A Day In The Life of Me, Suffering From My OCD...

by Lioness   Feb 2, 2011


I don't know if anyone here has experienced OCD but it can be quite frustrating as we have to keep repeating things. I thought I'd share with you only part of what I have to do on a daily basis to keep myself happy and believe that if I do these things nothing bad is going to happen...

The afternoon before I get up for work the next day, I turn on my phone alarm for 4:00am. I didn't do it right? Crap I need to do it again.

Go to bed. Wake up at 4:00am. Get up and go to the bathroom. If I wake up at 3:00am before my alarm goes off, I will still get up to have a shower. If it's before 3:00am I will lay in bed waiting for the time to pass by...

Turn on the shower. Wait for the water to get warm. Rinse my hair then wash it. Rinse it again. Put Conditioner in my hair. While conditioner is in my hair, I will wash my body. 6 pumps I have to push out of the body wash, no more, no less. Wash my body. Rinse. Squeeze my hair so excess water does not drip on the floor. Get out of the shower. Oops my left leg touched the edge of the bathtub. Make sure my right leg touches the tub to make it even. Get the towel and dry my hair and body. Put the towel back behind the door. Make sure it's sitting right. Make sure it touches the right side of your body before you walk away. Get dressed (not fully) and go back to bed til it's time to wake up again at 5:25

Get up and get dressed, take your bag and go to the car. Hubby starts the car and waits for the car to warm up. Put your hand on the handbrake. When he says it's ok to go, push the handbrake down. I get angry if he does it first

Drive to the train station. Hope that hubby parks in the same spot to drop you off. No variations. Get out and go to your platform. Make sure you use the same ticket machine when you go to the platforms. Sit in the same chair. Make sure you keep an eye on the time on the time. At 2 mins before the train arrives get up and go to your usual spot and wait for the doors to open on the same carriage you sit in. Train arrives, get in, sit in the same spot

When the train is almost at your destination, get up and wait at the door. Make sure that you get up before you can see the station. If you get up after, it's not good

Get out of the station and walk to work. Arrive at work. Open the door and check the lights are turned on. Turn on the copier and sit down. Change the date on the date stamp, turn on the computer and then monitor

Once your computer boots up, put in your password to login. Incorrect password? Not a good sign. Open your e-mail. Expand your e-mail so it opens to maximum and then click the deleted folder. Minimize your e-mail. Open up Internet explorer to intranet page. If the page didn't open up at maximum size. Close it and re open it. If you minimise the Internet Explorer and it opens automatically, close it and start again

Open up accounts system, type in your password, if you make an error close it and start again. Check e-mail. Check phone messages and get to work. Open a file or document in your computer. Make sure you click the mouse 6 times on the screen away from what you want to open before you open it. Oops I opened a document without the clicks. Close the document and start again. Keep going until you get it right

Send an e-mail. Open new e-mail. Start typing. Oops, made an error. Delete the whole thing. Make sure you use the backspace on your keyboard. If it takes too much out in what you typed, delete the whole line and retype. Try again, and again. If it happens around 6 times. Close the e-mail and start over even if you have typed a whole page.

After a long day close out Accounts System then Internet Explorer and then outlook. Make sure these were all minimised when you closed them. Shut down your computer. Get up and go home. Walk to the station. Go to the platform. Jump on the train and try to get a seat. Get up at your station. Go to the ticket machine. Make sure you put your ticket machine in the same one as before. Go home. Oops you bumped something on the left of your body, turn around and let it touch your right body. Go home. Get in the apartment, put your bag down and go to the bathroom. Have a shower, repeat as before. Turn off the lights. Oops your eyes were opened when the lights turned off. Turn them on again. Close eyes. Turn off lights again

After dinner, sit down on lounge and relax. I turn on my phone alarm for 4:00am. I didn't do it right? Crap I need to do it again...

Rinse and repeat...

~ Liz ~

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Latest Comments

  • 11 years ago

    by Lioness

    I can't believe they had the nerve to tell you that you didn't have it because of the crack thing, that is so ridiculous and obviously this person does not understand OCD at all.

  • 11 years ago

    by Baby Rainbow

    Wow!! As someone who suffers from this I am in awe that you were brave enough to write this and share this. What a great idea. i loved the way you started this with the rinsing of your hair then ending it the same way and you know as a reader that the next day will be pretty much the same and all the routines will be the same.

    I get this so much. It is so hard to explain to someone why somehting has to be a certain way.. In your own head it has drastic consequences if you don't do it right, while in the heads of others it makes absolutely no difference whether it is done right or wrong or just not done at all. It can be so fristrating can't it?

    Another thing about O.C.D is that everyone has their own personal routines and things that matter to them, a lot of people assume everyone gets the same symptoms and does the same routines. I remember one time when someone found out I suffered with this they were adamant that I then couldn't walk on the cracks on the pavement. When I tried to ecplain this never bothered me at all, they went on to say I didn't suffer from O.C.D then!

    I loved this. thank you so much for sharing this. You have inspired me to write a poem about mine now!

  • 12 years ago

    by Exostosis

    Hmmm. .quite an intresting read. I do have sufficient knowledge on a lot of disorders. But it is quite intriguing to read an individuals personal day.

    If an object touches the left side of your body, you make sure it touches the right as well, or it makes you uncomfortable. If you've turned once clockwise, you must turn anticlockwise once, to balance the act. It is understandable to want, to follow a schedule and prefer the same spot everyday. Although, yes retyping a particular part of the para must be painful, but satisfaction is achieved only when things are done in a specific manner.

    Plus the schedule of waking up in the middle of the night, taking a shower precisely and more. Must be hectic, and while others might find it to be a pain, you actually find serenity in following your ways.

    You may even have your own specific pillow and might not like for anyone to touch certain stuff. You do not like mess, even though an organized mess is okay from time to time.

    While many find it to be a pain, I find it to be beautiful.

    Thanks for sharing.

  • 13 years ago

    by No1ButMe

    I loved reading this. I also suffer from OCD, mine is 5's. Bugs the crap out of me that my name is 6 letters long, lol. Yeah I've been there. My bf makes fun of me, but I've been doing better with meds. Stay strong and if you need to talk I'm here. I really do applaud you that you exposed yourself like that. 5/5

    Svandyke

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