Is it normal that i have to "balance" every action i make?

Ever since I was a kid, I had the urge to balance out every single one of my actions. If I don't do it, I will feel VERY uncomfortable. This may include:

- If I am walking and accidentally scrape my left shoe, I have to intentionally scrape my right shoe as well. I am especially bothered by this when I am wearing new shoes as I have to scratch them up.

- If I press the volume down button on my laptop/TV too many times, I have to repeatedly press the volume up button many times to balance it out. The volume would go up too high and it shakes the apartment and hurts my ears.

- If I press the back button on my mouse too many times, I have to press the forward button a bunch of times to balance it out. It causes me to go on the page I don't want to be in and I get frustrated.

- If I accidentally brush my arm up against something, I have to brush my other arm against the same object.

There are many many more scenarios in which this may happen. Am I normal?

Voting Results
55% Normal
Based on 60 votes (33 yes)
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Comments ( 17 )
  • sparklepop

    Ohh my gosh MaeRose i do that too, even the splitting it in half if there isn't an even number! I don't feel like i have to do it either. I also sometimes do the balancing out thing, like if i nudge something with my right elbow i like to nudge it with my left. I've started to ignore the urge to do it now though, and it's becoming easier to deal with.
    I also used to like walking past an even number of grates on the ground, and if there is ever a choice of which side things should be on, the smallest is on the right and the biggest is on the left.

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  • Bananas0053

    I do it all the time and my friend think im weird when i do it

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  • Drusilla101

    It's totally normal, and yes, it IS a form of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). It's the urge to do things compulsively in order to take away your own anxiety and discomfort. What most don't understand is that you CAN stop, you just have to step out of that comfort zone. Little by little, if you STOP doing those compulsive things and let your body feel the anxiety you prevent by doing them, you will become desensitized.

    Eventually, if you stop scraping the right shoe if the left shoe gets scraped, the anxiety of not doing it will go away and allow you to live your life normally.

    You should watch the show Obsessed. It showcases people with different types of OCD, and shows them learning how to control it and manage it to live life the way they want to.

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  • I used to have this but I grew out of it! It's soo annoying!

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  • kniight

    very normal, i used to be the same way in elementary school! it wore off though. If you keep doing it you'll be stuck and probably do it forever. just brush it off and keep moving.

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  • shadow1023

    Holy crap, I've done that same thing ever since I can remember and I thought I was the only one!! Just today, I was moving screens on my itouch and I moved the screen to the left twice then I felt weird and had to move it to the right twice. I don't know why this happens but I'm soo glad I'm not alone!!

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  • Anonymusgirl

    Oh my gosh, this post made me smile!
    I am exactly like you.
    I always do that. Always!!
    Epsecially with my bodyparts.
    Like your example above.

    Woooo, I'm not alone in this!!

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  • MaeRose

    When I was younger, whenever I ate something, I would always chew first on one side of my mouth, and then equally as much/long on the other side or switch off with each bite. I still do it sometimes, but it's not something I 'have to do' or feel compulsive about. But whenever I eat skittles or other candies like that, I like to eat equal amounts of each color chewing on each side of my mouth. And if I end up with only one left of that color, I will bite it in half. Haha. And I like to eat my least favorites first so I can save my favorite for last!

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    • charli.m

      I did/do the chewing thing.

      It used to annoy the crap out of me.

      I do it now and then now, but mostly I don't bother.

      Drinking and eating used to have to be in multiples of 2 (preferably 16).

      I'm really glad I don't think of that often anymore.

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  • House

    i can't sleep in other beds or go on long trips and i get terrified every time i have to go some where because i don't know that place and i like to have everything my way.I get sick just thinking about it!

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  • hotchickie81

    Definitely sounds like OCD. I am the same...

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  • anxiety_sucks

    i used to be that way as a kid but don't really do it anymore as an adult. its a way of creating control when you don't think you have control in your life.

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    • Leviathanel

      very well said.

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  • oneofthesenightsinthefastlane

    I was like this as a kid. My mom yelled at me for "evening out" so I stopped doing it. I still want to sometimes, but I hold it in.

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  • 7221

    sounds like OCD for sure. I think everyone has a little bit of OCD. I can't touch door knobs, other peoples computers etc without feeling extremely uncomfortable almost to the point of sickness. I am a germophobe for suure. My habits have never really negatively affected my life, people think I am weird when I don't share drinks and stuff but they're the ones who get sick all of the time when I'm healthy. But if this is interrupting your daily life and causing you stress and anxiety you can talk to a doctor who can prescribe meds. I think yours is a fairly common OCD habit though. So "normal" by ocd standards :)

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    • Leviathanel

      Damn it 7221. you beat me too it. his case sounds like bad OCD. you sound like you've got it too.

      honestly though i must rebuttle a statement you made. i have NO signs of OCD and if i feel such a compulsion to even something out like such i can easily dismiss it.

      like wearing odd socks.

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  • Gullart

    Argh, I have that too.
    When I watch vids on youtube my mouse pointer must be perfectly centered at the play/pause button, else I can't concentrate on the vid.

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