Do You Exhibit Any OCD-Type Behaviors Like These?

Yesterday's story about the 'OCD-Obsessive Christmas Disorder' sweater creating controversy at Target got me thinking about a few things that I do that could be considered borderline OCD-type behaviors.

If you haven't heard, some shoppers thought it was insensitive of Target to market a holiday sweater they thought was making light of their OCD condition. OCD, of course, stands for obsessive compulsive disorder, and the National Institute of Mental Health explains it like this:

"Everyone double checks things sometimes. For example, you might double check to make sure the stove or iron is turned off before leaving the house. But people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) feel the need to check things repeatedly, or have certain thoughts or perform routines and rituals over and over. The thoughts and rituals associated with OCD cause distress and get in the way of daily life.

The frequent upsetting thoughts are called obsessions. To try to control them, a person will feel an overwhelming urge to repeat certain rituals or behaviors called compulsions. People with OCD can't control these obsessions and compulsions. Most of the time, the rituals end up controlling them."

There are a few things I tend to do that make me wonder if I'm knocking on the door to exhibiting the signs of OCD.  For example, in the warmer months, if we have our living room windows open, I have to make sure the blinds are straight and in line with the window. Or, if I'm using our second bathroom downstairs, I have to make sure the bath mat is lined up with the grid created by the tiles on the floor. Or, if the screen door on our patio is only partially open (while the storm door is completely shut), it bugs me enough that I usually have to go open or close it completely.

Now, while these are a few peculiarities of my personality, I wouldn't say they control my life. My mental state isn't necessarily dependent on continually adjust the blinds, or making sure the bath mat is perfectly straight or that the screen door is completely open or closed. And, these little inconsistencies don't bother me so much that I need to continually keep repeating those actions. So I guess, as it's clinically defined, I don't suffer from OCD. But these behaviors do appear to be at least a little borderline OCD, it would seem.

Do you do any actions or rituals like this that seem like they could be borderline OCD behavior?