OCD!!

I think I have a mild case of OCD; No, it's not a disease and No! It’s not contagious.
FYI, OCD = Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

My suspicions of OCD were confirmed, in part, this morning when I felt the intense need to tie the shoe laces of a guy who was walking in front of me. He was not in the least bothered that his long shoe laces had come undone and this bothered me even more. I somehow resisted the urge and went along my not so merry way.

I do not know if I'm just über concerned about these things which I'm tending to categorize as OCD, but some of them are -

I just can't stand to see water running from any faucet wastefully. The first image that flashes in my mind is of all those thirsty children in Africa (how noble of me, right? :P). I'm proud to report that I've turned off several taps/faucets/water outlets in places that vary from the very obvious restrooms, kitchens to the not so common laboratories, parks, museums and stations. If there is running water, be doubly sure that I'll turn it off. A dripping faucet is one of my worst nightmares.

I hate clutter and sometimes feel compelled to organize things optimally; 'Optimally', being the key word in that statement. Things need to be first categorized and then organized by color, size, frequency of use and then ease of use. I'm sure most people are this way when it comes to organization, so this might not be OCD.

I sometimes find myself thinking of ways to optimize my way around the house with the chores that I have to do so that I wouldn’t have to go back and forth, is this being OCD or is it being efficient? Whilst I'm optimizing the path in my head I realize how useful lessons that I learnt in Graph Theory (Travelling Salesman, anyone?) are in my everyday life

Spelling mistakes drive me nuts, especially if I'm the one making them. (God forbid if this piece contains one). Every email needs to be proof read at least twice before hitting the 'Send' button. After sending out the email I need to go check the mail again in the 'Sent Items' folder just be sure it went out correctly. Lately, I've been a little reckless with my email sending habits by bringing down the proof reading count to 1 and by not bothering to check the 'Sent Items' folder.

So there you have it, my list of things which I'm very 'particular' about. I used to be germaphobic but I'm not anymore; one thing I still do is hold my breath for 10 seconds every time someone coughs or sneezes - I think that is adequate amount of time for all the germs and viruses to float away in the wind, right? :)

Is it worth it?

"Words just like eggs should be handled with care because eggs once broken and words once spoken can never be repaired"

Anger is one of the most self destructive human forces. Unbridled anger's aftermath is always ugly. Have you ever found yourself brimming with anger and ready to spew venom? After you have vented, have you been guilt ridden or shocked with the outcome after the initial pleasure of relieving yourself of your emotional burden?

Anger manifests itself in many forms, from physical violence to harsh words. Although very few of us resort to physical violence many of us do express it using words, some of which can be very hurtful to the receiving party. They say that we tend to hurt the people we care about the most; so, the person at the receiving end of your rage would most likely be someone who is of some significance in your life.

Regardless of the sources and targets of your anger consider the below points before you vent....

Is it really worth hurting someone to resolve my hurt?
Will hurting them resolve my issues and make me happy?

What will I gain/lose from this? Am I ready to live with the consequences that this will lead to?

Will I be as angry about this tomorrow?

Am I angry because my ego was hurt? Am I at fault too?
Is there a better way to resolve this?



Thinking things through will give you a clear picture of the situation you are in and how things may unfold. This will not only provide you with an opportunity to cool down but will also enable you to reason and deal with the situation constructively.

Although you may feel like you've lost an opportunity to vent and show your one-upmanship you will be overjoyed with the self restraint that you have shown and the damage that you have averted.