To ask what weird things you do

[Herecomethedaffodils]

This has probably been asked before but I've not been around that long, so don't shoot me! I'm out on a dog walk and unintentionally I kicked a conker along the path with my left foot. I then spent the next few minutes looking for another conker to kick with my right foot so it "didn't feel left out"!?!? Please tell me I'm not the only weird one out here, what utterly random shit do you do? Please........

In the morning when I need to get up but can’t be bothered I count to 100 in my head, if I’m feeling really lazy I count to 200 and the minute I get to 200 i swing my legs out of bed.

It really irritates me when there are empty coat hangers in between all the clothes in my wardrobe so before I put clean washing away I always spend a few minutes putting all the empty coat hangers to the end of the rail

I’ve got a thing about food and odd numbers. I can’t eat an even number of grapes, or olives, or anything, so I’ll have three. Then if I have another three, deep down inside, I know I’ve had six, so I have to have another 1 or 3 to make it 7 or 9.

I make short phrases out of car number plate letters.

I do an odd counting thing with my fingers and “write” words with my finger.

I recently introduced two of my teddies to each other as I thought they looked similar and might be related 😀😀😀

@Suziebishop
I do this! I honestly thought it was only me. And I like words with even number of vowels/consonants and vowels in order too! So wierd, that some words are more satisfying than others. I also don't trust the words sky, fly etc because of the no vowel thing. (Facetious is my favourite but I never ever have chance to use it in real life)😭

I’m another maladaptive daydreamer. I can’t always do it and I get upset if I can’t. Sometimes I get so obsessed with it that it takes over my whole life.

I have to count stairs in multiples as I go up and down, so in three sets of four etc. If there are any remainders I have to count it first so I don’t finish without finishing the correct number in my head.

I can’t sleep unless the duvet is perfectly aligned. If it’s wonky or scrunched up I can’t sleep and get really upset. Sometimes I go round the bed in the middle of the night and straighten it up. It’s driven all my partners mad.

I have to eat all food carefully and in a specific way. I eat all the crusts off a sandwich first, then I have to eat it so there’s no weird shaped bits sticking out. Watching me eat a Magnum is painful apparently.

I’m always playing tunes and tapping out rhythms on my fingers. When I play tunes I have to leave the right amount of fingers between the intervals of the notes.

I do loads of weird obsessive stuff. I’d be here all day if I was to think of it all.

Does anyone worry that if they don't do their little rituals something terrible will happen, or is that just me?

@jellybutton15 @whereareallmyhairbands

I am glad to have shared my weird habit.
The other thing it does (like right now) is feel nice and cool inside my ear, as my lobe is cold!

@mapmymum you have to have dangly earlobes, not the attached kind. Not like the BFG or anything, just enough lobe!

@crochetymum oh me there’s 2 of us!! I can honestly remember doing this from when I was 10 - I’m in my mid thirties now!!! No idea where it came from!

I can't really do the ear thing. It pulls on the bit where my ear is attached to my head. Maybe my lobes are not big enough? But I don't have particularly small ears?! It has given my a new appreciation for how squishy my ear lobes are though!

I learned to touch type when I was 16. I wish I hadn't because for the following 30+ years I have been compelled to 'air type' words and phrases, going back and restarting them if I make a mistake. In stressful situations the accuracy of my typing becomes crucial as an error could lead to a fatal outcome for my loved ones, obviously.

If I remember an embarrassing situation from any time in my life I emit an involuntary squawking noise or sometimes a phrase like 'fuck off twat!'.

When I'm cleaning I give interviews about my fascinating life as singer in an all female rock group. I'm retired from the business now and live with my husband and our children from former marriages (both widowed tragically) in our huge stately home (he's a lord). I used to be a right go'er and had passionate relationships with movie stars and Dave Grohl, and also random fans.

Oh another one DH pointed out to me recently - I talk to spiders.

I am absolutely terrified of them but since having my twins I decided I have to make a real effort to not show them my phobia so I've been tackling it as best I can... when we moved into our house from the tiny flat we had been in previously, I noted immediately that we had far more spiders here (especially having the front and back garden which is something I haven't had since I was a child).

So to try and combat my fear of the big buggers that like to make our washing line their home, or the little buggers who hide inside my pegs, or the two spindly buggers living in the corner of the living room, I started talking to them.

I name them too, most recently named is Boris (after a song my Grandad played all the time when I was little) and he's a big sod, he likes the kitchen, so when I catch sight of him I will start a dialogue which continues until I've done whatever I need to and then exit the kitchen.

We have Phil and Lil in the living room, these are Daddy Long Legs spiders and are really good at keeping the larger house spiders at bay.

Outside on my washing line is Aragog, because he's massive and creepy but makes lovely webs.

I have actually found this helps with my phobia somewhat, but I'm dreading the day that DS or DD (currently 2 years old) bring me a spider in their little hands

I never drink the last bit of liquid in a can or bottle.
Tweeze hair from everywhere except my head.
Never wear socks/tights or gloves. Cannot stand having anything on my feet or hands.
If I accidentally brush against someone wearing wool or fleece, it feels physically painful.
Pick skin from lips, cuticles and hairline (I have scalp psoriasis, I try so hard not to go at it but...)
I eat baked beans individually.
Sometimes when I’m walking alone I’ll do a Crimewatch voiceover in my head describing my final moments.
I also sometimes still pretend I’m riding an imaginary horse though much less now I’m in my 40s, maybe I’m finally over the horse obsession.
I have to have the volume on at an odd number, on TV or radio etc. But never 13.
I anthropomorphise everything...

I’m sure there’s more but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

@Navisprite It’s the female spiders who spin webs.The males done’t spin, they move around and hunt.

I’ve thought of another one. I crush cans.Whenever I finish a can of drink I squish it, then crush it. I’m an absolute pro at it.I can’t stand to put them in the recycling unless they’ve been crushed. I’ve tried to teach DP but she just can’t do it. If she has a go and messes it up I feel a mixture of anger because it’s not been done properly and sadness because I wanted to do it.

I have to have the tv volume on an odd number to piss everyone else off.

I've never heard of maladaptive daydreaming before but my ds definitely does this. He becomes totally absorbed, gallops around, makes noises (usually shooting noises as he's usually involved in some kind of Star Wars/ fantasy scenario) and can be gone for ages...he's now 14 and controls it more but it still creeps out, especially if we go for a long walk.
In our family it's just called ds1's 'thinking'. When younger he described it as having 2 pairs of eyes - one that looks out and one that sees inside his head.

I tie crisp packets in a bow after I've eaten the contents. I have to do it. I've never not done it. If for some reason I ever couldn't do it I am convinced the universe will implode.
This may be a sign of arrogance on my part, as if tiny insignificant me could have that sort of effect/control of the universe right?... but just incase I always tie the packets always.

I do a weird thing with book pages when reading, and I don't even know what to call it. I sort of fidget with the page with my thumb by pressing the edge of the page into my thumb and letting it move down so it makes a noise. That's the worst explanation ever, but I've never seen anyone else do it.

Drives my partner mad, but I CAN'T read without doing it.

mamaduckbone

It changed my life finding out what it was, I was convinced I had a brain tumour or I was schizophrenic as a child!

It’s great that you know your son has it, no one knows I have it, not even my mum ,as a child I tried so desperately to hide it!

It can take over my life though, I’ve wasted a day off work day dreaming and prancing about, there’s work I needed to do but couldn’t break away from it!

It doesn't generally impact on Ds's life in that way, but he does suffer if he can't do it for a while (like if we're with other people for a long period of time.)
I guess, like everything, there is a spectrum.
(Sorry for hijacking the thread!)

My own personal weirdness is counting steps when I'm walking, and playing an invisible piano with my fingers when listening to music. Only with my right hand though.

I always feel guilty if I unplug my phone before it reaches 100%. I think it'll be left feeling frustrated, like phone blue balls.

I can’t keep my hands still. I’ve had it all my life, I obsessively pick at my nails or just rub the ends of my fingers, literally only stopping when I’m asleep. I can only keep them still when I concentrate really really hard and it’s absolute torture trying! It’s almost like some sort of hand version of Tourette’s

I do loads of these, including maladaptive daydreaming... love the description having 2 pairs of eyes - one that looks out and one that sees inside his head

Something I do but haven't seen mentioned yet is if I turn one way too much, then I have to turn the other way to even it out e.g. if I go up a few floors in a stairwell, I spin in the opposite direction when I get to the top

Omg @BuzzShitbagBobbly it’s the best feeling isn’t it!! The other day I told dh I feel sorry for him and our sons as none of them have lobes they can do this with!! He just looked at me like I’m mental!!!

And yes @BlueNeighbourhood, my grandad taught me to do that, you have to say “hello mr magpie, how’s your wife and children?” 🤣

@Whatisthisfuckery I do that with the duvet. I can't bear the feeling of it touching me unless it's completely smooth. I know it's weird but I do not care

I have a habit of picking the skin on my thumbs around my nails.