The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
[NEUROSES] Your OCD, phobias or irrational actions. Read rules in OP before posting!
joshofalltrades
Class TraitorSmoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
Class TraitorSmoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
This is a story/experience sharing thread. This is not a poll thread. In fact, I'm going to center, capitalize, bold, underline, color and make huge the following rule so everybody gets a clear message here:
Okay, now that's out of the way, let's talk neuroses.
Everybody to some degree has some form of neurosis. Some of us are totally or partially socially inept (to a degree that can be diagnosed), some of us are irrationally afraid of certain things -- even ordinary everyday objects, and some of us exhibit strange behaviors or rituals that others would probably lift an eyebrow at. The really odd thing is that every single person on the planet has these quirks to a degree, although some are extreme and readily apparent to a casual observer, and yet we call these abnormalities.
This thread was created because I'm interested in your special quirks and how they affect your everyday experience, or perhaps a comedy of errors in which your particular brand of neurosis was the catalyst. The purpose is to become more aware of how we are all abnormal, and that is actually what makes us completely human and normal.
I'll start. I can not sit on a public toilet seat without first wiping it down somehow, even if it looks totally pristine. The toilets at home are just fine, though I know for a fact others use them, and while they are never gross, oftentimes they are far from pristine. I've been trying to at least be consistent with this but it's difficult because I'm just somehow more comfortable knowing who has used the commode. I'm well aware this is totally irrational.
Speaking of toilets, I avoid urinals like the plague. Just don't like anything about them; their exposed nature, the way they never seem to flush properly, just no. If a restroom only has a urinal, or the commode is just so nasty that I don't want to get near it, I will use the urinal in an emergency.
Okay, now on to a particular phobia I have. Even before I ever saw Psycho, I've been freaked out by showers. I take them every day, but I can't shake this dread I get when the curtain is closed. I am always fearful of someone with a knife/gun getting into my bathroom when I'm totally vulnerable and just murdering me right then. I typically use clear curtains if the shower in my home doesn't have a clear sliding door (my current one does) for this reason. When I used opaque curtains before this, I would constantly peek above or around the curtain to ensure I was alone, even though I almost always locked every single door in my house leading towards my bathroom before I got in. I can't describe the dread accurately and I don't know if I'll ever get over it. The only thing that helps a little bit is not being totally home alone and knowing I'll get an advance warning if something bad is going to happen.
Now let's hear yours!
THIS IS NOT A POLL THREAD. DO NOT POP IN TO MAKE A POST LIKE 'SPIDERS' AND THEN DISAPPEAR. IF YOU DON'T HAVE MORE TO CONTRIBUTE, DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD. ADDITIONALLY, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO MOCK OTHERS FOR THEIR ODDITIES. I WANT THIS THREAD TO BE A SAFE ZONE.
Okay, now that's out of the way, let's talk neuroses.
Everybody to some degree has some form of neurosis. Some of us are totally or partially socially inept (to a degree that can be diagnosed), some of us are irrationally afraid of certain things -- even ordinary everyday objects, and some of us exhibit strange behaviors or rituals that others would probably lift an eyebrow at. The really odd thing is that every single person on the planet has these quirks to a degree, although some are extreme and readily apparent to a casual observer, and yet we call these abnormalities.
This thread was created because I'm interested in your special quirks and how they affect your everyday experience, or perhaps a comedy of errors in which your particular brand of neurosis was the catalyst. The purpose is to become more aware of how we are all abnormal, and that is actually what makes us completely human and normal.
I'll start. I can not sit on a public toilet seat without first wiping it down somehow, even if it looks totally pristine. The toilets at home are just fine, though I know for a fact others use them, and while they are never gross, oftentimes they are far from pristine. I've been trying to at least be consistent with this but it's difficult because I'm just somehow more comfortable knowing who has used the commode. I'm well aware this is totally irrational.
Speaking of toilets, I avoid urinals like the plague. Just don't like anything about them; their exposed nature, the way they never seem to flush properly, just no. If a restroom only has a urinal, or the commode is just so nasty that I don't want to get near it, I will use the urinal in an emergency.
Okay, now on to a particular phobia I have. Even before I ever saw Psycho, I've been freaked out by showers. I take them every day, but I can't shake this dread I get when the curtain is closed. I am always fearful of someone with a knife/gun getting into my bathroom when I'm totally vulnerable and just murdering me right then. I typically use clear curtains if the shower in my home doesn't have a clear sliding door (my current one does) for this reason. When I used opaque curtains before this, I would constantly peek above or around the curtain to ensure I was alone, even though I almost always locked every single door in my house leading towards my bathroom before I got in. I can't describe the dread accurately and I don't know if I'll ever get over it. The only thing that helps a little bit is not being totally home alone and knowing I'll get an advance warning if something bad is going to happen.
Now let's hear yours!
joshofalltrades on
0
Posts
Seriously, though, I can't think of any specific phobias but I do have a few OCD things going on. I'm particularly paranoid about locking things - before I had my apartment which just has a deadbolt that I have to lock from outside when I leave, I would regularly get out to my car and go 'Did I lock the door'?, then have to run back and check even though I had locked it.
I also have a thing about keeping my fingernails short. As in, if I can clip it it gets clipped, so it's about every 2-3 days. If I don't clip them I'll pick at them (which is far worse).
I can hang off the top of a mountain staring down a sheer cliff and not blink an eye. I can rock climb without gear.
But skyscrapers? Tall bridges? Rollercoasters? Get me down from here, fffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...............
Just something I do I guess. Some people think it's weird. Other people say they do it too, but most of the time they just say that because when I check they aren't really avoiding.
That's really interesting. What goes through your head when you're on a tall man-made structure?
How do you feel about skydiving?
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
1) Talking on the phone. Just in general. Phones suck. They're useful for certain types of conversations but I'd much rather talk face-to-face if feasible. If that's not feasible, then I prefer email.
2) Inflexibility. When somebody says "this is the way its gonna be" without opening it up to on-the-fly changes, whether it's a travel plan or a work procedure, I'm likely to get very irritated very quickly.
3) Feeling trapped. This is similar to (2). And I don't mean 'claustrophobia' exactly, as confined spaces are fine. It's not having an exit that bothers me. So at work, I need to be able to walk out and take breaks. I don't like being in the middle of a big city unless I have a sense of where the city ends. (San Francisco and New York are fine because you can see ocean from a lot of places. Denver is fine because you can see mountains. But Los Angeles? Looking around from a 12th story window and seeing nothing but gridlines as far as the eye can see? FFFFFFFFFFFFFF...)
4) Moths. As long as they're chilling on a wall or something they're cool. When they start to flutter around and get unpredictable, they need to go outside.
5) People who reach for the radio or climate controls while I'm driving. If I'm driving, I'm in control of the car. That includes the music and air. Ask first. (Similarly, I'll give you the same courtesy when I'm driving.)
I probably have more that I haven't thought of yet.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Cliffs though? Fuck that shit.
Not sure when this happened, I've never been afraid of heights for as long as I can remember.
Basically "this structure may be unsound and could collapse at any moment." It's completely irrational.
I don't really have any problem with heights. I'm excited to one day skydive. I enjoy cliff jumping. I love bouldering. I'm basically fearless as far as climbing / hiking go.
Rappelling is another related fear. Climbing a rock face? No problem. Rappelling back down it, relying on equipment? No thank you!
I'm only half joking, I have come close a couple of times and it bothers me.
I think I have a mild form of this. Particularly when there is foam everywhere and I can't open my eyes; I feel very vulnerable.
Also I hate wide open spaces. Complete reverse of claustrophobia. There's probably a name for it but I'm not sure what it is.
Agoraphobia. My Granddad has it.
Also: dolls and mirrors in darkened rooms (why, I have no idea since I am not in any manner superstitious and do not believe in ghosts, posession, etc.), and I have a strange (but not really very life-impacting) fear of there being hordes of poisonous water snakes lurking in our nation's rivers, streams, and lakes.
I don't generally put myself in situations like that in real life. I always feel like I may suddenly decide to just jump or something.
However, I've noticed that when I fall in games, especially MMOs, I actually experience the feeling of falling and get the same thrill/panic feeling when I accidentally walk off a cliff or something. The same feeling you get on rollercoasters and stuff.
Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
MH3U Monster Cheat Sheet / MH3U Veggie Elder Ticket Guide
Now that I think about it, I think I have this too. It's not about being murdered though, it's just the general feeling of helplessness.
Oh yeah, I think one thing that scares me is the idea of being both blind and deaf.
Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
MH3U Monster Cheat Sheet / MH3U Veggie Elder Ticket Guide
I know it's pretty irational since the chances of being attacked by a shark or other marine predator are really low. But I just don't like floating in water if I can't see what's under me.
Rigorous Scholarship
Stagnant water, runoff, freshwater parasites..
I mean sometimes I talk and in the middle I start on a VERY different topic from the beginning and I procede to get way off course and people seem to enjoy it.
Then I get to work, and customers don't like that very much.
I can be talkative and I am not shy but I can never focus and it's hard to sit still and my hands always need to be busy.
It's very irritating some days. I can't take meds for it either because the meds make me angry.
Just a twisted thing.
3DS FC: 5343-7720-0490
I'm also very picky about how my food is prepared, like if I get a burger it has to have nothing on it so I can put it on myself to make sure it's done "right", otherwise I'll just completely lose my appetite. It's just as frustrating as it sounds.
I also vastly prefer drinks to be cold, especially milk. If milk gets anywhere above ice cold I can't stand it.
I have a really annoying habit where I am constantly tapping my fingers, always in even-numbered taps. It's annoying because I'll do it for some long without realizing it my hand will suddenly cramp up and I'll realize I was doing it. Only with my left hand. I have no idea why.
I can't stand being around more than 5 or 6 people at a time. I tend to avoid any place that will have a lot of people in close proximity. If I have to go to Wal-Mart or the like I will go at 1 in the morning when there are few people there.
When I was younger I had a lot of paranoia's that took years to conquer. I was irrationally afraid of any kind of medicine. I would have a raging headache and refuse to take a aspirin or Advil.
I constantly thought things were going to kill me. I was always checking my pulse, convinced I was going to have a heart attack, at like 16 years old. I was always paranoid about choking for no apparent reason.
For a long time they thought I was a hypochondriac but I never exhibited any of the long-term symptoms, I never became entirely convinced I had one or more things specifically wrong with me. I wouldn't drink or do drugs (Which wasn't such a bad thing), I was terrified of having sex for fear of contracting AIDS (Before and after losing my virginity). I was a bit of a mess as a teenager and these things had a major effect on my social life. Most of them I eventually grew out of or stopped focusing on.
Battletag: Kain#1658
I also pull the blanket over my ears while I sleep so nothing will crawl in them. I can't sleep without socks on either.
When I eat I don't like my food to touch. And I don't like my food to touch the counter or table. If something falls off my plate onto a table it becomes inedible and if someone else eats something off a table it freaks me out.
I also have social anxiety and have to wear a jacket when I go anywhere. I'm not sure what having a jacket on does but it kind of helps with the anxiety, it doesn't make it go away though.
You cannot have a phobia of being murdered. Phobias are irrational fears. It is entirely rational to fear being murdered.
Which means I have anxiety about pretty much everything, without exaggeration
As in, I'm at a restaurant and I can't decide what I want to eat oh god there are so many things on the menu oh shit I can see the waiter walking this way oh god I can't decide fuck fuck
As an example of a mundane situation where I freak out internally
I think you can have an irrational fear of being murdered. If you don't go to the grocery store because you think the lady at the checkout counter is going to jam some scissors into your skull, I'd say that would be irrational.
---
I have a little social anxiety and don't like to go to new places or large crowds by myself, but I consider that a pretty minor issue and it doesn't interfere with anything except maybe my social life. And I don't like public toilets either.
Like I'm actually somewhat excited for 11:11 11/11/11 next year.
The odds of being murdered randomly by somebody walking into your house while you are showering are pretty low, like 1:1,000,000,000 or something.
Same for me.
I had a pretty bad freakout when I was snorkeling in hawaii at one point, over near Captain Cook's Cove on the Big Island. We had to swim to and from to the zodiac that brought us there, since they were anchored where the shore line goes from about 20 feet to a fast drop off of 200+. I basically pointed myself at the zodiac, shut my eyes, and swam as hard and fast as I could when it came time to leave. I was totally convinced that something was coming up under me, and when I slipped on the dive ladder back into the water, that uh...that was bad times.
I do want to get a scuba cert, though.
And not the terrible film, either.
It's usually the result of seeing some movie or hearing a story. When I was a kid, a friend told me about a dream in which a blood-covered hand had pushed open his closet door from the inside because it was left open a crack. I am now creeped out by partially open closet doors at night. I've heard all manner of tales about saying things into a mirror and having bad things happen to you; I refuse to look into a mirror in the dark. After watching The Ring, I couldn't look at a turned-off TV in the dark without getting a serious case of the jeebies.
I'm not afraid of anything actually happening to me; I'm not afraid that someone is going to jump out of the closet and kill me. I'm just nervous about the possibility of seeing something scary. Like a fear of being afraid. (Which I'm aware is an actual phobia.)
My fear isn't debilitating, or anything. It just makes me avert my eyes every now and then.
And I fucking hate earwigs, dating back to a time when I lifted a big board in our yard and saw a solid blanket of the little fuckers. Then I found one crawling inside my shirt when I went back inside and flipped right the fuck out. Still not a phobia, but I hate those things and refuse to touch one unless there's nobody else in the house to get rid of it.
Switch: US 1651-2551-4335 JP 6310-4664-2624
MH3U Monster Cheat Sheet / MH3U Veggie Elder Ticket Guide
Were you playing to Chopin's Ode to a Botched Appendectomy?
Yes.
Oh man I do this to, but only with the parents of friends. Like, I know I should just call them by their first name, but I can never bring myself to do it. But then I can't call them Mr/s So-and-so, either, because that also feels wrong. So I just don't address them :oops:
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
It's even worse with phones. I've actually started shaking at the prospect of having to cold-call someone.
Steam | Twitter
there's just something wrong about it
Also, I have an incredibly tough time showering or taking a deuce when I know there's someone in the next room. I can pee just about anywhere anytime, but for whatever reason taking a shit just does not work.
Much like Kilroy, I have an incredibly tough time starting conversations with people I don't know well. I can continue a conversation with anyone or have them start one, but if I try to start one, I just lock up.
Also, mummies.
Feel free to add me on whatever network, it's always more fun to play with people than alone