Between a sensory processing disorder, autism, and OCD, I have a lot of habits I developed to help me cope with the world around me. Most of these are not great habits and I’m trying to break them, but it’s a long process.
My most notable habit is chewing on my fingers. I’ve chewed on my fingernails since I was a kid and while I had kicked the habit for a few years in elementary and middle school, I ended up picking it back up around high school and college. I like the texture of long nails but I also like the sensory input of chewing on something hard and breaking it. To make matters worse, I tend to chew on the skin around my fingertips and joints. I end up with a lot of raw skin around my fingers and sometimes draw blood. It isn’t necessarily fun for me but I don’t always know I’m doing it. My skin ends up catching on cloth and I hate it! I love touching soft fabrics but it catches so much and ruins the experience! I’m trying to chew gum to help give myself the sensory experience without damaging my fingers, but it doesn’t always work. Sometimes I get started and end up with a small amount sticking out and I apparently have to keep going to smooth it out. My girlfriend says it’s a common issue among people with OCD and sensory processing disorder.
A few OCD habits I find myself doing daily is checking the doors and oven. Our cat once jumped onto the oven and knocked the dial over just enough to let gas escape and fill the house before we noticed. Luckily, we were able to open all the windows and air out the house before causing any problems! Ever since then, I’ve been paranoid about the stove. There’s a gas stove at the house I work at too and I tend to check it as soon as I walk in the door as well just to be sure the knobs are where they’re supposed to be. I’ll even go as far as messing with each knob to be sure it’s turning all the way off before feeling safe. I also check the basement door at my house to be sure that’s locked. I have a specific way I turn the door handles to be sure they’re locked which I adapted for my car door as well. I also tend to push or pull every door I go through to make sure it’s properly closed behind me. I’m currently working on medication for my anxiety and OCD and I really hope some of these little habits quell a bit.
Part of having autism means following specific routines. For example, I have my coming home and going to bed routines. As soon as I get home, I go to my room, take off my shoes, put my stuff down, and change into pajamas. Then I can eat or decompress according to my needs and what’s available. Depending on how late it is, I’ll get on my laptop or I’ll just chill on my phone for a while. I make sure to take my meds a bit before I’m ready for bed since one is for my insomnia. Once I’m ready for bed, I go to the bathroom one last time, brush my teeth, crawl into bed, check my alarms, and turn on my music. Sometimes I’ll do one last scroll through my phone before plugging it in and getting comfortable.
It took me a while to incorporate brushing my teeth into my routine, and it’s still a struggle sometimes to maintain. I’m trying to create new habits to take care of myself better! Another habit is cleaning while I’m waiting for my lunch to cook! If there aren’t any leftovers I like, I typically make myself pasta which takes a while to boil. My go to chore is the dishes. Loading and unloading the dishwasher is a fairly simple and doable task. I’ve also been trying to add exercising into my daily routine! I know if I manage to add it to my routine, I can make it a habit and don’t have to think about it to do it! I’ve made some progress on exercising in the past, but it isn’t always easy. Life tends to get in the way sometimes and it takes a bit before I manage to get back into it.
I have a lot of bad habits I am working on but I’ve been slowly working on building healthier habits to replace the bad ones! It’s a slow process but I make sure to move one step at a time to better myself.
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