents come home, they don’t have to go from having a great time without the kids to jumping right back into their daily chores.  My intentions are usually just to tidy up, but this time, I went farther than usual.  I am not sure why, but sometimes my OCD is more prevalent than other times.  This was one of those times.  After the girls were in bed, I sat down at my laptop to write a post for my blog.  After a few minutes, I literally stopped mid sentence and got up and started tidying. 

I washed all the dishes and dried them and put them away.  I finished making cookies and arranged them nicely on a plate and put it on the table.  I cleaned the stove, including the burners.  I wiped the counters and the table.  I put all the toys away.  I lined up all the books and piles of papers at right angles.  I swept the floors.  I took out the garbage.  I lined up all the shoes by the front door according to size.  I cleaned the bathroom, including the tub, and put everything back exactly where it was.  I made sure all the towels were hung just right on the racks.  I straightened the pillows and blankets on the couches, making sure that everything was perfectly symmetrical.  I wiped all the drops of water out of the sink and lined up the faucet so it was centered.  When my friend came home at around 1:30 am, she said to me, “You know, it is funny that you look so much more awake now than when you first got here.”  I attributed it the fact that I do night shift, but it was more likely because of the high I got off of making everything just right.

Alright, so that all made me sound like a bit of a crazy person... However, one of the reasons that I am choosing to write about this is because I want other people who have similar conditions as I have to know that it is okay.  They are perfectly good and valuable just the way they are :)  So cheer up!  Laugh a little.  Call me crazy if it helps.. I won't deny it... after all, all the good ones are crazy anyway!  This should help:

Another thing that I am obsessive about is my food.  First off, I hate it when someone steals food off my plate.  I always take the amount I plan on eating, and I have it planned out, so when someone messes with that, it totally throws me off.  Secondly, I like to eat my foods in even numbers.  Knowing this little quirk, my mother always likes to offer me odd numbers of things, like grapes and other small foods.  She is such a brat sometimes!  But she is my mother, so I love her anyway :p

Feel free to take advantage of this information any time you see me...

Thanks for "listening."