[ukflower]

hey guys...lately i have been questioning some of my actions, and i dont really know if they mean anything or not but just wanted someones opinion before i drive myself mad thinking about it! i have been noticing that lately i have been slightly more cautious lately...well maybe thats not the right word, but for instance, before i leave my house in the morning, i always always have to double check (sometimes even 3 or 4 times) that i turned my hair straightner off, even tho i know i have. ill find myself outside my door about to leave, and think, i should just check, to make sure, irrationally thinking that if its on, it might just overheat...start a fire...etc etc. thats just one example, but sometimes ill do the same w/ my car in the parking lot to make sure i locked it, and other little things. the other day i brought it up to my bf and he just said i was a little obsessive but it was probably just because i worry about things. so that brings me to my question i guess, how do you know if these things are all just because i tend to be more anxious than most people, or if its something like OCD that i should pay attention to? when i was little, i used to stare at my watch until the seconds (it was digital) were a number that ended in 5 or 0, to me that seemed like a good place to stop looking. ok writing that out was really hard cuz ive never really told anyone that, i always thought it was so stupid. anyways, ill stop rambling, but any ideas or opinions would be greatly appreciated by you guys!
thanks for reading...

[Juliana]

Hi Elizuk. I do a lot of those things too. I often run back up the stairs after leaving for work just to double-check that my curling iron is turned off and unplugged. I get out of bed to make sure the stove isn't on -- even though I hardly ever cook. I also have to double-check that the back window is locked and that there are no live ashes in the ashtray. I check all those things before I go to bed, but I start worrying when I get in bed... afraid I forgot to check... and I have to get up and do it again. Sometimes I'll get out of bed again and douse the ashtray in water just to be safe... and sometimes I check under the chair cushions because I'm worried there might be a spark from a cigarette. There have been some nights when I have actually sprayed water from my plant spritzer under the chair cushions because I'm afraid there might be a spark I can't see. If my cat isn't in bed with me, I have to get up and make sure he's in the house even though I always check before I go to bed. I need to make sure everything's okay before I can relax and fall asleep though.

I also count syllables of phrases and sentences on my fingers until they end on a multiple of 5. I do that when I'm anxious. I used to do mirror-image piano fingering to calm myself down... and I had to do it perfectly or else I would have to start again.

I have never been diagnosed with OCD, though... because these little worries and rituals don't interfere in my daily life... and they were much more prevalent when I was a child. I have outgrown a lot of the rituals I had as a child. I have been diagnosed with GAD and panic disorder and depression... and I am a recovered agoraphobe.

You should talk to a doc if you're concerned about this. If it starts escalating, it could become a problem, so it's best to talk to a professional about it. Good luck.

[ickydog2006]

It sounds a lot like mild OCD to me, but you should talk to a doc if you are worried about it. Most doctors that I've talked to don't feel treatment is really necessary until it starts escalating or interferes with daily activities.
I definitely agree with Juliana though, if you're concerned talk to a doctor about it.

hope things get better

((((((((hugs)))))))

[psisci]

Keep in mind OCD is an anxiety disorder, and people with anxiety problems often go through periods of OCD, generalized anxiety, phobias etc... throughout their life.