To have a bit of a thieving compulsion?

[WhoopImMaking6BucksAnHour]

Am I the only one?

At the beauticians when left alone to undress/get dressed/get up... does anyone else look around and have a bit of a compulsion to steal something? I actually never have but the thought always crosses my mind.

I had a friend a few years back who was having a lot of Grindr 'booty calls' (for want of a different phrase) and he told me about how he'd gone to this guys house and got down and dirty in the lounge and then the guy said 'I'm going to have a shower, see yourself out' and then left him to get dressed and leave. The first trying I asked was 'did you steal anything?' 😬

Is it just me!?!

OP, it's not just you.

I have this as well, although like you, I would never actually steal anything.

It's more like the thought is 'could I get away with stealing this?'

I think for me it stems from coming from a relatively poor background, one of 6 kids, etc.

I'm the same with food, I eat way too quickly, because if you didn't get your share quickly my house, you could miss out altogether.

The irony is I'm scrupulously honest outside of my mind (always hand money/belongins in, tell the shop assistant if I've been undercharged etc).

I don't really worry about this, as it's in my head and no one else knows that I have these thoughts that I don't act upon.

Another symptom is that we have substantial savings, but I hate spending money on myself (comes from feelings of unworthiness).

Sometimes when I get stressed I feel compelled to do something I wouldn't normally do like not go to work spend money I dont have run away to the beach get on a train never look back

It's not just you OP (but obviously isn't everyone either)

I don't get these thoughts very often now but I definitely did when I was younger

As long as you don't act on it then it's not a problem

No I do not have that problem thankfully.

I had this when I was a teenager. And I have never stolen anything. But I would work out the viability of knicking stuff in different ways and the likelihood of getting away with it. I think I must have been a bad'un in a past life.

I don’t either and I don’t think it’s normal for it even to cross your mind about pushing anyone (stranger or not) under a train.

For those saying to do something like think about stepping in front of a train - it's apparently called the call of the void... something along those lines.

When driving along a road I sometimes think what if I don't turn at the bend and just drive straight on ... into the wall or over the bridge... it's just the call of the void.......... but luckily it's just a thought and we don't act because we are 'currently' of stable mind!

I occasionally have the thoughts, but I have never acted on them and I don't think I ever would. I also have intrusive thoughts about bridges, knives etc. and regularly jolt myself awake when I'm drifting off by suddenly thinking of awful things that could happen to my loved ones. For me it's an anxiety thing.

I wouldn't want to steal anything but I work somewhere where members of the public use part of the building and things get stolen all the time.
Even loo roll / soap / mouse pads!
So it must be quite a common impulse.

I even had my coffee mug stolen once. My colleague had her handbag taken which was inside a closed drawer.

It's just an intrusive thought. Similar to the jumping from a height ones I get an urge to stand up and shout something really loudly in a quiet meeting. Never done it thank GOD!

I don't act on it but YES. Not at peoples houses or anything, only if I'm ever left alone in a doctors surgery/hospital room/office/dentist etc. Like, I don't need to steal a load of dental sticks or post it notes but if I can see them I WANT THEM SO BAD. Proper itchy fingers about it, have to really restrain myself 😂

@somewhereovertherainbowwayuphi

I don’t either and I don’t think it’s normal for it even to cross your mind about pushing anyone (stranger or not) under a train.

What is 'normal'? No one is normal.

@wLuytgNx I have this with driving too

@WhoopImMaking6BucksAnHour So glad it's not just me. Is it anxiety, is it the call to the void is it because I just want to end everything..... I have no idea. It's so weird. I am not suicidal at all and very happy with things but then I get those thoughts and I think .... how strange! But like I say we can stop ourselves acting on it because we are of sound mind but what if a day comes when we aren't......

@wLuytgNx I think with me it's a case of 'I could do that' I don't think it's anxiety driven but tbh haven't looked into 'the call to the void' will read up on it tonight during feeds. I wonder if the impulses are worse when tired etc?

These are intrusive and impulsive thoughts. If you find they become unmanageable you may find counselling or indeed mindfulness helpful.

i do aswell!!! it can be anything!!!!!

Nope. No compulsion to feeeve anything here!

I like the phrase 'the call of the void'. Edgar Allan Poe called it 'the imp of the perverse' and wrote a short story about it - the urge to do exactly the wrong thing in a given situation just because you could. So if it isn't 'normal' for some people it is certainly a recognised part of the human psyche. I suppose it is a self destructive urge that is closer to the surface in some than others - for me it is jumping of buildings and driving my car off the road - also jumping in front of trains. Just don't ever actually do it!

Yes I get this often but never act on it.

Apart from when I did actually steal a birthday card a few years ago, the two shop assistants were chatting at the till, completely ignoring me standing there waiting to pay, and I thought “I could walk out of here right now and they wouldn’t even notice” and before I knew it, I did... blatantly walked out with the card in my hand in full view.

No it’s quite common. Isn’t it called the devil on your shoulder? It’s like when you’re walking over a high bridge or cliff and get a weird urge to fling yourself off

I don't have a stealing urge, but when somewhere is really quiet I always have the urge to shout/swear really loud, and I imagine all the shocked faces.

I'm really shy, so never would act on it, I just want to!