Is it normal i avoid any lines on the ground

I used to just think of it as a game but now I'm obsessed about avoiding the cracks/lines on the ground. And I say lines because even in the mall I do everything I can to try to keep my feet from touching the times because I fear a general bad thing will or could happen if I touch them once; I also make sure my left and right food step over the same amount of cracks so they are used evenly. I also chew my food so it makes my teeth evenly dirty. I try to use the left and right side of my body evenly because I'm worried it'll be bad for my health or something. The reason I'm asking is I'm tired of doing it but I feel like I can't stop.

Voting Results
36% Normal
Based on 78 votes (28 yes)
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Comments ( 16 )
  • you might have obsessive compulsive disorder. you can overcome it by forcing yourself to break the pattern. I did. go somewhere that has cobblestone sidewalks :)

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  • Jimmy•Zach•MollieMe

    OMG I DO THE SAME EXACT THING!!!!! also, when you like flip your hair to one side, to you have to do it to the other???? or like if you tap your finger you have to tap the same dinger on the other hand? YAY I'm not the only one

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    • energizerbunnay

      Yeah! :) and I'm so glad that we have this in common! We're both not alone!

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  • Gumball

    Possibly a form of OCD.

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  • "I used to just think of it as a game but now I'm obsessed about avoiding the cracks/lines on the ground"

    As a child I did this, I also tried to open street drains and climb down into the sewers.

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    • Freindly

      I once did.
      They no like D:

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      • I could never lift them up as a kid, either locked down or too heavy.

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  • charli.m

    Beware the cracks,
    Beware the cracks
    For they will break your mother's back
    Avoid the lines,
    Avoid the lines
    For they will take your father's spine
    Drain the seas,
    Drain the seas,
    For they will take you far from me...

    Sorry. I love that song.

    It depends how far this affects you. How serious is your anxiety if you break or try to break these behaviours?

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    • energizerbunnay

      Well... I don't. When I'm feeling a little relaxed I don't mind if I accidentally touch the lines but other than that I'm always avoiding them. As for the food thing I can't eat unless I'm making sure I eat evenly; when I'm eating small food like m&ms if I have one left then I throw it out because I can't cut it in half to make it even.
      I've heard that my nail and lip biting from my constant anxiety is somehow linked to OCD. Kinda weird if you ask me.

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      • charli.m

        Yeah, that's where I was going with this train of thought. If it's something that seriously impacts your life, then it could be OCD. I'm just hesitant to label that, because people so often throw that label around where it isn't relevant - and I'm no professional in a position to diagnose.

        I guess if you feel it is hindering you in life (you did mention in your post that you're tired and want to stop but feel you can't?) and is something you can't stop by yourself, then it might be worth going to see a psychologist, to see if they can diagnose and help with therapy.

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  • bananaface

    Step on a crack, you'll break your back! Step on a line, you'll break your spine! Wise words from a professional, and they're worth taking into account, for the sake of your health. I'm still recovering from a bad injury I sustained from stepping on a crack:/.

    :P Um...no, it's not normal. It seems a tad obsessive, and I'd consider talking to someone about it. It's really not necessary.

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  • Archbang

    Well, I had my own experience. It was so almost my whole life, but I successfully stopped it about last February 2013.
    I never wanted to make my left foot to step on any lines or cracks on the ground. When I do so, I 'need' to make my right foot to step on the same number of lines or cracks.
    At first, it was a game invented by me to entertain myself, and only me do it. However, it became a bad habit. Fortunately, after several years, I had successfully stopped.

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  • CloudyPachinko

    sounds like superstition or OCD, the bad kind. IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD! Look at everyone else in the mall, they are stepping on cracks/lines as well.

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  • chelsealovesyou10

    I do! I think it's normal fuck the hatred :)

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  • BirdsPeckedmyEyesOut

    OCD.

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  • suckonthis9

    Superstition.

    *WARNING: The article cited contains offensive language. Read at your own discretion.

    <a href="http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/cracks/" rel="nofollow">http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/cracks/</a>

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