Do you need to shower before others? Does a certain smell make you sleepy? What’s a trait you have that you don’t quite have an answer for?
I personally can’t think about people eating large quantities of MY food quickly cause it makes me gag/dry heave. For Mother’s Day people devoured my food items really fast and I had to step away cause something about food being gone so fast and voraciously starts up my gag reflex—and don’t let it be lamb, something about people eating lamb that I cooked quickly will get me violently close to actually losing it. For the most part I try not to think about it but it happens whenever it’s family parties. But I love cooking so…!
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I love this. I have a specific side to every bed that I like to sleep on.
I have a habit of “picking” at my strands of hair, subconsciously looking for particularly gnarly strands to pull out (although I rarely actually do so, so it’s not full-blown trichotillomania) when I’m particularly bored or sometimes perhaps anxious. I always thought it was just a me thing until I noticed two separate cousins (both with very different personalities) on my Mum’s side of the family doing the exact same thing, so now I wonder if there’s a genetic component! (None of our own mothers do it, funnily.)
I never put dressing on my salad.
I never let anyone drink from my glass or water bottle, except for my husband.
I am not even willing to share with my brother or my best friends. You drink from my glass? Congratulations, the drink is now yours. I am not that weird when it comes to my food. Sure, you can have a bite or eat from my plate or my spoon, if we are friends, but the simple thought of a friend drinking from my glass grosses me out. I have no clue why.
I guess I have a few quirks that I have a hard time remedying
– Despite having overwhelmingly positive experiences at the dentist, I cannot bring myself to go regularly. Despite looking after my teeth and having no issues with my oral health, I get sweaty just thinking about booking an appointment. Same with blood tests, although the fear of needles tends to be pretty common, but I have a strange anxiety response where I need to book appointments with the moral support of others.
– Whenever i pay my bills for the month I have to have a round number as my bank balance. If I have $50 in my bank account (for example) and my bills are $24.80, I will pay $25 because i’d prefer the balance to be $25.00 instead of $25.20. My fiancé finds this incredibly strange.
– When I’m home alone I sleep with pillows all around me as a wall of protection. As a kid I started doing this because I figured if someone were to break into our house and stab us all they might stab my pillow first and i’d have time to escape. Makes sense when you are a kid, not a 30+ fully grown woman. Now its habit that I cannot get rid of and it makes me feel calm when i’m sleeping alone.
Edit: oh and also I can’t stand anything touching my legs in the ocean. Seaweed can fuck right off.
A lot, actually! Not being able to get into bed without showering first (at any time of day) may be one of the main ones. I feel my skin crawl just thinking about it, no idea why.
I like to be first in line to get food at parties/events (after the host says to eat and I confirm with the host it’s ok to start eating).
Partly – people get awkward sometimes with being the first to get food, so for me to start it off it signals to the party it’s ok to get food.
Other part – When my kids were younger, I’d get them food first, cut it up, get them a drink and make sure they were settled before I’d get food. By the time they were ok, the line would be long, food was cold, food would run out and I’d not eat. Now that my kids are older, I get my food first – nice and hot and a good selection.
I have some weird sensory issues (the texture of certain towels, cotton balls on fingernails, the sound of walking on a certain texture of snow) that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Absolutely rancid. I cannot stand it.
I also have weird quirks like: I prefer to avoid the highway at all costs (unless it’s a long drive), I have an eerily good internal alarm (if I have to get up early, I’ll say “get up at 5, get up at 5, get up at 5” and I do)
Mine is a whole collection of little things I’ve just accepted about myself: I cannot sleep if the closet door is open, not a crack. Same goes for bathroom doors. I need them all shut before I can relax. I also need at least one live plant/flowers in every room; it feels like the space is dead without some green life in it. And I literally can’t fall asleep without thunderstorm sounds playing. Not rain, not ocean, thunderstorms. It’s like my nervous system has a very specific vibe it needs to unwind specially if I’ve been stressed out.
I prefer to shower before others because I hate the feeling of wet floor mats and a steamy bathroom. My ex-husband always got water all over the place (like, excessively). Now I have to do my son’s bath before I can shower at the end of the night but even with all his splashing, it’s usually not as bad as the mess my ex-husband made haha So I accept that I have sensory issues. I can’t walk barefoot around my house because if my feet or socks get wet (dog sloppily drinks her water and dribbles, kid spills, etc.) then I get so grossed out and upset. So I’m always wearing house shoes. And I have to wear closed toe shoes on rainy days so my feet don’t get all wet. 🤢
I don’t know when I started this habit with my food, but I’ve done it as long as I can remember. Every bite must have an equal portion of each item in the dish. For example, if I’m eating a burger or sandwich and I’m left with just bread and condiments at the end, I’ll leave it on the plate. Last night I had gnocchi with sausage, broccoli rabe and white beans. I left a pile of beans on the plate because there were way too many after my equal bites! My dad always swore it was some subconscious thing where I convinced myself that if I left food on the plate I didn’t overeat.😅
Few things make me as uncomfortable as the thought of my food getting cold before I can eat it. If I get takeout, I get anxious the whole way home just imagining the heat slipping away. And if it’s not hot enough when I finally sit down to eat, my dining experience is absolutely ruined. Same goes for when I cook for others. The moment I serve the plate, I’m like “Eat it goddammit! It’s getting cold!”. It seriously grinds my gears.
I can’t drink the last sip of water from a cup or water bottle or whatever the water may be in. I have to dump it out. I just picture it as the last bit having all the ‘backwash’ and who knows what else floating in it and I can’t bring myself to drink it. Mind you, I don’t back wash and there is NEVER anything visible in the last bit of water, but that’s just what my mind tells me 😂
I’m autistic so its a lot. I just tell myself its okay, this is just how you are.
I think the biggest is how much of a homebody, nerdy, gamer, reader, etc I am. I wish I was more social and physical. But that’s part of my disability and I try to accept that I’ll never be the “it girl” type I’ve always seen as the ideal.
That’s on top of things like sensory issues, etc.
Less seriously, I think im typical in the regard that I need to sleep on one side, holding a pillow like I would a person, and often need to read 30-60 minutes to sleep.
I let YouTube run in the background when I am falling asleep.. And I’m facing away from my phone. Has to be a 44 min episode of true crime. 😂😂😂
I get vivid, terrifying nightmares if I get too hot when I’m sleeping, but I am a very cold natured person and can’t fall asleep unless I have a blanket on top of me so there I am, cocooned in a weighted blanket with my bare feet sticking out of the bottom.
My dad had the same problem with the nightmares, but he could sleep with just a sheet…so unexplainable & hereditary?
I’m really weird about even numbers. If I absentmindedly start counting something (such as steps), I can’t stop until the end result is even. Yesterday there was a bowl of chocolate milk balls out. I only wanted one at a time, but I took two out together and saved the second for later. TV volume must always be an even number. Etc, etc.
I can tolerate odd numbers (like right now I have three pillows on my bed because that’s the comfortable height), but I’m not happy about it. If I can make it even (for example, cut a whole item in half), so much the better.
Come to think of it, I might just be a bit strange about numbers in general. I went grocery shopping with my dad this morning. We spent the entire drive over discussing significant figures. Specially, it pisses me off when epik (an electronic health record) changes the temperature I entered to 98 from 98.0. Those are not the same thing!
Not to brag but I have a lot of cartilage in my nose and ears, which means that my ears sometimes get “dislocated” and I need to pull on them to get them “right”, like if I slept on them wrong or wore some type of helmet or headband.
I really hate people whistling along to a song, I can’t explain it, but I immediately become outraged. It’s completely irrational, but my blood starts to boil over with rage.
I have to get a new plate, cup and eating utensil every time I eat/drink something. If I want seconds I go in the cabinets and get a new, clean dish, cup & eating utensil. I don’t believe in rinsing out a cup/dish to re-use again. Nope, I’ll get a new one. Also, I wash my dishes in the sink first with soap and water and then put it in the dishwasher. It HAS to go through the dishwasher or else it’s not considered clean to me.
I have to have a window open almost all the time or else I will feel like I’m suffocating in a box. Even in the car, I have to crack the window and feel the breeze or else I’d be irritated.
Once I start something, it’s extremely hard for me to pull away from it until I’m done. For example, if I start the dishes, it would be extremely hard for me to drop it to run to someone’s aid, even if it’s a medical emergency. Because of that, I’m often afraid to start something unless I know I can work on it uninterrupted. If my kids are doing their homework, I cannot relax, cannot read, cannot start dishes, etc. All I could do is doom scroll on Reddit, because I know that my kid may ask for help at any moment. If I truly want to relax and read my book, I’d have to wake up super early or stay up super late when I know everyone’s asleep.
I have difficulty telling left from right
As an autistic lady; I just REALLY dislike it if people like casually move my stuff out of the way before actually asking to. I just also find it really annoying if someone only asks like the first few times, and then assumes that it’s always gonna be okay to touch my things. ike, please just ask me to move it instead or something. 🙄 I don’t find it rude or anything, just ask LIKE A FUCKING SANE PERSON! I mean, I’m not sure if that’s just an autism thing or not, but it’s just a weird personal boundary I have.
Like, I really don’t mind much if it’s family and close friends that I actually trust doing that, but like complete, neurotypical strangers that I literally just met can be so darned casual about that. Like it’s no big deal to just TOUCH A COMPLETE STRANGERS BELONGINGS. I mean, no, that’s like part of my personal space, ew. 🤢
Like, I’m just oddly attached to my things here in a way. I’m also a stationery lover, so I’m kinda extra attached to my pencil cases and such; KEEP YOUR GREASY-ASS MITTS OFF MY PENCIL CASE, KAREN. 🙄 Like, I did not invite you to just callously shove it out of the way, go rotate on a cactus.
Rubbing my nipples makes me super relaxed in such a nice way (the feeling is quite intense) so it’s such a helpful relaxation/sleep aid… a partner can also do this for me and it doesn’t “turn-me on” – if I’m choosing to want to be relaxed whilst they’re doing it.
However.. if it’s a sexual moment and they’re being rubbed, my mind can access the “this is turning me on” aspect and I don’t feel sleepy at all.
I’m convinced that classical conditioning occurred when I breastfed my son as id often fall asleep whilst doing it.
When eatting out, a water/drink glass not put in the typical spot on the far side of the plate from you (doesn’t matter what side, though).
Some people, ahem my significant other of forever, set it closer to themselves and I cannot see, hear, or think anything until it’s moved. It drives my partner crazy that I move the glass. Anyone else (always someone I don’t know well) I can’t bring myself to speak up, I short circuit.
Some folks here should be checking out /r/AutisminWomen. You’ll find a lot of kindred spirits there
I cannot stand the smell of food in my bedroom. If I am trying to sleep somewhere and I smell food, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. No hot food is allowed in the bedroom and whenever my boyfriend cooks (especially onions) the bedroom door has to be closed. It smells great if I am in the kitchen or living room, but if that smell makes to to the bedroom I cannot stand it.
Put on pants and shoes right side first. If I put my left leg in first, I have to start over.
Saying ‘yep yep yep’ like Duckie from Land Before Tine when I lock the door at work. So I remember I locked it and don’t have to turn around to double check.
I drive a manual, and I keep my pair of ‘truck shoes’ in there in case I ever want to wear heels or sandals. I change into my truck shoes to drive.
Can’t brush my tongue in the morning because I’ll throw up. Fine to brush it at night. I have a very sensitive gag reflex, but can deep-throat my bf just fine.
If my gas tank is on half, I see that as empty and fill ‘er up. I think that’s just good preparedness though.
I’m sure there are more but that’s off the top of my head.
Cold food before it’s properly heated up makes me feel physically sick. Like if I had cold chilli before reheating it, it makes me feel sick if it touches me.
I glisten when I eat alot of fruit or candy! My face breaks out into a soft sweat.
I am kinda disgusted by food crumbs on other peoples plates. I don’t mind if friends take a bite of my food or a sip of my drink or vice versa but I would never eat any crumbs off their plate and I don’t want to swipe bread crumbs of the table with my hands.
I used to have to read all of an author’s books in publication order, no matter how awful the early (or late) ones were. I’m glad i got over that, now i just read 1 random book of theirs and if i don’t like them, move on.
I have many weird spots where pain is pleasurable so I dig into them to peel away the skin and make it more sensitive. It could be anxiety but I’ve had it since I have a working memory, I remember biting into the sides of my mouth from a very young age to the point where I drew blood.
They also come with the compulsion to dig into them whenever I remember about it, there’s an unpleasant feeling until I do so.
this is really the only thing i can think of, but if i am responsible for slicing a bagel in half, i cannot eat it unless i line it up like it was pre-sliced. it’s fine if someone else does the slicing bc it’s not in my control, but yeah, i’ve had mornings where i’ve spent minutes on end trying to find the exact spot it all lines up
I can’t stand when people reach into a bag of chips and eat straight from the bag, especially when they’re meant to be sharing them with other people. My best friend does this and it drives me bonkers. It actually turns my stomach thinking about someone pawing all over my chips. Get a bowl!! 🤢
Mine is soup, chilli and stew, especially creamy-type soups. I refused to eat them unless they were made by my husband, my mom or me. I’m just kinda grossed out by them – I have no idea why. Clear soup like chicken noodle is just fine, however.
When I go to a friend’s house for dinner and they make a creamy soup or chilli, I choke it down but I’m not happy about it.
On every flight I’ve ever been on, as soon as the engine revs up before takeoff, I fall asleep. Not just dozing off. I am immediately out cold, mouth hanging open, snoring, drooling on myself. It’s happened mid conversation with the person sitting next to me. I’ve tried everything to stay awake and nothing works. I literally can’t keep my eyes open. Within seconds of the wheels leaving the runway I am awake and alert like nothing happened.
chamomile tea – meant to have calming properties – gives me anxiety because it triggers when i’d drink it when i knew my bf at the time was out cheating on me. so now it causes the complete opposite effect. i can’t be around anythinggg with chamomile involved lol
I don’t know how to use less words.
When I am successful at it however, it makes people uncomfortable. 😂
I always need a “snuggle” pillow to hang onto. I used to sleep with a big teddy bear but he got pretty ratty after a while, so I switched to a pillow where at least I can change the pillow case. But man, did I feel bad throwing that teddy bear into a garbage bag. I nearly wanted to bury him and give him a funeral but I think my husband would have had me committed.
I hate jeans. I cannot do the buttons and the way they feel on my midsection. I loathe it. I’m always looking for comfy pants like leggings, jeggings.. or pants with elastic bands. I can’t do it.
I also hate jello. I can’t swallow it. It’s foul.
Oh and socks. If the seem is hitting my pinky toe at all, I’m having a meltdown. I cannot walk with the seem cramming my baby toe and ignore it.
I won’t share my drinks with anyone. My husband, okay. But anyone else it’s not okay. You can have it now…
I can’t lay in bed with my foot hanging off the side. Totally not gonna change it getting eaten by the monster under the bed. I’m 39 years old. It makes 0 sense…
I absolutely cannot stand the feeling of even a single wet strand of hair on my body in the shower, which is weird because…shower. And if a hair falls on me when I’m dry, I’ll think it’s a bug.
If I’m sitting on the couch and I lean sideways on my left elbow, I get incredibly sleepy and frequently pass the fuck out. It won’t happen for hours, but then it happens, and when it happens, it happens SO fast.
I have ONE belt. I only wear it to work, and I’ve worn it every workday (except one) for 14 years. It’s a skinny belt and that makes it easy to clip the holster that holds the phone/payment thingy we use on the sales floor. If I clip it to my pocket it drags my pants down. I cannot function at work without this belt.
Speaking of work, I can’t work in anything but a thin-soled sneaker. If the sole doesn’t bend with my foot, I feel like I’m just clomping and stomping all over the place. Anything thicker than a Chuck Taylor makes me feel really slow. This is bad, because I’m on concrete floors all day.
Wet peanut butter on any dish or utensil in the sink makes me gag. Revolting.
My ears were pierced when I was five years old and I messed with them too much so my right lobe got super infected to the point where they had to cut the earring out (I still have a scar). They tried again when I was 10 and after the healing period it closed up in like two days. Then we tried AGAIN when I was 12, and it worked fine and I could wear earrings for years, even if it had been a while…except suddenly now I can’t? It fucking closed up again!!! I’m kinda pissed about it. The left one, on the other hand, has been fine since day one.
I hate the smell of weed and I have no idea how anyone thinks it smells good.
Also I hate dark mode! And kale, fuck kale.
oh my god, i hate taking shower after others or after cleaning the bathtub, i have to let everything dry first before i feel like it’s safe to go in
i hate it and cannot eat from a food if someone ate first and didn’t eat in a straight line
sometimes i chew and i have to spit it out if i feel like i’ve chewed for too long
i have specific forks and spoons i like – i don’t like all cutlery weight/thickness/shapes
I don’t like or eat most leftovers. The few exceptions being taco meat, chilli and pasta (there is probably other stuff that I’m not thinking of right now). Anything else doesn’t taste the same, it seems like it doesn’t reheat well or it just tastes off somehow. If I have leftover food at a restaurant, I won’t usually take it home because it’ll just take up space in my fridge until I finally throw it away.
Not OK with someone grabbing food off my plate. I don’t mind sharing but JFC, ask first. Ex finally got stabbed on the back of the hand with a fork, but hard but enough if got the message across after warnings were not heeded.
Other people’s hair creeps me out! I play with my boyfriends hair & can help braid hair or whatever when asked (don’t love it, but I can do it) BUT once it’s loose hair, off the head …. 🤢 like finding friend’s hair on my clothes or cleaning a hairbrush, and god forbid if somebody is pulling hair out of a drain on tv or something—I cover my eyes like it’s a murder scene, it makes me feel sick
I have to read before I can sleep.
I’ve been maladaptive daydreaming for almost my entire life and I just learned what it was this year
Whoever’s drink or food it is, they need to have the first bite or sip. For example if I’m out to dinner and someone orders a cocktail and they want me to try it, I NEED them to take the first sip before I try it.
I hiccup when I’m cold. I used to think everyone was like this because my mom and sister do this too. And now adorably my baby daughter does as well!
I think my only trait is that putting a movie on will put me almost immediately to sleep even if it’s a great movie. It’s actively a way I still “put myself to sleep” as an adult. It’s something I need to inform new partners about because it’s been “a problem” before. I can usually do a theater experience because I’ll generally not be comfortable (too cold, seated upright) but if it’s at home goodnight to me.
I have sensory issues with sound – pen tapping, smacking when eating, grinding noises, high pitched squeaks.
& also with touch – itchy fabrics, I can’t put my clothes on right after a shower (can’t explain) and my biggest fear (one of them) is being pushed in a body of water with jeans on. I wouldn’t know what to do.
I also can’t STAND it when someone is so close to me in that I can smell them. Good or not – why are you so close?!
I cannot stand dirty feet, if my feet feel dirty I will literally go wash them. One speck of dust/dirt and I’m getting some soap out. I’ve even done it at work before lol.
I despise more than anything sleeping in a bed with anyone except my boyfriend. My mom is about the only person I would maybe consider. But even then, I’d probably prefer a couch. It’s the worst I can never sleep, I’m always worried I’m gonna touch the person or wake them up or something. I’m too scared to move and invade their space. I’m sure this isn’t that uncommon, but I feel like I’m a little intense about it lol.
My boyfriend on the other hand I will literally sleep on top of lol, so he’s different.
I have several weird quirks:
I check that all the doors and windows are closed before I fall asleep.
I fall asleep hugging a stuffed animal or a pillow if I don’t have a human being to cuddle. When I don’t have anything to hold at night, I usually have vivid nightmares. Sometimes, I’ll remember them and other times I have no recollection of anything.
I have been told by several people, including people I’ve dated and family members, that I talk to myself in my sleep. I wake up remembering nothing.
I tend to use more words and advanced vocabulary to describe something simple, which confuses other people. I’ve learned to dumb things down to make other people feel more comfortable in my presence.
I prefer using specific utensils of certain weights and shapes. When I’m at someone else’s house, I’ll use whatever they have available, but it doesn’t feel right. I can feel the difference.
Alcohol, marijuana, and caffeine affect me differently from most people. I’m not sure if it’s because I rarely drink or smoke, or whether it has something to do with my brain chemistry.
I prefer wearing clothes made from natural fibers, like wool or cotton blends. I like 100% cotton T-shirts, but they’re not always easy to find. Synthetic fibers make me very itchy and sweaty. I’m okay with wearing something synthetic for one day, if it’s something like a job interview or a fancy dinner, but on a daily basis, I prefer wearing comfortable clothes.
Eating the first or last of something at someone else’s house.
I always leave a little bit if juice in the bottom of my cup if I can see the particles and if they’re solid it’s not juice.
Volume always has to be an odd number. My sister always has to have hers even. We compromise by sicking to numbers that end in zero or 5.
Sometimes I can’t enjoy music. Y’know how you put a playlist on shuffle but the song is wrong for the moment so you skip it? No matter what I listen to irks me. Everything is a skip. I listen to audiobooks or podcasts instead.
I have to wash my partner’s work clothes separate from my pj’s and underwear. He’s a throw it all in cause it’s gonna get cleaned anyway but it grosses me out to think his oily car clothes will get into the fabric my panties lol
Since I was a kid, if I’m riding in the car as a passenger, I tap my finger for every light pole or similar object. I don’t count them or otherwise acknowledge them. I just have to tap my finger as they go by.
The smell of copper (ie pennies) makes my teeth hurt! Recently found out that everyone doesn’t feel that way.
Ketchup phobia
I don’t like dipping sauces or condiments. I order my salads dry. I just can’t deal with the smells 🤢
I felt so bad when a friend ordered a pickle in disneyland and I said I was going to sit a few seats away while she ate it. She was like are you serious?! But I was literally going to vomit
Touching velvet, especially the stripey kind, just gives me the heebies and almost brings this ghost of a taste/sensation in my mouth. I don’t have synesthesia otherwise, but you sure won’t catch me with anything velvet in my house.
My socks have to go back on the same feet once worn. Like if I go get a massage, I put my right sock on top of my right shoe, left sock on left left shoe. That way I don’t get them mixed up once I put them back on.