OCD ?

I talked to my therapist about something... Certain behaviors. One of which happened not long ago...

I don't know why, but for the past few weeks, every time I turn down a corridor, go through a door, etc., I have to turn around as if to go “straight” again, very often to the left. If I don't do it, it practically eats away at me. It's a pain, I can't always do it when someone's around, so it's a handicap. Basically, it's stupid, I look like an idiot, but here I can say it without being judged, can't I?

She told me about OCD. She totally said I'd get anxious without realizing it if I didn't do it.

She talked about ritual or compulsive behavior, similar to those found in some obsessive-compulsive disorders, where performing a ritual (like turning on yourself) helps reduce an anxiety or a feeling of internal discomfort. The fact that I feel compelled to “straighten up” at every turn may be an unconscious attempt to calm an anxiety or discomfort.

It's possible that this behavior is a response to a physically manifested anxiety. The compulsion to turn may act as a ritual that temporarily relieves me, but which, on the other hand, poses a problem especially in social situations where I can't do it freely.