Is this messy or normal?

That's why I said that anyone I know.... I was genuinely inquisitive.

But tbh what you have described isn't tidy... you've just moved the mess.

if my DH did that to the things on my bedside table i would do more than read him the riot act.

That is controlling bollocks. It isn't a mess it is normal.

OP needs to work on her issues.

OP you are being lovely to ask but unreasonable. It's his side of the bed and it's not impacting you physically and it really isn't a very big pile. I have the same number of books as that open and part read on my kindle, it's not excessive.

It’s not a big pile, but it is a bit of a messy one. I think I’d have to straighten everything up to be able to ignore it - although if it was my DH’s, I’d probably make him put it in the drawer or just put it on the floor between the bed and bedside table so it wasn’t so obvious

Mmmm, not true, sorry. Some of us cope with being inherently messy by being super tidy. My desk was absolutely clear every time I left work at the end of the day.

All my paperwork is in one drawer. The draw is a complete mess filled in date order no matter what the subject, so finding anything is a nightmare but it's in that drawer and out of sight.

You couldn’t bear to see a pile of books/magazines on a bedside table?
Are you exaggerating for effect, or do you have issues?

I have to say, whilst I didn’t think the original pile was massively messy, I have a real hatred of piles (of anything and everything) that isn’t stacked neatly and properly. Properly being that all piles have to be sorted by size. All “piles” have got to be stacked by size, ie bigger things on bottom and then going up in decreasing size. So whilst I wasn’t particularly bothered by your original photo for the messiness angle, I have to say - using that weird expression! - it made my teeth itch. And made my toes feel curly 😄 I honestly can never get my head over “teetering” stacks of anything! This goes as far - and perhaps this is one of the worst things - as crockey/pans etc in cupboards!! Oh lord, they drive me up the absolute wall!! I can’t bear it and have to put them “right”!
surwlynthere must be others who feel like this?? 😂

Its not messy. I think you need to allow him (and yourself!) at least one space in the house where you force yourself not to intervene or pass judgement (i accept that is hard for you). My bedside table is messier than DH (just face creams, books, glasses not mouldy food!) . He likes tidy and I dont really care, I'd be super pissed off if he messed with it. Much like your DH i keep the rest of the house tidy along with him as I know thats what he prefers. Bedside table though = personal domain!

You know that’s not a mess. That’s not ADHD. However, you could buy him a decorative storage box to chuck it all in to sit on the bedside table (I do this because I have ADHD and make a mess and it actually triggers my NT DH).

And yes, you need to give your head a wobble.

Some people with OCD are messy - depends on the type. (In many, OCD is to do with overthinking, etc.)

I have an official diagnosis of OCD. My paperwork was always in perfect condition inside my filing cabinet at work, but on top of the filing cabinet...

However, it's more recently been suggested that I also have ASD and ADHD. I'm nearly 66, so I'm not bothered about looking for another diagnosis.

I am the same as you OP, and that would be way too messy for me - I like clean, clear surfaces and no clutter.

My husband is "normal" and even for him it would be too much for a bedside table.

One or two books in use and other items such as glasses that are of use would be fine to be left there

I find that messy and would straigten the books and put the tablet packet lined up with the corner of the table. I may be borderline OCD.

I think that’s pretty tidy - more tidy than my DH’s!

Well they’d have to be in a storage basket by the bed.

But he needs them by the bed. That's the point of a bedside cabinet.

Not there

That’s what you call organised clutter.

Put away where? He obviously needs the pills at night/morning and he probably also reads in bed so the things belong there.

We should never get married. It's not going to work.

That's what my bedside table looks like immediately after I've tidied up.

Within twenty-four hours there'll be a couple of empty teacups, some Digestive crumbs, a bottle of contact lens fluid lying on its side, a green interdental brush, possibly a couple of dead batteries, an empty blister pack of Gaviscon tablets and a magnetic phone charger that I can't find the lead for.

All this will mean that things are back to normal and I needn't worry about tidying again for at least a couple of weeks, when the cat knocks over a nearly-empty glass of Merlot.

Its a small pile of books and a packet of antacids.....
Its your husbands bedside table.
Normal by most peoples standards.
YABU absolutely unreasonable.

I must admit that's a bit messier than I'd like, especially with that cable thing.

I'd do something about it if I had House and Garden coming to do a shoot in my home but other than that that one is a leave it be mess op.

There are real issues in the world: that pile is not one of them.

It's literally the definition of enforcing your opinion on someone