Confessions of a Neat Freak
On Christmas Eve nearly two decades ago, my father said to me, “Santa won’t come if you don’t have a tidy room!” After I was finished tidying, he would inspect my dresser to make sure I hadn’t just shoved all the clothes in there without folding them first (which I tried quite often).
When I was young, my mom and grandmother would tidy the house together some weekends while exclaiming, “Mrs. McGillicutty is coming!” Mrs. McGillicutty was, of course, a fictional person used to create a sense of urgency and motivation for them.
As I got older, I realized that cleaning my room was rewarding. Once I kept my room tidy for an entire month straight to prove I was responsible enough to take care of a budgie.
When college finally rolled around I realized that nobody was nagging me to keep things clean but I still felt this need to have things ‘just so’ in order to get motivated in other aspects of my life. A two week teacher’s strike and the subsequent rush to finish projects and sleep deprivation gave me pneumonia. I got pneumonia again a few months later and a year later I got mono. I also have fairly bad asthma and I’m prone to lung infections.
At some point, my need to have things clean was influenced even more by the fact that I have a weak immune system. Â I carry hand sanitizing gel and I don’t like large crowds of people because I feel like they’re breathing my air.
Wikipedia says:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder most commonly characterized by intrusive, repetitive thoughts resulting in compulsive behaviors and mental acts that the person feels driven to perform, according to rules that must be applied rigidly, aimed at reducing anxiety by preventing some dreaded event or by resolving a more nebulous sense of tension
I’m not saying I have OCD, but sometimes I’m pretty darn close, especially according to Chris.
Before I cook a meal I HAVE to have the kitchen completely sanitized. A few times Chris has tried to speed things up by inadequately washing the dishes or starting to cook before I’ve wiped off the stove top. I have literally freaked out, started crying and pushed him out of the kitchen. It’s way too stressful for me not to do things in my order and to my satisfaction.
I hope other people have this complex too or else I might really be crazy!
OCD isn’t all that much of a disorder so long as you keep it in check – and the kitchen bit I definitely get – first thing I do each evening upon getting home is clean the kitchen, empty the dishwasher, stack the dishwasher, clear the living room, turn the heating off – before I even take my coat off, and always in that order. Means I always have a clean & tidy flat, and, as convenient as it would be, I don’t let my brother do it, as he won’t do it to my standard.
On the other hand, my work desk is a pile of empty mugs, dust, and random crap.
@Maxwell Lamb: There’s a difference between having OCD and routine. OCD can not always be kept in check. I know. I have it.