Idiosyncrasies’ VS OCD

My Idiosyncrasies’- We all have them. However my doctor calls it OCD, lol. So where’s the line? What makes daily routine or habit turn from idiosyncrasies to OCD? Here’s a few of mine.

Hygiene:

• ·         When I shave it’s always the left leg first and then the right, sitting on the side of the tub using only warm water so the hot water doesn’t run out.

• ·         When I shower I always wash my hair, rinse, condition, hen wash my body so the conditioner can set on my air longer. After I wash, I shave under my arms, other areas and then rinse my entire body, head last. No other way makes sense.

• ·         Towel dry hair, body and then deodorant and lotion.

• ·         When brushing my teeth, I always start outside left top, Middle top. Then outside bottom left, middle top. Then start over on the back side, then tongue. Then run the tooth brush under water and repeat process while spitting and re wetting verses rinsing.

• ·         Pants go on left leg first always.

• ·         Socks and shoes go on left foot first always.

• ·         I button from the third button down from the top, then the second then the rest at the bottom.

• ·         I wash my hands after I use the restroom. Really meticulously in public restrooms, especially if there are other people using the restroom. I never turn on or off the faucet or open and close the doors without a paper towel between my hand and the door and flush the toilet with my foot.

Computing:

• ·         Watching somebody else use a computer drives me bats. If we’re doing something as a team, I almost always end up taking control because I can’t stand to watch other people use a computer.

• ·         Keyboard shortcuts. I use a lot of them. Switching from the keyboard back to the mouse takes too much time.

Travel:

• ·         I try to travel light

• ·         When flying, I don’t mind checking luggage, even if it’s small. I don’t want to be that person who tries fourteen different ways to cram my bag into the overhead compartment.

• ·         I pick aisle seats on long flights (I’m a bit claustrophobic). I pick window seats on shorter flights (I can look out the window and forget I’m claustrophobic).

• ·         I don’t do a lot of sight-seeing. I cower in a corner of my room.

Eating:

• ·         I tend to try all of one item before moving onto the next. Usually my least favorite items first, saving my favorites for last. If you see me switch foods, it means I like them (or dislike them) equally, but that rarely happens.

• ·         I do not like my food touching unless it’s something like gravy on a food item. However with items like Pizza, I pick off toppings one by one and then eat it.

• ·         I could eat the same things all the time and be perfectly happy with it.

• ·         My glass has to be on the left hand side of my plate always even though im right handed.

Laundry:

• ·         When folding towels, they must be folded the same way and a certain way. The must be stacked with largest on bottom smallest on top and color coordinated.

• ·         When hanging shirts, all hangers must face to the left.

• ·         Underwear doesn’t have to be folded but socks have to be matched.

• ·         Pajamas in one drawer.

• ·         Shorts in one drawer.

• ·         Pants and skirts hung up so I don’t have to iron them at a later time, again all hangers facing the left as hanging.

• ·         Shoes aligned properly and matching.(ie: tennis shoes, sandal’s, church shoes)

Kitchen/Living room:

• ·         Pantry or cabinets: the cans all have to face forward so the label can be read. All items in a row and color coordinated. Meaning green beans and asparagus and peas beside each other etc. All pasta together and stacked accordingly next to pasta sauces. All crackers and chips next to one another. Drink mixes next to one another and spices lined up accordingly.

• ·         Dishes have to be stacked and matching.  Glasses face up and in a row, big glasses to little glasses. Glasses not next to coffee cups. Those on a different shelf entirely. Sauce pans stacked biggest to littlest from bottom up, same with frying pans.

• ·         Cushions on the couch the same way always and floor vacuumed before the man gets home. Everything picked up. I’m not so anal about dusting, which can be done weekly with the base boards, and moping although sweeping hard floors daily. (Dirty baseboards drive me insane. To the point when we go to friends’ houses if they leave the room I hurry and wipe down theirs if its dirty.)

Bedroom/Bathroom:

• ·         I’m not picky about the bedroom at all. For me this is a place to retire to and relax. The door can stay closed so it can stay messy for a day or two and then be cleaned. My Kids room however has to be cleaned daily as they have friends over and if it goes beyond one day it looks like hurricane Katrina hit.

• ·         The bathroom I clean weekly unless I notice something out of place or dirty and then I do a run down. I wipe the sink down daily. 

So what are your Idiosyncrasies? Please feel free to share yours and your thoughts about these verses OCD.