OCD over everything in the house being in perfect condition

[Wellwellwellwhatsallthisthen]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone has experienced anything similar to this.

I've always had this, but it seems to have intensified in recent years. It's especially worse when I'm stressed. Basically, I need everything in the house to be in perfect condition. So for example, if I notice a tiny mark on the wall, I will have to paint it immediately. Or if something gets chipped or scratched, I can't think of anything else & will usually have to replace it.

On top of the normal housework that we all have, I have a constant list of DIY jobs to fix things that aren't perfect, and each time I tick something off, something else gets added. I feel I'm constantly battling the house, and I never get to enjoy it as I feel I can't relax until everything is done. It's absolutely exhausting.

Nobody else would ever even notice the things I do. I'm trying to challenge myself by leaving things imperfect but it's so hard!

We don't know how long we'll live here, it's not our 'forever home' but oddly, when I'm fixing things, I think of the people who will view our house, and everything being perfect for them, even though I know by that time they will probably renovate.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? Did anything help? I had CBT for OCD many years ago but that was more for 'checking' OCD, which did improve.

Thanks!

Anyone? 🤔

I am like that, I don’t fight it though. I think it stems from childhood. My childhood home was a complete embarrassment.

That's really interesting @DustyMaiden - mine was the same. So much stuff everywhere to the point of hoarding, accompanied by my parents never fixing anything, the house slowly fell into disrepair. I think I vowed that mine would never be like that, but I have gone to the other extreme!

I'm also like this. I have a constant mental list of jobs that I MUST do around the house.
I have no idea why I'm like it, I just can't stand disorder in my home. Maybe because my mind is so disordered 😂.
I just embrace it now, it keeps me busy and I try not to let it bother/affect anyone else.

I became like this after having my daughter, it was like nesting gone mad. It makes me really stressed and anxious if I see a chip of paint or a dirty cupboard door etc and I'll then stop what I was doing and sort whatever it is out straight away. I seem to be in a state of constant hypervigilance at home, scanning the house for things that aren't right. Part of this I attribute to my ex who wouldn't ever notice anything that needed doing let alone do it, or clean, or pick up off the floor so I felt like the entire house and it's condition was my responsibility eg if I left anything I noticed no one was going to do it but me.

I also feel the 'mind being disordered' part...which might explain why it's worse when I'm stressed 🤔

@Iggityziggety Yes! Hypervigilance is a good description. And I also have to do things immediately...the idea of doing it tomorrow or next week makes me feel soo uncomfortable. It's just so frustrating that I can't ever relax in the house, because there is always something that needs to be done.

Yes I have this too & it's awful 😓 It's absolutely exhausting & probably stems from a chaotic childhood with hypervigilance, as pp's have said. Plus I'm in the disordered mind club too 🥴

Looking back, I had no idea I was living in a chronic state of stress as a child & adult.

Now I have Autoimmune conditions & M.E/CFS & mainly bed-bound. My house is a shit tip & the first few years were horrendous to accept it was going that way. Made myself much worse trying to keep up with it.

It's taken me about 4 years to accept that:

A. I can't get up & get this stuff sorted without severe relapses.

B. No-one else in the house cares that much about it and certainly won't carry out the jobs that I feel stressed about in my timeline.

I'm not well enough for counselling sessions or CBT right now (other stressors) but if you find a route to ease this, I would strongly recommend it.

Q: Does anyone suspect Neurodiversity might be involved too? I suspect I might have.