Typing and counting

[TinaMarie1234]

I don't even realize that I do this most of the time, but frequently when I'm reading I type the words out in my head. I also try to count letters of each word to see if I can fit them into a pattern. The first time I remember doing this was in/after typing class in high school. Wonder what kind of crazy OCD behavior I must have been doing before high school and don't even remember.

Does anyone else have something like this - your brain going too fast, so you have to keep occupied and hate being bored?

Just starting therapy and I have so much to work on that I hate to add this to the list (as my life's already a shitstorm) but is this something basic that should be added to everything so we can start out right?

Thanks for any advice and commiseration.

[letteggs]

I balance words, phrases, and sentences. Every letter is either right or left sided, and words have to be balanced when I say/read them. It's difficult to explain, and a friend of mine once said that because of that I have Asperger's (She is so incredibly wrong). I find myself, when I am under a lot of stress, and/or depressed, focusing more and more on "balancing my words," physically clicking my teeth together on one side or the other of my jaw. My therapist told me that when I identify that I am doing it, I should say, "Oh, it's that letter thing, time to do something else." I'm still working with it, but when I can notice that it's happening, it is easier to stop it. It is also easier to make it not "my balancing thing" or "my letter thing."

In regards to bringing it up before something else, that is up to you. I personally did not attack this issue until I had worked out several other, bigger problems.

[oak]

Oh snap I'm not the only one.

Just today, at my data entry temp job, I was thinking back to junior high when we learned to type on IBM Selectric *typewriters* (I am 37).

Since junior high, every day, I think about what words are only one handed.

war
award
ion
lion
pin
west
dessert

I can assure you that you are not alone.

[TinaMarie1234]

Thanks to you both for replying. Glad to hear that I'm not alone. I remember the IBM Selectrics too. I even remember working on an IBM with the letters on a moving ball, which I think was pre-Selectric (I'm older than 37).

I haven't figured out which words can be one handed, but do balance out words like letteggs mentions. I need to think through my typing pattern more, as it's so subconscious at this point that I don't even notice it much. I have a long train ride tomorrow with lots of signs to type out on the way, so I'll see if I can describe it better.

I haven't brought up my OCD/typing issues yet in therapy. It's early days and we're still working on early coping skills, how I react to triggers, thought patterns, etc. Baby steps, I guess.

[fearandfreckles]

As I navigate through the ups and downs of mental illness, I often find myself drawn to online forums for support and understanding. I'm having a very tough time right now, but I ran across this post and was relieved to see other people find themselves typing like me.
As a kid, I used to rearrange numbers on houses and street signs to equal ten. It was a fun little game until I realized one day that I had to do it. And if I tried not to I'd get sick and uneasy until the math was complete.
I memorized the typing keyboard pretty early in life. It was another thing I found that I enjoyed. It was oddly satisfying. Over time, however, I noticed my fingers lightly tapping out words or phrases that I saw and heard throughout the day. If I mistype a word, I have to go back and fix it. When I'm done I hit the invisible enter button as if to send it away. Mark it off as complete. I have been doing this for over a decade and had never heard of another person with this habit.

This is my first post and I fear it is probably way too long. I'm just grateful to hear other people know what these odd compulsions are like. Maybe I'm not alone. That thought helps a bit.