I say this as a trained and licensed mental health professional…I think you have OCD. As someone else mentioned, it sounds like you’re spending a lot of unnecessary time and energy on all that mental math. Also sounds like you’re getting stressed/anxious if things aren’t “right.” You may want to talk to someone about this.
ETA: yes, other people think about numbers/colors/words like this…and they also could have OCD
I would just like to add that this isn't something that is constantly at the front of my mind and entirely uncontrollable. It doesn't bother me unless it distracts me in a classroom setting. If I am forced to have/do something outside of a variable of 5, it doesn't cause significant stress. But would it make any more sense if I also added that my doctor suspects me to have autism and/or ADHD?
Fair enough!! If it doesn’t bother you and isn’t getting in the way of living your life, then don’t worry about it. and yes that does make sense :) there’s lots of overlapping symptoms of ADHD, ASD, and OCD.
Yeah, that's starting to make a lot of sense. I asked if anybody else experiences having to shake to dispel excitement in another post, and the general consensus there was that maybe it's not a very neurotypical thing to do.
Yeah not super typical, but also not rare if that makes sense…it’s a self-soothing behavior that can help us regulate when feeling any “big” feeling. I have ADHD and sometimes do that as a strategy when feeling very anxious.
I would like to try to get diagnosed but I'm afraid that instead, I am just broken. Which I understand is still worth looking into, but I also kind of do not want to express what it is like inside of my head to people around me when I have done too much to match them, so I will probably continue to Schrödinger's box it.
You’re not broken! Even if a psychologist does an evaluation and finds nothing “diagnosable,” you would still get a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and that knowledge can help you make changes if you want to. Again, as a professional in this field, I can tell you that so many people feel like you do.
Thank you for this. I also have a problem with the number 4 in particular and I’m very superstitious about it, gonna screenshot this so I can look at It when my mental gymnastics get too much out of hand😭
I have to think about this one. Usually, I don't like using 1 because it's not allowed otherwise. But I did go through a phase where I needed to know everything about Roman numerals, so that gives it points. Also, about synesthesia, I don't really know? I feel like I just don't fully "have" anything sometimes, I'm just broken.
You seem to be doing very elaborate mental gymnastics for no reason. I'd force myself to get a grip and stop thinking about numbers or you'll get more and more obsessive until you go completely round the twist.
I had a phase when I was about 11 where I would be tortured by the thought I was inadvertently killing hundreds of insects as I walked down the street. I would walk looking down nervously. One day I told myself firmly that it would be part of their design not to be squashed so easily and I forced myself to stop thinking about it. I got over it (though I still try not to disturb a line of ants if I encounter it, unless it's in my pantry ;) )
Hope this helps
This doesn't really impact my life, by the way. It is just something I quietly do in my head, and if given the option, I will choose to do things by 5 if it's reasonable. I also can't stop it, it has been going on for as long as I remember, but it's too quiet for me to be bothered by it, and always has been. It's just when I focus on the number 4 do I realize how bad of a number it is.
I get it, to a much smaller scale. Everything has to be a variable of 3 for me, especially with food- 3 bites, 9 crackers, 21 grams of whatever, etcetc. Sometimes 7 is ok, but only because 3 * 7 = 21. 5 is nice for non-tangible things but feels off-putting if it's not 15. Really any number that can't get divided by 3 stresses me out if I think about it too hard.
No, I only found that 4 is considered unlucky when I was trying to find anything about anyone else that felt this way about numbers. But that does support my point that 4 is bad.
(5+3)/(5-3)=4
Also..... seconding that this absolutely sounds like it could be ocd. I have it as well. 4 is my good number but i hate 12. I have to go all the way to 16.
I know others have suggested this, but I don't think so? I don't really display any other characteristics, but my doctor does want me to get screened for autism and ADHD.
Also, I appreciate that reasoning, I will think about it.
No, 4 is good because it's divisible by two! 7 is *terrible* because, well, just look at it. What a pointless number. 5 is great, very solid, knows what the deal is. 9 is best, because it's 3 3s in a trenchcoat.
To answer your question, yes. I've always had an odd relationship with numbers. (My brother says that simply having a 'relationship' with numbers is odd)
That is WHY 4 is bad. You can't do anything with 2. It just makes more of the number 1, which feels like dandruff when you're talking numbers, which is why 4 + 1 = 5 doesn't work for me.
See, for me I know where I stand with an even number. That doesn't mean odd numbers are bad, but odd numbers are more likely to make me feel off-balance, like a vertigo feeling.
I'm loving that, even though we don't agree, we get what this is about
Edit: BTW, I am diagnosed AuDHD. I reckon your doctor is on to something
Yeah, I love this, I really don't know why it's odd numbers instead of even for me though!
And by the way, I am the other way around. Even numbers are too consistent. They are like every other even number, and definitely have something to hide. Every even number is only 1 off from a good number, which is so incredibly annoying. But odd numbers? Each and every one is unique. 5 is perfect. It does everything you need in a number. 3 makes up a triangle, which is one of the best shapes. 2 makes nothing, only a line no matter how you look at it. Odd numbers feel more balanced to me, I guess.
Edit to your edit: aw mang it's getting unanimous, last time I posted about if anyone else does something I do everyone was like "uhh do you know 'autism'"
I say this as a trained and licensed mental health professional…I think you have OCD. As someone else mentioned, it sounds like you’re spending a lot of unnecessary time and energy on all that mental math. Also sounds like you’re getting stressed/anxious if things aren’t “right.” You may want to talk to someone about this. ETA: yes, other people think about numbers/colors/words like this…and they also could have OCD
I would just like to add that this isn't something that is constantly at the front of my mind and entirely uncontrollable. It doesn't bother me unless it distracts me in a classroom setting. If I am forced to have/do something outside of a variable of 5, it doesn't cause significant stress. But would it make any more sense if I also added that my doctor suspects me to have autism and/or ADHD?
Fair enough!! If it doesn’t bother you and isn’t getting in the way of living your life, then don’t worry about it. and yes that does make sense :) there’s lots of overlapping symptoms of ADHD, ASD, and OCD.
Yeah, that's starting to make a lot of sense. I asked if anybody else experiences having to shake to dispel excitement in another post, and the general consensus there was that maybe it's not a very neurotypical thing to do.
Yeah not super typical, but also not rare if that makes sense…it’s a self-soothing behavior that can help us regulate when feeling any “big” feeling. I have ADHD and sometimes do that as a strategy when feeling very anxious.
I would like to try to get diagnosed but I'm afraid that instead, I am just broken. Which I understand is still worth looking into, but I also kind of do not want to express what it is like inside of my head to people around me when I have done too much to match them, so I will probably continue to Schrödinger's box it.
You’re not broken! Even if a psychologist does an evaluation and finds nothing “diagnosable,” you would still get a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and that knowledge can help you make changes if you want to. Again, as a professional in this field, I can tell you that so many people feel like you do.
Thank you, I'll think about that :]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia 4 = IV in roman numerals, which corresponds to 5-1, both of which are acceptable. Problem solved.
Thank you for this. I also have a problem with the number 4 in particular and I’m very superstitious about it, gonna screenshot this so I can look at It when my mental gymnastics get too much out of hand😭
I have to think about this one. Usually, I don't like using 1 because it's not allowed otherwise. But I did go through a phase where I needed to know everything about Roman numerals, so that gives it points. Also, about synesthesia, I don't really know? I feel like I just don't fully "have" anything sometimes, I'm just broken.
You seem to be doing very elaborate mental gymnastics for no reason. I'd force myself to get a grip and stop thinking about numbers or you'll get more and more obsessive until you go completely round the twist. I had a phase when I was about 11 where I would be tortured by the thought I was inadvertently killing hundreds of insects as I walked down the street. I would walk looking down nervously. One day I told myself firmly that it would be part of their design not to be squashed so easily and I forced myself to stop thinking about it. I got over it (though I still try not to disturb a line of ants if I encounter it, unless it's in my pantry ;) ) Hope this helps
This doesn't really impact my life, by the way. It is just something I quietly do in my head, and if given the option, I will choose to do things by 5 if it's reasonable. I also can't stop it, it has been going on for as long as I remember, but it's too quiet for me to be bothered by it, and always has been. It's just when I focus on the number 4 do I realize how bad of a number it is.
I get it, to a much smaller scale. Everything has to be a variable of 3 for me, especially with food- 3 bites, 9 crackers, 21 grams of whatever, etcetc. Sometimes 7 is ok, but only because 3 * 7 = 21. 5 is nice for non-tangible things but feels off-putting if it's not 15. Really any number that can't get divided by 3 stresses me out if I think about it too hard.
Thank you, I know exactly how that is, it's just with 5 for me.
Are you East Asian? 4 is considered an unlucky number there.
No, I only found that 4 is considered unlucky when I was trying to find anything about anyone else that felt this way about numbers. But that does support my point that 4 is bad.
(5+3)/(5-3)=4 Also..... seconding that this absolutely sounds like it could be ocd. I have it as well. 4 is my good number but i hate 12. I have to go all the way to 16.
I know others have suggested this, but I don't think so? I don't really display any other characteristics, but my doctor does want me to get screened for autism and ADHD. Also, I appreciate that reasoning, I will think about it.
No, 4 is good because it's divisible by two! 7 is *terrible* because, well, just look at it. What a pointless number. 5 is great, very solid, knows what the deal is. 9 is best, because it's 3 3s in a trenchcoat. To answer your question, yes. I've always had an odd relationship with numbers. (My brother says that simply having a 'relationship' with numbers is odd)
That is WHY 4 is bad. You can't do anything with 2. It just makes more of the number 1, which feels like dandruff when you're talking numbers, which is why 4 + 1 = 5 doesn't work for me.
See, for me I know where I stand with an even number. That doesn't mean odd numbers are bad, but odd numbers are more likely to make me feel off-balance, like a vertigo feeling. I'm loving that, even though we don't agree, we get what this is about Edit: BTW, I am diagnosed AuDHD. I reckon your doctor is on to something
Yeah, I love this, I really don't know why it's odd numbers instead of even for me though! And by the way, I am the other way around. Even numbers are too consistent. They are like every other even number, and definitely have something to hide. Every even number is only 1 off from a good number, which is so incredibly annoying. But odd numbers? Each and every one is unique. 5 is perfect. It does everything you need in a number. 3 makes up a triangle, which is one of the best shapes. 2 makes nothing, only a line no matter how you look at it. Odd numbers feel more balanced to me, I guess. Edit to your edit: aw mang it's getting unanimous, last time I posted about if anyone else does something I do everyone was like "uhh do you know 'autism'"