Look into OCPD: Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder. It's basically OCD light. None of the compulsions are life-breaking. Also, the obsessive compulsions tend to flare up more during high-stress periods, such as removing a compulsive habit that's been with you for years, especially one that your brain thinks it needs to produce certain neurotransmitters. Also,ADHD can behave similarly to OCD, and vice versa. ADHD is commonly self-medicated with nicotine. There is a hypothesis that OCD and ADHD are located on the same gene, and researchers are starting to look into the incidence of comorbidity.
Very interesting, that sounds like me for sure.
Over the years I have gotten more and more used to messes, and things not being clean, and things not being where they are supposed to be.
Probably more out of necessity than anything, given that my wife never gives a thought to where something should go.
She just puts everything down right where she is whenever she has finished using that thing, and she never cleans anything immediately after using it.
So I guess my thing is that a thing should be used, cleaned if needed, then put away.
My wife only recognizes the "using the thing" part and stops there.
Anyway, I can now go long periods of time with things all out of place, or crumbs on the counter, without needing to do anything about it.
But when I get stressed about something, all of the things that are out of place or need to be cleaned make me extremely agitated.
At that point I recruit the wife and we start cleaning and putting things away until I feel better.
Luckily I don't get stressed very often.
