Does anyone else count everything?

[Canopop]

I count everything, not in seconds or anything meaningful just arbitrary counting. Just caught myself counting while I’m filling my mug from the kettle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I know it always takes 7 to fill my green mugs … is this normal do other people do this? It doesn’t impact my life remotely and I’m very chill person nice job lovely family etc no trauma… just thought maybe it’s not completely normal to count everything but maybe it is?

Yes I’ve always done this. I count the numbers on number plates. Add them together, then add what that is until they make a single digit number etc. I also prefer it to end up an even number. And I’ll count the amount of letters in signs, then add that together etc. I absolutely despised maths at school and failed it at GCSE. I am ND though.

Yess ! I do this ! 5 rinses of cups / glasses before I use them, count to 10 before I stand up . Lots of counting here!

I do, I pick a number and see if I can tidy a room counting what I touch as I clean. I count my steps, road markings, lampposts 🤣 god I sound like an absolute nutter.

Ah, my people! I do this all the time, though I'm often barely aware I'm doing it.

When I do notice it is when I start trying to count two things at the same time - say I'm boiling the kettle to make a cup of tea and (without really being aware) am counting until it boils, then start making cheese on toast so start counting how many grates I'm doing but I'm already counting for the kettle...

I've discovered it is possible* *to count two things at the same time, one kind of becomes background counting and the other more deliberate.

I count the steps between the house and the shop every time (usually 180), always count cutlery as I take it out of the dishwasher, I count more when I’m stressed as a distraction.

I do. I put down to adhd 🤷🏼‍♀️ not sure if that’s why I do it or not, but even though it drives me nuts, I can’t stop.

an example, putting my vitamins in a series of little compartments for the week: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (that’s the CoQ10), 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, (that’s the fish oil capsules) 1, 1, 1, etc for the next supplement. I can’t stop the counting in my brain.

Absolutely. I constantly make equations out of car registration numbers which sounds niche but I recently found out my dad does it too.

I do this so much when my husband asked how much vanilla syrup to put in my coffee I said “2”, perfectly reasonable to me, of course I meant pour to the count of 2

I can honestly tell you I have never counted a single thing like this. Why would I?? I am amazed so many of you do!! I can imagine it might make you quite peaceful as your mind is focused, I feel as if I have too much other stuff to be thinking about to waste my time counting for no reason. But it sounds like it gives lots of you lots of pleasure? Comfort? You all sound adorable anyway!

Fascinating thread! I’m definitely more for words than numbers & make lists all the time. When I was a little girl, I would go into a room & describe everything I could see ( silently). I particularly remember doing that at my maternal GM’s house & found it very comforting. I do have a lot of rituals & sometimes wonder if I am ND. As pps have said, I love how our brains work & how we all have quirks.

Not sure this counts ( pardon the pun 😂) but I can’t be doing with the petrol pump rolling onto the next penny! I think there are lots of folks like that thought

Oh yes just remembered I count train carriages as one goes past.

I count the letters in words and I have built up such an internal dictionary that I know instantly if a word has an odd or even amount of letters in it, I only like words with even amounts of letters in, street signs with an odd amount of letters make me uncomfortable, My children all have an even amount of letters in their names, this was not an accident!
I do realise I sound insane.

Not so much now but when I was little, I couldn’t leave a room until everything was arranged at right angles to everything else. I still “ straighten” when I’m upset or sometimes in the middle of an argument. DD16 actually said “ Stop straightening Mother” the other day!

This doesn’t sound insane to me. I wrote up thread something similar with words and number plates. I’m ND.

I count things I see. So windows, bricks etc. If I'm sitting I'm counting. At the dentist I count the ceiling tiles, if I'm in a meeting I'll count whatever is in front of me - books on a shelf, lights well anything. If I'm in traffic I'll count the lights on the back of the car in front. One of my son's does it as well, my other kids think we're both mad.

Yes I do that and I also just remembered if I’m stopped at a 4-way traffic light (there’s one on my way to work) I count the cars that go through each way it’s usually 13 or 14 cars, if a big lorry comes then that is reduced to 11 or 12 🤣

If you’re mad then so am I and evidentially a lot of people 😁

I 'trace' number plates in my mind. I figure out if I was writing them, which way has the shortest joins between letters e.g. LJ19 would be 'nice' because the letters flow to each other whereas JJ42 wouldn't flow so well.

I don’t count but I add things up- house numbers, number plates when in traffic, always until they are single digit. Probably ND but not diagnosed.

Counting strokes in lane swimming. I generally lose count easily so the lengths are counted in pairs to simplify that number, and I count the strokes on each length- handy for foggy goggles!

When I started open water swimming, my brain wasn't sure what to do with itself and I had to get a waterproof MP3 player to keep my brain happy

Not counting, but I do anagrams. Street names, packets, adverts etc. I'm quite likely ND waiting for an assessment)

Just realised I have another weird obsession. I have a strange compulsion to throw objects into the air clap my hands and then (hopefully) catch them. Like anything and everything, cups, glasses, remote control. haha so weird!

Haha I’m too clumsy I’d drop them but I love this