Counting

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For some reason whenever I do anything repetitive I count how many times I do it in my head. Sometimes it has to be a set number of times, like when I am brushing my teeth (20 times each side) or drinking out of a bottle (either 1, 7, 10 or 12 sips depending on what the drink is, how thirsty I am ect.) ,while other times it is until I get bored of what I am doing, like when I am stroking my dog. I never go over 100; I always restart counting when I reach it. Does anyone else do this or anything like it?

Yep, I count all the time, hence my username. I count virtually everything. Even while I'm watching TV I'm counting. I've done so since around the age of 5.

I wouldn't say I count all the time but I definitely count certain things. I always count steps when I walk up and down stairs and I sometimes count my steps when I walk outside. Sometimes I count the number of cars in a certain colour that I see. These are just a few examples.

I also do this even though I know that every house I enter will always have 14

Yep. I know there are 16 steps to the 2nd floor of my parents house. I also know there are 50 steps from where I live to the ground level (or whatever it's called). I still count them every time.

I'm guilty as charged: I am definitely a compulsive counter. Whether it be tiles on a floor, number of kittens each cat had, amount of dice I own, pencils in a box or the amount of rounds I own. It came as no surprise when I was diagnosed with OCD.

Numbers have never been my thing, thus I only count on certain situations. I wish numbers where my thing then I could have a career in a nice little office as an accountant, that would be so awesome.

For a while around middle school, I had an impulsive need to count the number of steps I took; it was really annoying because no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get the numbers out of my head. I haven't had that problem in a while now though, but I do still find myself involuntarily counting stairs whenever I encounter them, always including the bottom and top floors in my count. I've noticed that most houses have between 13 and 15 steps including both floors.

With certain things. I count deodorant swipes religiously - I change the number but they must be even. I also count small things I'm eating like crackers, cookies, chips, grapes, and eat only even numbers of them. I chew them with alternating sides of my mouth. I do the same with bites of larger things. I also sometimes count stairs or steps on floors with tiles of alternating color. On the stairs, if there is an odd number of steps, I step back up on the bottom step and jump down. On the tile floors, I try to only step on one color an make sure I take an even number of steps. So, for me, it's not about counting, but about a sense of evenness, which can be a major sensory issue for me.

I have OCD. I count lots of things I do (like sips of tea, number of times I wipe my hands on a towel) and if they're not a prime number, I get stressed out and start again if I can.

Hope that you dont take offense but:

You sound like a cross between Monk (the TV detective) and Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory!

Thats friggin' hilarious!

Well- if you dont mind standing and walking all day (non office work) you ought to consider applying to my company (or one of its competitors) in the inventory counting business.

I spend all day running around retail stores with a little computer on my belt counting merchandise in retail stores. Store chains ( Giant food, Kohl's, Victoria's Secret) hire us to count their inventory.

You OCD folks might as well get paid for your affliction!

I count things in multiples of 4. When things are in 4 groups of 4 is even better.

I stroke my beard in multiples of 4. I count the teeth in my head in groups of 4.

For me, it is a form of stimulation and an OCD trait.

I do it sometimes, especially when I'm bored and I need something to do with my brain. I count to time myself when I'm taking a shower and brushing my teeth. I count at red lights. When I have to stand in line, like at the bank or the DMV, I count ceiling tiles, lights, people coming in the door, whatever's available to ennumerate. I've heard of people bringing a book to pass the time in line, but I have trouble reading standing up, unless I have something to lean on.