Any Perfectionists out there? - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Message Board

manically yours · 09-09-2005, 03:14 PM

It's sad that I sat here for 20 minutes trying to figure out how to start this b/c I have such a problem with things looking "perfect".

Some examples of my obsession:
-Every few weeks or so I rearrange my apartment.. various items, my bed, etc.
-Whenever I go anywhere I always want to buy something to add to my apartment, mostly things that are artsy or anything that really stands out and says "buy me".
-My desk is messy but organized when something is moved or missing, I find myself consumed with the though of fixing it and until the situation is resolved. Until that time, I can't concentrate on anything else.
-Often anything that I write or type gets checked over a few times. Revised, rewritten, and often totally deleted when the frustration of my work takes over.
-If someone had a necklace that has become backwards or whatever, it bothers me enough to tell them to hold their thought while I fix their necklace or do it while they are talking to me not even realizing it.
-I think white-out and the backspace button are the best inventions ever.
-Alot of times I make "to do" lists that I rarely follow through with after spending 20 minutes thinking of what should be on the stupid list.

There are many others but I'm already frustrated with how this looks so I'll leave it at that. I'd really just like to know if anyone else does any of the same things so I don't feel like such a weirdo.

hry33 · 09-09-2005, 06:24 PM

I think all anxiety and OCD sufferers are too perfectionist

manically yours · 09-13-2005, 10:26 AM

That's hilarious with the rough draft thing!! It's great that you can make light of the situation. Been there and done that with the planners. Try being in labor and on your way out the door all you can think about is how your dishes were put in the wrong cabinets!!

I'm glad there's someone else out there who's like this since I was beginning to think the world was full of un-organized people against me

sinnister81 · 09-13-2005, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hry33

I think all anxiety and OCD sufferers are too perfectionist

Im not a perfectionist. I have real bad form of ocd with unwanted intrusive ugly thoughst that i wont go into, but here my theory. Some people's mental illnesses are brought to the surface by some extreme stress and the ocd sometimes attatches itself to that stressful situation somehow. example, a new mother has a baby stresses her so much it brings out her ocd and she has thoughts of strangling her child. I also think that some peoples ocd ends up brought up to the surface if it hasnt been forced out by stress or trauma, therefore someone who might not have had any kind of trauma might obsess about arranging things etc. I beleive the mind needs something to associate the ocd with and to those of you who have it with rearranging things germs etc be glad because at least your type of ocd is beginning to be understood and hopefully you talk about it with people. Thats my theory at least on trauma ocd vs natural occuring ocd. Heh, all i wanted to do was show that not all ocders are perfectionists, look what it turned into.

GatsbyLuvr1920 · 09-13-2005, 08:34 PM

If you mean that I spend over an hour drawing one person in a picture or that I literally cannot go on in a book until I fully understand every single word in the sentence before I can continue or that I organize my CD's and DVD's by favorite/arrange my books by size and author, then yeah, I'd say I'm a perfectionist...

-GatsbyLuvr1920-