Sunday, June 20, 2010

I Think I Might Have a Problem

Can you have specific OCD or does it have to infiltrate your whole life? I wrote a while back about my OCD when it comes to my shoes and their care and storage. Generally I'm a little messy, I'm a piler (a piler, not a plier) of books, magazines, etc. It's fortunate for me, on so many levels, that I have a weekly housekeeper because it forces me to clear horizontal surfaces and put things away in preparation for Ana's Tuesday visits.

I'm pretty certain I'm not a germaphobe but I might be heading that way. I have never liked having my hands dirty for any length of time. I get to soap and water ASAP and always have wipes in my purse and car.

These are some of the habits that seem to be growing and which make me wonder.....

After ordering and closing the menu in a restaurant, I either use hand sanitizer, wipes, or head for the nearest restroom. Who KNOWS what was on the hands of the last diner? And I need AT LEAST two napkins; one for my lap and one for my hands and mouth. An extra one just in case is good, too.

I really don't care for finger food. I'm lucky I can eat a sandwich. When eating chips or nachos, I wipe my fingers off on a napkin or paper towel every two to three. Grease! Although I CAN pick up a slice of pizza, it's not uncommon to see me use a knife and fork. But I LOVE pizza so I struggle through. Chicken wings, another favorite, are a serious problem.

Shake my hand? (Remember, I'm in business and meets lots of people) There are wipes in the car. I even tend to wipe off the steering wheel of my own car before tossing it into the trash.

Remotes in hotel rooms? Wipes. Keyboards & mice in libraries, etc.? Wipes. There are more, I'm sure, that don't come to mind immediately.

But what brought this on this morning? The newspaper. I was putting yesterday's paper in the recycling bin and had to move a copy of our little weekly paper. I love it but the little paper is not clean; the ink comes off the newsprint and makes my hands black. Not to mention the ink sometimes comes off the paper and gets on your clothes. Good thing it only comes out once a week.

Our daily and Sunday paper is clean! I was so thrilled when they announced that change a few years ago. I'm one of those who still prefers to read the paper in its orignal form. Good thing it's clean, I don't think newsprint would stand up well to hand sanitizer and wipes!

9 comments:

~Kristen~ said...

I think you can have specific OCD...at least that is my story and I'm sticking to it! lolol :-) There are definitely things I notice I am OCD about but it has definitely not infiltrated all areas of my life....yet. ;-)

Sultan said...

I have some OCD tendencies although since my stroke they seem much less pronounced. I had a cousin who had a fairly sever case of it treated successfully with Anafranil.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I know that since the swine flu I have been using sanitizer all the time!

Pam said...

I am the complete opposite of a germaphone. It would never occur to me to wipe my hands after handling a menu (until now. Thanks).

I do think that some of these tendencies can become exaggerated as one gets older. As long as it's not interfering with your life, I think you're OK. Just keep the wipes handy.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I think we all have our quirks, if I can call yours a quirk. I often think of my steering wheel - shopping carts, gas nozzles. Wipes are a good idea. Not thinking about it all is also a good idea. Makes it easier.

A 2 Z said...

Hi,

Long time no hear. Interesting post! I was just watching a new show on Discovery entitled Obsession. Oh! My Word! Watch this show just once Sandy and you will feel much better. I cant even write about it. Take care!

Anne-Marie

Crone and Bear It said...

The older I get the more OCD and ADOS (attention deficit Ohhh Shiny!)I become. There are little bottles of sanitizer everywhere in the house and in the car and in my purse. I have a package of Lysol wipes I use on "handles" of things - doorknobs - remotes, phones, my laptop keyboard - anything and everything...even EmmaLou, Golden Destroyer's paws. I was in a hotel last week and I wiped down every possible surface I might come into contact with. Then to make matters even worse - because of my back issue, I have to do special back exercises which require me laying on the floor on a yoga mat. I didn't want to put my yoga mat on the floor of the hotel even though it looked clean. But I did...and then (horror) I used 2 wipes on the surface of the mat that had touched the floor. Yeah...OCD - it kinda grows on ya sweetie. Hugs! quick - grab a wipe. ROFL - no wait u touched the floor laughing, grab another wipe! snort!

Ashley Ashbee said...

Hi Sandy,

Sorry these issues are affecting your life so much. It's obvious you are troubled by them.

You clearly aren't comfortable with your habits. They seem to be interfering with your life.Regardless of whether or not you have anything clinical, I think you should talk to your doctor about this and seek some kind of therapy. Have you considered this yet? If not, is it because you are afraid of stigma?

Take care. Your pictures area amazing. Keep at it.

Unknown said...

I do not have OCD issues with germs, now other things like how things are organized or arranged, yep I'm weird.

As others have said, if it starts changing how you live, then you might need more than just wipes and sanitizer.
Not sure I'm happy you told me about the menus, I never thought of it. I'm guessing library books are out of the question?

 

Blog Design By Lindsey Joy Design © All Rights Reserved.