Reno

You're definitely not alone with this, my dear. Like you, I felt I was on something of an island for so very long. What an amazing breath of fresh air it was to discover that I wasn't the miswired freak I thought. As a bonus from your response, I gather that you're British (?), which means my oddity stretches well beyond the limits of my own small world. That's...pretty cool. Anyway, I've learned to embrace my quirks, or "ticks" as I've always referred to them. There's a small part of me (an admittedly silly part at that) that's afraid that if the "ticks" go, then so does my creative nature. I mean, how can I be sure that these ramblings in my mind aren't just the words and hobbies of a bored muse trying to pass the time until he gets to work again? I know, odd, but still, that thought is there. So, I embrace it, work around it when necessary, and allow myself to feel that it sets me apart somewhat in a world where I've rarley felt that at all. Cheers to you as well, and take care of your own "ticks." They just might turn out to be your favorite part of who you are in the end! By the way - my name is Steve. You can call me that if we ever cross paths again. I do not know your name, and I know your post is from almost one year ago. I just made an addition to this forum trying to explain my condition, but it is really hard for me to explain it and always has been. Then I stumbled across your entry and felt like you and me are exactly the same and do exactly the same things. Pretty awesome, as I thought I was alone with this obsessive counting thing. Cheers!

Hi Heather. I know your post was put up a while back, but I've only recently stumbled on this forum and I couldn't pass the opportunity to reply. I can relate so well to what you're talking about, as well as almost all other posts on this page. I'm actually a bit older than you (40), and kept my "oddity" to myself for so many years. I actually came close to exposing it when I was in high school, but chickened out. But...I count the letters in words and sentences too. I also include the punctuation, but sometimes I don't. The spaces between the letters are included often as well, and it almost always is set to some sort of rhythmic tone in my head. After counting (or sometimes instead of) I immediately alphabetize the letters in first the words alone, then as a sentence altogether. so. "I eat grass" becomes I, aet, agrss, then aaegirsst. It is so refreshing to read that others are dealing with this as well. I felt like, for years, I was on an island all alone.