First, a disclaimer. Medical advice is not given at these sessions, but we do preface each session with some basic information. Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder is exactly that, a disorder. It is treatable, often with medication. Our object was NOT to make fun of anyone suffering from this disorder, we only wanted to share our own obsessive/compulsive secrets.
There are a few that we are all familiar with, like toilet paper. An overwhelming majority of Mensans are "over" people. Some of us are sufficiently obsessive about this to have actually changed the paper in homes we visit.
And then there are stairs. Many of us count the steps as we go up or down. (It might have changed last night...) No one seemed to be stressed out by escalators, with their indeterminate number of steps, but nearly everyone who gets in an elevator must press the appropriate button, even if everyone else has already pressed it.
At least two of us share a problem with sliced bread. We simply MUST use two consecutive slices of bread to make a sandwich, otherwise the sides don't match. One person has to sort the jelly packages by flavor when he eats breakfast at a restaurant. No one mentioned putting the sugar packages in order by type, but I am sure someone does this.
Several of us are stressed out by waffles. We have to have equal amounts of syrup in each pocket of the waffle, and have to cut the waffles into equal sized pieces. Round waffles are especially stressful.
One person must sort his French fries by length before he eats them. I don't recall if he started with the shortest or the longest. I also recently discovered that a business acquaintance puts black pepper on his fries. That isn't obsessive/compulsive, that's just plain weird.
And then there are M and M candies. We learned that several people have specific ways of sorting the candies and eating them. Sorting them by color was a common obsession, but then it gets complicated. Some prefer to eat different colors until they have the same number of each color. Then they eat one of each color until they are gone. Others just eat them in order until they are gone. So, sort first, then argue about whether to eat the odd ones first or last.
When it comes to eating food, there are a number of techniques we employ. Some eat a bite of each thing on the plate or plates, in order, until it is gone. Others eat all of one thing, then move to the next thing. Someone else could not eat and drink at the same time, she had to eat all her food first, then she finished her beverage.
We learned of someone who only wears blue clothing. And others who button their shirts only from the bottom, or only from the top. Some of us count the hangers before we do laundry, to make sure they equal the number of shirts.
One person saves the ends of the thread she cuts off. Another saves the pieces of material she trims off, no matter how small. Each has several boxes of this in her garage, and neither knows why she does it.
I have a problem with rolls of stamps. If you put them in the dispenser, when you pull one off with your right hand, it is upside down. They are apparently made for left-handers. When I told a friend that I have to reroll my stamps so they dispense properly, he noted that all I had to do was turn the envelopes upside- down, so the stamps would be right-side-up. Obviously, he just doesn't understand.
Oh and getting back to food, one person has to turn all the upside-down cakes upside-down in the bakery section of the supermarket where she shops. I don't think anyone else did this, but many thought it was a good idea.
By now you have probably thought of a few things that you do. Maybe you will be able to attend one of our sessions and tell all. If not, you might consider conducting one of these sessions yourself. I will guarantee that you will be rolling on the floor with laughter.