funny habit i have: is it common?

Question

I do enjoy tearing out to pieces a face cloth (or other similar material), then i continue tearing it until it comes to the stages as it looks like ot has been completely schredded to pieces, i then like to have some in my hand and play with it. hard to explain but i have never come accross someone who does it.

Answer 1

My son did that as a baby with his muslin rags, he's out grown it now. Maybe your a late developer

Answer 2

An anxiety issue, it seems.

These things begin in a very small way.

There was this pretty young thing in Paducah or wait! perhaps it was Poughkeepsie, yes, Poughkeepsie it was, back in '96, I think . Her boyfriend wanted her “all nice and smooth” everywhere, and to make a long story short, the decision was made that she would have a bikini wax job. However, someone told her it was horribly painful and she began biting her nails about a week before the appointed day. Note how simply things begin. Well, the nail-biting got bad enough so that it was bleeding fingertips by the time she got to the waxing place. She also had a nervous “butterflies in the stomach” kind of stomach. When the beautician went r-r-r-r-ip! the poor thing turned white as a sheet, lost control of her bowels and shot a stream of fudge right onto the opposite wall. They had to shut down the place for three days to clean, sterilize and deodorize it, but old-timers say that even now, on damp days, there is certain “air” to that place. The young woman was hospitalized with acute anxiety but even after her hospitalization, she continued her nail-biting, which turned to hand-wringing in desperation when her boyfriend left her for becoming a nut. The hand-wringing led to cloth-tearing, and ultimately this progressed to pulling out her hair until she was nearly bald. There used to be a little pile of shredded cloth and hair wherever she used to sit; it was so sad.

But there is a good ending to the story; ultimately faith saved her, she became a Jehovah’s Witness and now leads a more or less normal life.

The point of saying all this is: get a hold of yourself, get psychiatric help, and STOP IT before it’s too late.


PS: By the way, the boyfriend ultimately had a change of heart (and tastes) and married a really hairy fat woman.

Answer 3

The good thing about you is that you yourself are able to appreciate that this is not a normal behaviour. This internal recognition is very helpful in meeting such conditions. As regards the compulsive tearing urge that comes over you I remember to have read about an identical condition in some treatise on psychatry. In the psychologist had felt that this urge must have its origin in a firm belief that the world was in a bad shape and something has tobe done and done urgently to save it.Now this is a laudable sentiment something should not only be seen to be done but actually done.Insted of leading to concrete action on your part it has assumed the form of tearing things. Once cnvincing yourself that this is so the process of resolution of the conflict has started.Please try to do something constructive, something concrete Such a preoccupation with concrete proposals will help you break out of the charmed circle.

Answer 4

I have OCD and I have sometimes torn paper or something into little tiny pieces. First I have 2 pieces and then 4 and then 8 then 16. You get the picture. Then I say I must tear it up till no one can recognize it anymore. Then I will sometimes sit with the pieces in my hand before I throw them away.

Answer 5

Imagine them as currency and you soon get rid of the habit. It is easy to say it but hard to follow. Some people do that to relieve the anxiety spurred by irritation or during the bouts of low self-esteem. You can divert your mind to something useful yet unnecessary; chore in the house. If you try hard, it subsides and one day you wonder you used to do that.

Answer 6

Well it's a bit on the odd side and i think everyday we learn new things,information is a globalised thing and i appreciate your effort in coming out with this.
Anyway as long as you enjoy doing it,i think it suits you and as for someone else with this habit,you might not know until he or she comes out.

Answer 7

I think we all have funny little idiosyncrasies that are odd to everyone else...It isn't a mental disorder...but something that you enjoy doing for some reason lol...

Answer 8

You are madder than mad Jock McMad, winner of last year's Mr Madman competition!

Answer 9

I'm no expert, but that sounds like a nervous complaint or anxiety issue.

Answer 10

There has not been much research into the nocturnal habits of "Goldfish". I wonder if this is normal behaviour...