Current Events > Do you have any former neurotic habits you intentionally broke?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I was one of those people who would never let the volume setting be on an odd number. In my mid-20s I finally just thought to myself "why do I even care about this? It shouldn't be a big deal" and started forcing myself to use odd numbers to break the habit. Now it truly doesn't matter to me if it's even or odd and I'm glad I removed that illogical part of myself.

When I was a kid, I would have to check things over and over again to make sure I did it. Stuff like locking the doors, packing my stuff for school, etc. I started making rules for myself saying I can only check 3 times. Then it became 1. It's mostly gone now, but I occasionally do get the urge to repeatedly check, and I stop myself.

I've broken a few.

Things like intentionally stepping on the same part of the sidewalk or pressing a button a certain number of times.

I've gotten a lot better in general with them.

Squall28 posted...

When I was a kid, I would have to check things over and over again to make sure I did it. Stuff like locking the doors, packing my stuff for school, etc. I started making rules for myself saying I can only check 3 times. Then it became 1. It's mostly gone now, but I occasionally do get the urge to repeatedly check, and I stop myself.

I do something similar with being concerned I didn't close the garage door when leaving my house, often leading to me driving back to double check. I haven't forgotten to close it yet, however I try to tell myself "100%" repeatedly as I'm driving away after looking in the rearview mirror to reassure myself.

I refused to eat Jack-in-the-Box for years and years (I saw something about a few customers dying after eating their burgers in the early 90s and I was around 4 or 5 then so that shit traumatized to the point of being a germaphobe) until I did for my very first time at 18 years old.

biting my nails

but now I forgot to cut them sometimes before they get long

oh god yes

coyot posted...

^thats how Joey Ramone died. He slipped after rechecking locks.

https://beyondthebarbs.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/how-ocd-killed-joey-ramone/

Dang, I wasn't aware of that.

itachi15243 posted...

I've broken a few.

Things like intentionally stepping on the same part of the sidewalk or pressing a button a certain number of times.

I've gotten a lot better in general with them.

Nice, glad to hear it.

Vicious_Dios posted...

I refused to eat Jack-in-the-Box for years and years (I saw something about a few customers dying after eating their burgers in the early 90s and I was around 4 or 5 then so that shit traumatized to the point of being a germaphobe) until I did for my very first time at 18 years old.

Interesting, thanks for sharing. I've always liked Jack In The Box, even after a friend and former employee told me if I knew how they made their tacos I'd never want to eat them. Glad you eventually gave it a chance, are you still a germaphobe?

KanWan posted...

I used to do this thing in the 1st/2nd grade where if I touched something with a body part I had to compulsively touch it with the other. So if I tapped my hand against a door with my left, Id tap it with my right. If I scratched the back of my left ear, Id have to do it with my right.

At some point I remember saying to myself if I keep doing this, Im never going to be able to work out of this so I spent a couple of months fighting against overwhelming desire to compulsively touch. It was nuts. Im just glad I was aware enough to have some foresight at that age.

Interesting, I think I do a variation of that. It's impossible for me to clean just one ear. Sometimes I get this urge to grab a q-tip and clean out a particular ear, and even if the other one is fine I still grab a second one to clean out the other. I'm glad for you that you were able to work through that.

KanWan posted...

Later, due to the circumstances of where I grew up before moving, I had this fear of walking home from my new school. This mustve been sometime in the 4th grade. I had heard some kid was shot by a soccer field via drive-by and it was so close to my house that every single car that passed made my head turn in fear. It was the same situation in which I said to myself okay, Im gonna look forward no matter what! If I die today, then, thats it.

I spent time learning how to breathe and accept fate as it came past in every car that passed by. My body would struggle and tighten up in fear and slowly but surely the fear went away little by little.

That sounds like a justified fear to me. You had a real basis for it and I had something similar where I became an agoraphobe and feared the outside world after being robbed at knifepoint. It also didn't help that at the time I started watching an anime called Welcome to the NHK, which deals with a NEET and hikikomori, whose justifications and spiraling conspiracies of how dangerous the outside world started to resonate way too loudly.

Biofighter55 posted...

biting my nails

but now I forgot to cut them sometimes before they get long

Lol I also forget to cut my nails, though that's actually due to neglect and lack of interest in doing so. "For a guy" I let them get pretty long until the point I become self-conscious about it.

Kradek posted...

Glad you eventually gave it a chance, are you still a germaphobe?

Ironically enough, the only thing I get from there are their tacos, and only if I'm in a bit of a time-crunch. And I didn't give them a chance as much as it was sorta made for me.

Our project supervisor asked us what we wanted for lunch (his treat) and we all agreed on burgers. A half hour later he comes back with a brown bag and hands me my combo. I immediately notice the emblem and go:

"Yeah, thanks, but no thanks. I am not eating that shit. People die from eating at those places, man."

To which then he replies: "Oh fuck off... Just eat the damn burger. You'll be fine... Jesus Christ. "

A coworker interjects wanting my food if I didn't want it along with a joke I don't remember.

Their quips made me laugh so hard and it threw me off so much that it made me realize that I was MAYBE being a tid over-paranoid and just decided to bite the bullet. Plus, I skipped dinner prior as well as breakfast that day so I was hungry as hell.

It was good, ngl.

I'm still a germaphobe, though. That's not changing. <_<

ummm...no

they all just last forever

oh actually I don't bite my nails anymore

I had this thing where after I left an elevator with a swinging door, I had to run and touch the next door I had to be at, or something bad will happen.

Probably 2nd grade

Kradek posted...

I was one of those people who would never let the volume setting be on an odd number. In my mid-20s I finally just thought to myself "why do I even care about this? It shouldn't be a big deal" and started forcing myself to use odd numbers to break the habit. Now it truly doesn't matter to me if it's even or odd and I'm glad I removed that illogical part of myself.

Im 46 and still havent shaken this one

bigblu89 posted...

Im 46 and still havent shaken this one

I was wondering if my example would vibe with anybody else. Have you ever tried forcing yourself to use an odd number or some other method to break it or are you not concerned by it?

Vicious_Dios posted...

Ironically enough, the only thing I get from there are their tacos, and only if I'm in a bit of a time-crunch. And I didn't give them a chance as much as it was sorta made for me.

Their seasoned curly fries are pretty boss. Tacos and curly fries are my go-to from Jack.

Vicious_Dios posted...

Our project supervisor asked us what we wanted for lunch (his treat) and we all agreed on burgers. A half hour later he comes back with a brown bag and hands me my combo. I immediately notice the emblem and go:

"Yeah, thanks, but no thanks. I am not eating that shit. People die from eating at those places, man."

To which then he replies: "Oh fuck off... Just eat the damn burger. You'll be fine... Jesus Christ. "

A coworker interjects wanting my food if I didn't want it along with a joke I don't remember.

Their quips made me laugh so hard and it threw me off so much that it made me realize that I was MAYBE being a tid over-paranoid and just decided to bite the bullet. Plus, I skipped dinner prior as well as breakfast that day so I was hungry as hell.

It was good, ngl.

I'm still a germaphobe, though. That's not changing. <_<

Heh, well whatever helps one have a revelation about themselves is germane, even if it is being called out by your boss in the office. Their burgers aren't bad, but certainly not the reason I go there.

thronedfire2 posted...

oh actually I don't bite my nails anymore

Nice

Notti posted...

I had this thing where after I left an elevator with a swinging door, I had to run and touch the next door I had to be at, or something bad will happen.

Probably 2nd grade

Interesting, do you have any theories on where that came from?