Odd Little Stories

⟡ Looks completely harmless until you play a board game with them

⟡ Smiles politely at everything and you never know if it means yes or absolutely not

⟡ Says 'interesting' when someone makes a bad decision and offers nothing else

⟡ Has a very calm voice that they only raise once a year, devastating everyone

⟡ Gives advice that seems simple and then you realize three days later it was genius

⟡ Knows exactly what button to press on every single person they've ever met

⟡ Does not lie but phrases the truth in a way that is deeply destabilizing

⟡ Helps someone out and then never mentions it again, which somehow makes it worse

⟡ Has everyone convinced they are easygoing. They are not easygoing

⟡ Takes notes on everything but never shows anyone the notes

⟡ Looks like they are doing nothing but is always several steps ahead

⟡ Asks a question that ends a conversation without technically starting an argument

⟡ Remembers a throwaway comment you made eighteen months ago and brings it up perfectly

⟡ Is the last person anyone suspects and exactly the right person to suspect

⟡ Gets what they want by pretending they don't want it

⟡ Says nothing during a conflict and somehow wins anyway

⟡ Gives a compliment that takes four seconds to land and then it just keeps landing

⟡ Sits quietly and then says one sentence that reframes the entire situation

⟡ Never raises their voice but everyone gets quieter when they're about to speak

⟡ Looks like they're daydreaming but has heard every word of every conversation

⟡ Makes a suggestion so neutrally that everyone thinks it was their own idea

⟡ Is described as 'sweet' by people who have not yet played against them

⟡ Has exactly one nemesis and treats the rivalry with complete professionalism

⟡ Does not gossip but always knows everything

⟡ Lets someone think they've won for a specific and calculated amount of time

⟡ Laughs very quietly at their own thoughts in public and won't explain why

⟡ Never acts surprised. Not once. Not ever. Even when they should be

⟡ Keeps a completely straight face during things that make everyone else lose it

⟡ Wins by doing less than everyone else in a way that cannot be fully explained

⟡ Gives feedback so gently you don't realize it was devastating until later that night

⟡ Interprets every coincidence as the universe sending them a personal message

⟡ Assigns emotional significance to which song shuffles on at a given moment

⟡ Has a theme song in their head for their current era of life

⟡ Describes their aesthetic to themselves in the shower as if being interviewed

⟡ Walks out of buildings with a pace and expression chosen for invisible cameras

⟡ Has a 'nemesis' who doesn't know they're the nemesis

⟡ Considers every difficult period a 'character development arc'

⟡ Gets a feeling about something and treats it as confirmed intelligence

⟡ Dresses for the day based on the vibe they want to have rather than the weather

⟡ Narrates minor tasks internally in the third person while doing them

⟡ Takes the long route because it feels more cinematic

⟡ Starts new months like a new season premiere with a whole reset ritual

⟡ Has an origin story for every opinion they hold and will share it if prompted

⟡ Refers to their past self as a completely different and slightly embarrassing character

⟡ Makes strong eye contact with strangers because they feel every encounter is meaningful

⟡ Has a signature walk that they have never acknowledged they have

⟡ Considers their playlist a defining piece of their personality and is correct

⟡ Dramatically announces small decisions to no one in particular

⟡ Writes little notes to their future self like they're leaving clues

⟡ Gets attached to a specific mug, chair, or spot and considers it theirs cosmically

⟡ Treats a bad hair day as a disruption to the narrative

⟡ Has strong feelings about what time of day best represents them as a person

⟡ Thinks in monologue and occasionally one sentence escapes out loud

⟡ Picks an outfit based on who they want to be that day rather than who they are

⟡ Takes their reading of a room very seriously even when the room is empty

⟡ Has a whole internal lore about the regulars at places they frequent

⟡ Assigns personality types to cars, buildings, and items of clothing they pass

⟡ Remembers the exact weather conditions of important moments in their life

⟡ Considers specific smells portals to past chapters of their story

Sea horsin' around in the emerald seagrass

Rumination is probably the most common type of OCD compulsion, but I rarely see anyone talking about it. I've talked to multiple people diagnosed with OCD who didn't even recognize it as a compulsion.

Basically, if you have OCD you have terrible intrusive thoughts. They can be about anything, but common themes are fear of being a bad person, fear of hurting someone, fear of contamination. etc.

Rumination is when you get stuck in a spiral. Rumination is when you spend hours catastrophizing, overthinking, analyzing, telling yourself it's going to be okay.

I'll say it again:

Rumination is a compulsion.

Rumination is a compulsion, and that means you have to stop doing it.

I did ERP (exposure response prevention) for my OCD with a therapist! For 9 months! And it did help, but the idea didn't really click until I found this website a couple years later.

And Oh My God. It made things make so much more sense, and I was able to pull myself out of an episode even though I wasn't in therapy or on meds at the time.

Genuinely if you have OCD, or even if you suspect you have OCD, I'm begging you to read some of these articles.

Like this was genuinely life changing for me.

Here are some of the ones that were most helpful to me:

Defining Rumination

How to Stop Ruminating

ERP Exercises for Compulsive Rumination

My average verbal or email exchange with an Australian business guy goes something like this:

"Okay, this is going to take around a month. We need so and so dollars to start. Also, the Earth orbits the Sun."

"Great, just to confirm, we're ready to deliver tomorrow, and the giant hamster rolls the sunball across the sky. Sounds good, have you started?"