What odd things do you do that others probably don't?

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joonior

Active Member
#1
Curious to see if anyone else does the same things, as well as what other people do.

I'll start:

If I'm walking on a sidewalk, I will pace/distance my steps so that the first block I step in only gets one foot for a second, the next block will have both feet end up stepping on it, the third will have one foot for a "two-count" and the other for a "one-count" so they add to 3, and the next will be both feet for a "two-count", adding up to 4. I then go back 3,2,1 and repeat. Also I will never ever touch a crack or gap between blocks unless there is no way around it.

I'll routinely do this hard to explain "flutter-tap" on the top of my head by swiveling my hands back and forth quickly in such a way that the right thumb only touches my scalp when the left pinky does, and vice versa. Kind of like a see-saw motion.

I've some kind of speech impediment that causes me to, most of the time, not be able to speak into a phone/intercom/any device that carries my voice. I'll have to cough, like I'm clearing my throat, until some magic switch activates and allows me to talk.

I'm aware it's kind of off behavior for a 32 year old, but I know there's at least one other person that does the sidewalk thing!

Now you share!
 
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Sardaukar

Well-Known Member
#2
I click my fingers when I am trying to remember something
If I have to choose left or right, I always choose right because I am right handed
I do random Jumping front kicks just for the hell of it
I prefer walking backwards to forwards, I dont know why I just enjoy it more, and every oppurtunity I get to walk backwards I take
I really like stroking cats, and If I see one I will try my hardest to attract its attention, I have even tried luring them with bits of food on a string
I open doors with my feet sometimes
 

joonior

Active Member
#3
Haha, the jump-kicking one made me laugh! Do you ever walk backwards in public view?

I thought the whole "luring cats" thing was cool, too. It's peculiar but makes me want to do it lol.
 
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#4
I stroke my eyebrows constantly OCD styley. I feel them with my fingertips feeling for the thick,sharp or unacceptably curly ones,it's a regime which requires the upmost committment and things do go wrong. If I'm especially stressed and I'm going about my work throwing caution to the wind I can end up with half an eyebrow. That brings problems because my self consciousness is then magnified when I leave the house wondering why people stare even tho I know why.
 

Sardaukar

Well-Known Member
#5
Haha, the jump-kicking one made me laugh! Do you ever walk backwards in public view?

I thought the whole "luring cats" thing was cool, too. It's peculiar but makes me want to do it lol.
lollies, no I dont do it in public, I do it in the passage sometimes,or in the back garden. the jump kick is from my karate days when i was younger, and thats just about the only technique I enjoy performing. And our neighbour has about six cats, so I am never in short supply of kitties :)
 

joonior

Active Member
#6
@Mark I'm curious if there's anything that helps keep you from doing that? I'm the complete opposite of OCD, so unfortunately I can't offer any tips. I've seen some reality shows where people took it even farther and ended up with eyebrows/eyelashes. I hope you can at the very least control it if not get rid of the habit altogether.

@Sardaukar That got me thinking, though. If I saw some man jump-kicking around the street, I'd be a little jealous! I mean, for one, he can do a proper jump kick. Two, he's doesn't give a damn what others think! So if someone gets in his face about it, well, he could always jump kick him!
 
#7
@Mark I'm curious if there's anything that helps keep you from doing that? I'm the complete opposite of OCD, so unfortunately I can't offer any tips. I've seen some reality shows where people took it even farther and ended up with eyebrows/eyelashes. I hope you can at the very least control it if not get rid of the habit altogether.

Hey joonier,I don't know if there's a way I can break the habit but to be honest I find that it gives me comfort. I'm a bag of nerves and I don't notice I'm doing it alot of the time. I last had a gf about four years ago and she used to say I looked mad with my patchy eyebrows but I look in the mirror and I don't think they look too bad. She didn't stay with me very long which I'm sure won't surprise anyone lol
 

Growing Pains

Well-Known Member
#8
I have an obsession with my hair. When I'm having thoughts I can't otherwise redirect, in a social situation that's making me uncomfortable, in one of my worst depressive episodes, and other similar things I'll do one of two things. I'll either take a lock of hair from either side and twist it until I feel it's "just right" and if I feel it's not "just right", I'll restart. Sometimes, I'm not even aware I'm doing this until someone points it out. Or I'll start running my fingers roughly through the hair on the top of my head, pulling strands out as I go.

I sing the ABCs in my head while brushing my teeth. Each set of teeth (top right back, top left back, bottom left back, bottom right back, and front) gets its own set of ABCs, so I do it four times. I do this while using mouthwash, too (one time). I'm not sure how normal this is but I know that when I told my mom, she looked at me kind of funny. Heh.

When walking, I always make sure I never step on a crack. Nothing superstitious about it. I just don't like stepping on cracks.

Everything in my cupboards, fridge, and freezer has to be facing the same way. So, if one box is turned to the nutritional label and the rest are turned to the brand label, I'll flip over the one to make it match.

This one isn't that weird, but people look at me strange when I do it... but when I walk my dogs, I wrap half the leash around my hand. It started because my late Sheltie was a puller and just kind of stuck since then. So, now I always do it.

And I fidget a lot. I'll either tap my fingers in a sort of "rhythm" or my leg in a similar rhythm. People don't notice this as much as the hair tugging and twisting. Which is good.
 

Mr Stewart

Well-Known Member
#9
This is difficult to answer for me because I think, and am fairly certain, that I have habits when talking to people that I am not aware of. I get these looks from people sometimes, and I know I don't look strange as a person and I'm pretty sure I didn't say anything unusual when it happened.

I know that I am perpetually running my tongue over my teeth, and scratching at my teeth with my fingernails. It's because I'm checking to see if there is any extra tartar that I missed when I brushed them, and trying to remove it as best as I can right then and there.
 

joonior

Active Member
#10
@Mark Well, I suppose if it helps relieve tension it's not all bad, and I doubt it's the worst thing you're worrying about.

@Sharkdogs I'm really curious if things such as my sidewalk counting and your ABC singing is rooted to some childhood activity we did as kids? They're obviously harmless things to do, but I just imagine, since they're "don't step on that crack!" and, well, singing the ABC's, that it was something we used to do that stuck with us. I don't remember anything, but my memory sucks anyway.

@Mr. Stewart do you do it to the point that your teeth suffer problems? I recall some stories about people that brushed their teeth so much that they actually lost the enamel and started getting tooth decay; I don't know if what you do could hurt 'em but I'm curious anyway.
 

ZombiePringle

Forum Buddy and Antiquities Friend
#11
I use lotion on my hands at least 10-15 times a day. Usually more.

I have a bad habit of "touching" things as I walk past. Like at work when I walk past the bundles of rolls I run my hands over them.

I have a habit of being very fidgety if I don't have distractions.
 

rx4brdm

Well-Known Member
#12
Now that's odd, I tend to avoid cracks in the surfaces I walk on also.

Another thing I noticed recently, silently repeating the last thing said in a conversation with someone face to face after they walk away. Whether they said it or I said it. Doesn't matter if it was something good or bad...
 

Mr Stewart

Well-Known Member
#13
@Mr. Stewart do you do it to the point that your teeth suffer problems? I recall some stories about people that brushed their teeth so much that they actually lost the enamel and started getting tooth decay; I don't know if what you do could hurt 'em but I'm curious anyway.
Yes, but not the teeth themselves. It's the gums that have problems. Gumline recedes because I brush too hard and scratch along the gumline with my fingernails. The dentist sold me on an electric toothbrush that works best when you just sort of rest it lightly against your teeth -no scrubbing- to break me of the habit. I still brush too hard with that thing too.
 

Growing Pains

Well-Known Member
#14
@Sharkdogs I'm really curious if things such as my sidewalk counting and your ABC singing is rooted to some childhood activity we did as kids? They're obviously harmless things to do, but I just imagine, since they're "don't step on that crack!" and, well, singing the ABC's, that it was something we used to do that stuck with us. I don't remember anything, but my memory sucks anyway.
I'm honestly not sure. I suppose it's possible. They drill the ABCs in our heads from a very early age. I can't recall when I started doing it, either, just that I do it. The not stepping on a crack thing, though, I'm sure comes from a childhood habit. If it does or not, however, I can't remember, either. My memory sucks, too. :lol!:
 

joonior

Active Member
#15
@Shark maybe my sidewalk counting is from hopscotch lol! Though I didn't play it much.

One other thing I remembered is that sometimes I'll feel like inanimate objects have feelings. Even things as simple as a spoon or something, I'll be careful not to hurt them or something. I'm 32 lol...
 
#19
1. I don't know how to exactly ride escalators. I'm having a hard time with the timing and all. Sometimes, I prefer going on stairs instead.
2. Before I sleep, I have this habit of rubbing my fingers on pillow cases (My thumb on one side, the other two or three on the other). I was doing since I was three. Can't actually sleep without doing this.
3. I frequently sigh a lot.
4. When it starts to rain, I feel like I have won the jackpot prize in a game. That is, when I'm at home.
5. I put music inside the bathroom when I'm taking a shower. Lol.
 

joonior

Active Member
#20
@Pixie I demand to know what your nickname is! I want to come up with one now...

@Claire 1st off, I love your name. Also, I find myself sighing a lot, though probably because I'm a smoker. And I love love LOVE it when it rains, especially with lightning. Do you sing in the shower? What kinda music?
 
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