An obsession with checking things

RubysGold

RubysGold

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I annoy myself sometimes on a night. I cannot leave the yard without going through a routine of checking the horses have everything and all locks are on
This takes over 5 minutes, and sometimes when it's raining or I'm late I wish I didn't have to do it. But if I try not to/cut the routine short, I don't even get into my car before I'm back in the yard double checking.
Tonight I was almost done when Jimmy headbutted me, and I ended up starting the routine all over again.

It really is the most annoying habit I have.

I check the tack room is tidy and lock it, I check the hay barn is tidy and lock it. I then check both stables have hay clean bed water and lights off (I check 3 times even though I'm on DIY, and have just done it all) and then I often go through it all in my head one last time before starting to check the two locks on each stable door, now this can take 3 checks or 20 depending on my state of mind and whether I'm worrying about something.

Do you have to check things too? (probably not to the same extent I guess)
 
I am always like this, with the horse and my other animals, 4 birds and a hamster, I have a checklist I run through before I leave them as they don't live with me atm! It's a complete nightmare, but I'm glad I do it as it puts my mind at rest, if I didn't if give it an hour before I return to the yard!!! Interested to see if anyone has gotten over this obsession though?!
 
I used to do it with my work when I was in kennels as I had heard people forgot to bring the dogs back in and had been left out at night! I used to check, double check and triple check which became quite obsessive.

At the yard I'm not so bad but I have a routine so often this means I won't have forgotten anything like locks or gates.
 
A good friend of mine is an OCD counsellor (not saying you have this) and she was saying some of her clients take photos of the things they need to check as "evidence" to reduce the time and worry of checking routines.
 
Yes I do this. It is an OCD and first became evident when I was given the responsibility of looking after a neighbour's horses. Checking and rechecking the door bolts, and tack / feed room. Then it transferred to my car as well and now is is more with my own home than with my horse that the checking occurs. Again a feeling of responsibility / liability if anything were to go wrong. It is worth you trying to get control of it as it can really take over and hold you up when time is of the essence. I have had periods of greater control over it than I have currently - change and stress exagerate it. Speak to your doctor if you can and or look into CBT - cognitive behavioural Therapy. You can train yourself out of it to a degree. I really wish I was the sort of person who could push a door shut and know it was locked!
 
Cbf, I do it in other places too. My car gets checked a lot, and if I have anything in my hand I have to take it to the house before going back to check the car is locked.
I am a dog walker and check the house doors a few times, and occasionally have to drive back to a house to check the lock, including my own house.
And each xmas I am asked to look after a ladies rabbits, omg it takes me so long to leave because the hutch has 4 doors with small locks (I worry they could open and let the rabbits out!) then I have to check I locked the patio door and then make sure I locked the front door and put the house alarm on
Every job takes me so much longer than it should do!
The worst part is when I know I did something, like lock the car, I know it's locked, and I will stand still, trying to rationalise it, tell myself I don't need to go back, but a.few moments later I have gone back to check
 
I find myself checking and double checking all doors, lights and taps repeatedly. Has only started since we had my elderly mare pts, think my brain thinks I forgot to put her to bed so it's checking what else I forgot. Plus I'm 8 months pregnant and quite baby brained!
 
I really feel for those that have this compulsion, as a caretaker, one of my tenants did this, to the extent that he would have to do his checks all day if needed, I used to go through his flat with him, watching him check his taps, gas off, locks on etc, then literally walk him to the bustop, he often wanted to go back to double check, but I would just say "remember, we both checked gas/taps/locks" and keep him going to the bustop, seeing him onto the bus, I am OCD in certain areas, like hanging washing out, it has to be a certain way, or my tea sugar and coffee tins have to be in the right order, but doesn't affect me living a normal life
 
I double and triple check the stable and tack room are locked. But my worst thing is the iron, particularly when my OH leaves the house before me, I take a photo with my phone to prove to myself I've left it unplugged.
 
Haha thankfully I only have the one on DIY buy I check my area in tack room is clean then feedroom then haybarn check net is there for the morning then check pony. Water-hay-feed given(if night) check under rug then go home!
I thinks its ok we all have a little OCD!
 
It's a quite common behaviour, and on the verge of being a little obsessive compulsive.

I do it with door locks, stable locks, straightener plugs, heater plugs. Making sure all off or locked. I'd find myself pushing the same door 10 times to check if it was locked. I lock my car 5 or so times while walking away from it.

I've found the 3 ways to get around it. First before I check I tell myself I'm going to check this lock 3 times. (Only!) I'll then check it quickly 3 times. Then as I walk away and get the pang of "did I lock that door?" I know the answer is "yes, 3 times"
The other way is to thnk of something extremely odd at the same time as the action. Like locking the office there is an odd scratch on the door. I lock the door and look at the odd scratch and think something daft like" that scratch looks like a N!" Then when I walk away and worry if I locked it, I think "yes, you did while looking at the scratch!"
The final way, if it's something which I really need to make sure is done right, is taking a pic. This is rare though, maybe once a year :)

Don't let the thoughts annoy you, be confident in what you did, and just be decisive and sure when you do the action :)
 
Yes, not only do I have to check everything twice, three times I have even driven home and worried so much I've gone back or texted a friend it check while they were there!!
I have found that having a word (I use rainbow?!!?) and saying it while locking the door (and wiggling the lock!?!) helps as I get half way home and start to worry and I just think "rainbow"
I change the word once in a while so I don't get complacent!!!
I do the same with my doors at home (I have x3 to lock!!) and even the cooker even though it hasn't been on since the night before!!
 
CBFan said:
Yes I do this. It is an OCD and first became evident when I was given the responsibility of looking after a neighbour's horses. Checking and rechecking the door bolts, and tack / feed room. Then it transferred to my car as well and now is is more with my own home than with my horse that the checking occurs. Again a feeling of responsibility / liability if anything were to go wrong. It is worth you trying to get control of it as it can really take over and hold you up when time is of the essence. I have had periods of greater control over it than I have currently - change and stress exagerate it. Speak to your doctor if you can and or look into CBT - cognitive behavioural Therapy. You can train yourself out of it to a degree. I really wish I was the sort of person who could push a door shut and know it was locked!
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As above - seek professional help before it invades your life. I used to be PCD about the way the yard looked and drove my workmates nuts. Not a blade of straw or a shaving dare show itself or I'd be sweeping again. After 12 years of medication I am over it all and can enjoy life without the stress.
 
I do!

I walk round saying things out loud!

Ponies have been fed, have hay/haylage, water. Water is turned off, all gates are shut, electric is on, tack room is locked! If I don't do this I worry all night!
 
Yes I think there is a fine line between being responsible and checking doors and locks and it becoming an obsession. My thing is going up and down the yard checking all stable doors are shut - they are sliding doors and some are a bit stiff. Missed one once and horse was loose within the barn - no harm done but its made me paranoid! I seem to be one of those people who if I do a job I have to do it properly (belt and braces approach) - if I ever cut corners or take short cuts it comes back and bites me where other people get away with being slapdash!
 
I think it's normal, but perhaps not the bit where you started again cause you got head butted?

Like HaffyChristmas, I find that if I say things out loud as I do them, I find it easier to remember it's done. So if I say 'that's locked' as I lock the tack room for example, when I wonder five minutes later if the track room is locked, I seem to have better recall. Not exactly normal, but it makes my life easier.
 
RubysGold said:
It really is the most annoying habit I have.


"before starting to check the two locks on each stable door, now this can take 3 checks or 20 depending on my state of mind and whether I'm worrying about something.

Do you have to check things too? (probably not to the same extent I guess)
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Its a bit OTT but better to double-check than forget some thing. BUT- locks on the stable door?? what if theres a fire?
 
Hackie said:
I think it's normal, but perhaps not the bit where you started again cause you got head butted?
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I know it's not a normal thing and doesn't excuse it but I find being anxious/worried makes me worse and when he did that it made me start thinking about how daft he is being lately. But I know he'll improve when I can ride him over xmas, he's just got a lot of energy right now
 
Unfortunately I'm the opposite, I'm always forgetting to check things.
For example, forgetting to lock one of our horse's doors, forgetting to check that everything is in the lorry before going somewhere, only to remember when we're halfway there! :rolleyes3: Or forgetting to bring the wheelbarrow back from our 'bottom' stable block to our main one.

Think yourself lucky! :)
 
If it's taking over your life then you should get help.

Otherwise I wish more people were that careful about checking door bolts because I'm fed up of having to get out of bed at 2/3/4am to put a loose horse away! It would be fine if they'd just wander into a field and graze until morning, but no, they have to clip clop around the yard (it's always the shod ones!) squealing at the other horses over their doors causing a commotion.
 
RobinHood said:
If it's taking over your life then you should get help.

Otherwise I wish more people were that careful about checking door bolts because I'm fed up of having to get out of bed at 2/3/4am to put a loose horse away! It would be fine if they'd just wander into a field and graze until morning, but no, they have to clip clop around the yard (it's always the shod ones!) squealing at the other horses over their doors causing a commotion.
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Luckily it was my Father's horse I forget to put the bolt on (she just LOVES food), and the stable block where she is, is in the field, so she just walked out and ate at the hay ring, but I was back with her water bucket in about 5 mins, so thankfully she didn't have time to get into any form of mischief!

It must be really annoying being woken up at that time to retrieve a loose horse, my Father's horse also has an annoying habit of banging on her door to get attention, at 4am sometimes! :( The downside to having your horses at home :D
 
I double and treble check locks, I even take a photo of the padlock on the gate and tack room, so when I'm at home , and start wandering . Did I lock the gate etc, I can look at my phone and see that I have :-)
 
This thread could be written about me.... But i know if I've checked and checked, I've checked and I can rest easy when I leave...
 
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