You Are Not Alone

What symptoms of OCD do you experience?

My compulsion is the need for everything to be organized. I have lists of things that I want to accomplish in the near future. Currently on my lists, there are reminders to buy products, hem my jeans and to put together a scrapbook. Also, I have a separate list of long-term stuff that I want to eventually get done, such as cleaning rooms of my house. I even write individual lists for when I plan to go out somewhere; they include time approximations of how long getting ready will take, from doing my hair to picking out my clothes. If I don’t write these lists, I feel constant anxiety and I’m afraid that I won’t ever get [anything] done. I feel like it relieves my anxiety to write it down on paper. I realize that a lot of people are really picky about organization, but in my case, it’s taken to an extreme.

How long have you been this way?

I’ve noticed that I’ve compulsively written lists since around fifth grade.

Why haven’t you sought help?

I haven’t felt a need to because it hasn’t gotten in the way of my everyday life, it is more annoying than anything.

How much do you know about OCD?

I know enough about it to know that I possess many of its qualities and symptoms.