Obsessive-compulsive walking patterns / cracks / lines / etc.

[mmbt0ne]

No cracks.

If I do step on a crack, I step on the next crack with the same part of my other foot, even if it means completely altering my step pattern. As I'm stepping over cracks, I have to step over an equal number of cracks with each foot, so I try to make a pattern for my steps. On the walkway in the middle of campus I go 5-steps 3-steps on each section (they're not the same length).

Equal colors.

If there is tile, I either stay on one color the entire time, or have to have equal steps for my two feet on whatever other color I come across. If it's a white hallway with something like this:

w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w
w-w-w-w-K-B-w-w-w-w
w-w-w-w-B-K-w-w-w-w
w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w

I have to either step over the entire length of the decorative tiles (equal times of course) or if I step in the path of one of the colors (a white tile that is on the same y-coordinate as a black or blue tile) then I have to step on the same position tile at a later point down the hall.

It's a lot of different manifestations of those 2 things, but that pretty much covers it. I'm a lot better when I'm talking with multiple people though, so long as I can make it the whole way without noticing. If I notice halfway through then I start thinking about it and wondering what I've done so far so that I can balance it out.

[rory]

I do that too. I do it with trees if I am the passenger.

[Dave G.]

Come on guys, the answer to this one should be obvious.

It all stems from those games we played in primary school with our friends. You know, the game where if you step on a crack, you like a girl, or you've kissed a girl. This was such a horribly traumatic taunt in the day that we conditioned ourselves to conciously avoid stepping on them so as to avoid all the humiliation that was associated with it.

Yes, I exhibit some of these behaviours too.

[CIncyHR]

I never ever step on the top step of a flight of stairs.

[SpearsBritney]

OK, I'm calling BS on this entire thread. WTF????? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[mmbt0ne]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En réponse à:</font><hr />
Does anyone else, after they spin around for whatever reason, feel they have to spin in the opposite direction to "unspin" themselves? If I don't, something just doesn't feel right. If I can't unspin though, I just drop it and it isn't too big a deal.

[/ QUOTE ]

What bothers me a lot more are when I'm watching a commercial, and go into something that I don't come out of. For instance, I think there's a Zararain's commercial where the camera zooms into a trumpet while a guy's playing it to transition between scenes, but never zooms back out of the trumpet. That really really bothers me, and makes me feel like I'm still stuck in the trumpet. I think there is/was a pre-movie thing at one of the major cinema companies (Cinemark?) that did something similar to this too.

[Slow Play Ray]

[ QUOTE ]
makes me feel like I'm still stuck in the trumpet.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
ok i doubt anyone else shares this particular neuroticism but... say we're driving down the highway and someone else is driving and i'm in the back seat. Often i'll click my teeth (just kinda bite down or something lightly ) for every one line and try to do it for each white line and then stop eventually when i realizei t would be impossible to do it for all the lines.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll do this (but with me I'm generally shooting an imaginary line in my mind through the gap) between lane line markings, between open spaces where a row of cars line up, between guardrail posts, etc.

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
I used to do this, but then realized how stupid I must look taking an extra large step every once in a while to avoid steping on a crack... or doing a little shuffle step.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, whether to take the large step or do the shuffle step is a tough decision.

[stabn]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Ok does anyone else do this:
I prefer not to step on cracks when i start thinking about it, but if i'm already walking and talking to someone i won't make a big deal of it etc. However, sometimes, i'll be counting in my head the number of steps between the cracks and then trying to make a pattern out of it and if i go out of that pattern it feels a bit strange. like 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 (steps between each crack).

Anyone else do something like this?

[/ QUOTE ]

yep

[/ QUOTE ]

Not usually, but in some specific places i walk a lot that have a pattern of cracks or something similar i do.