[heroreco]

I seem to have this compulsive need to physically do something repetitively. It gets replaced with new things as I age. When I was younger, I pressed my teeth, and squint my eyes, fumble with my fingers all the time, or did this weird smirk with one side of my mouth. I still do those, but I managed to reduce the teeth thing, because my dentist caught onto it. Aside from those.. all my life, as long as my memory will take me, I’ve been obsessed with tracing edges. It’s difficult to explain. An example is that I do this on my laptop whenever I wait for something to load. Every time.



Sometimes I even catch myself doing it while completely busy.

The same applies when I eat from a bowl. I’d always take my time to trace the edge with my spoon.

When I used to play Nintendo, I’d follow along the edges of the touch screen from time to time.

When I had braces, I’d feel the braces very often with my tongue.

I’d trail along the edges of my table with my hand sometimes.

Or my laptop itself.

My paper, my books, my pens.

You get the drift now.

This urge has never left me. It bothers me. A lot. I envy people who don’t have this worrying need. While alone, if I’m not careful, I’ll end up doing it for minutes on end. When I’m around others, I try my best to reduce it. But only because I’m the only person I know who does this. Heck, I even trace things in my own head. I try my best not to talk about this, because once I do, I get self conscious and therefore even worse. What is the meaning of this, and is there a way to stop it? What is the psychological trigger of this? It somewhat annoys me, so is there a way to completely make myself stop this?

[glok]

Hello, heroreco. I do not have an answer. Perhaps, a professional might help you stop?

Possibly a type of compulsion? Maybe check with the OCD forums.

OCD and Trichotillomania - Forums at Psych Central

[TheGreatAndi]

what do you mean you are Tracing it?? i have a thing that i am completely obsessed with doing and doing it unintentionally Always " kind of like your tracing " but mine is an extreme mentality problem. if you are tracing it and like tracing it in your head then it might be easier to answer, but if it is just a physical thing and you really have no thoughts or mental uhmm things working/i could try and explain it more on another post, you could just have a physical addiction to flat things... i also think it could be something like that particular thing aggervates you. such as braces on your teeth/ the nintendo thing possibly the idea of the edge covering some of the image/ and for the table can I ask what shape is it? ? ?

[heroreco]

Originally Posted by BeteNoire

Possibly a type of compulsion? Maybe check with the OCD forums.

OCD and Trichotillomania - Forums at Psych Central

I felt like this isn't the case, but I made the quiz on this website, and it says it's very likely. That seems impossible. I don't have the stereotypical wants that go with the term, nor is it critically affecting my life. But thanks for redirecting me to the OCD forum. May I be allowed to post this thread there too?

[heroreco]

Originally Posted by TheGreatAndi

what do you mean you are Tracing it?? i have a thing that i am completely obsessed with doing and doing it unintentionally Always " kind of like your tracing " but mine is an extreme mentality problem. if you are tracing it and like tracing it in your head then it might be easier to answer, but if it is just a physical thing and you really have no thoughts or mental uhmm things working/i could try and explain it more on another post, you could just have a physical addiction to flat things... i also think it could be something like that particular thing aggervates you. such as braces on your teeth/ the nintendo thing possibly the idea of the edge covering some of the image/ and for the table can I ask what shape is it? ? ?

The part where I do it in my mind is the most difficult to explain. I sometimes see/feel these inanimate, bland, transparent and yet invisible rectangle objects in my mind spinning, and tapping my brain with its edges? Or I try to trace along the edges with an imaginary hand. It sounds so psychotic now that I wrote it out loud. I'd like to say that I'm very aware I'm doing these things. In the sense that I do it so often that it's just a habit of mine, but still conscious of doing it, you know what I mean?

An addiction to flat things, you say? That might be likely. I'd be happy if you explained it in further detail to me. I used to be very fond of my braces. It was just fun to fondle with it with my tongue, and it has become a compulsive habit along the way. I still do it, somewhat. Imaginary braces. But you could be going somewhere with the Nintendo. I always felt cramped when looking at screens of any sort, as if I only see one small part of the entire picture and that there's more beyond what I see. My table is a generic rectangle shape. Of all the things I've listed in the original post, a majority of it is rectangles, next to some circles and/or ellipses. Is there a meaning behind the shape?

Originally Posted by heroreco

I felt like this isn't the case, but I made the quiz on this website, and it says it's very likely. That seems impossible. I don't have the stereotypical wants that go with the term, nor is it critically affecting my life. But thanks for redirecting me to the OCD forum. May I be allowed to post this thread there too?

Key word being stereotypical. We are all different.

I'm pretty sure it should be fine. They might be able to give you a better sense of what's going on too with their own experiences.

[heroreco]

Originally Posted by BeteNoire

Key word being stereotypical. We are all different.

I'm pretty sure it should be fine. They might be able to give you a better sense of what's going on too with their own experiences.

I deeply apologize for using the word stereotypical. You are all very different and experience your lives and conditions in a unique way from each other, and I respect this greatly. I used the wording for lack of a better one in my mind at the time.

With it, I meant the characteristics and quirks that are mentioned very often when associated with OCD, and/or things that, if I dare say, would heavily define that you'd have it. Therefore, I wouldn't exactly call myself a person who could relate to this disorder, because I don't identify with a majority of the most referred to telltale signs. But I'm not in a position to just blurt it out like that. I hope I worded this more appropriately now.

And thank you for your reassurance. I really do feel fine, as this habit doesn't critically affect my life nor does it escalate in any way. It's just something that I'm aware isn't exactly.. 'normal'? I'd prefer to stop is all.

Oh, I wasn't offended lol Was just trying to point out that just because it's what is generally accepted doesn't mean that someone who doesn't fit the exact mold can't have it.

Having said that it having a certain compulsion doesn't necessarily mean OCD I just pointed you over there because I guessed the guys in those forums would have a better idea.

Good luck.