i am neurotic.

I’m from Northern Ireland and I travel a lot with my work and when I go to other countries (Americia espeically) they can never tell where I’m from. They always guess Ireland or England and it annoys me so much but I can’t correct them. I just go along with it because I think it’s rude to correct someone I just met. I can only correct them if I’ve known them for a while that way it doesn’t seem so bad.

I have to adjust my throw pillows on my couch EVERY time someone gets up from it.

When I eat sandwiches or toast I have to eat the corners first, then all the remaining crust, then I bite it into the shape of a circle. At this point I fold it in half, make a perfect half circle, then eat it however I please. I tend to avoid eating sandwiches.

When going into a bar or restaurant I have to sit with my back to a wall. I can not stand sitting in the isle. It makes me so nervous that some one will spill something on me or trip over me or something else. I beg the people I’m with to let me sit with my back to the wall. If they don’t let me I become really fidgety and shake and stuff. The only place I can sit that doesn’t have to be against the wall is at the bar, I have no idea why.

I mentally divide the towel I use for showering into different areas for distinct body regions. I use one side for drying my body and the other is divided into zones for the ears, face, and hands (because I use this towel to dry my hands, and I know where each part of the towel is when I hang it up).

Whenever I have missed calls on my phone, I have to go through them and delete them from my list until it says 0 missed calls. I don’t want anyone to see my phone and think I ignore people.

If I walk by those little pop up plastic sprinklers after they have finished watering the lawn, I have to step on it and make it snap back down into the ground before I can pass.

I always wear a bike helmet when cycling. Not because I am afraid of injuring my head, but for fear that if I end up in a hospital the doctor will not try and save me if I wasn’t wearing a helmet.

I have to eat chips one by one that i specifically select out of the bag. I can’t just reach in and eat any chip i grab. I prefer the flat round ones and will only eat the curled ones if that’s all there is. I always feel disappointed in the curled chips because they aren’t as good.

When I was a kid (around 10 or 11) I read a lot of books written in the first person. As a result, I would narrate all of my actions and words in my head. For example, when I would make myself a sandwich, I would think to myself, “I opened the refrigerator and took out the cheese and mayo. ‘My brother ate all the turkey again,’ I thought with dismay.” Once I actually wound up saying to my mother, “Mom, can I go to Lisa’s?” and then, without meaning to, added, OUT LOUD, “I asked.” At that point I realized I had a problem and started forcing myself to stop doing it, but I still catch myself doing this from time to time. I’m now 30.