Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with habits

Breakfast: My best friend. My worst enemy.

Vorteks — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:31:35 -0800

What low-GI, high-protein, portable food can I cook on Sunday night and then reheat for breakfast Mon-Fri? To improve my health and diet, I need to be better about eating a good breakfast regularly. Lots of diet/exercise books and blogs recommend things like steel-cut oats, scrambled eggs, etc. The problem is... I hate getting up early, and will basically not do anything that adds any time to my morning routine, even 5 minutes. Even finding the time to eat a bowl of cheerios is difficult because I invariably wait until the last second that I could possibly get up and still get to work on time, then leap out of bed, get ready as fast as I can, and run out the door.

So, to combat this, what I thought would be nice is to create something ahead of time (the night before, or ideally Sunday night for the whole week), then refrigerate and brown-bag it. That way I could get up, grab my brown bag from the fridge as I run out the door, and then reheat (or whatever) the food at work and eat at my desk. I feel that if I could do this, I would be able to stick to a good breakfast routine.

So, finally getting to the point, what can I make ahead of time to eat for breakfast each day? I'm looking for recipes with step-by-step instructions. The ideal recipe will have the following traits:

Can be made at least 1 day, and ideally up to 5 days in advance
Can be prepared in roughly an hour or less
Involves no additional preparation on the day that it's eaten (other than microwaving or other simple things that can be done in an office)
Has a low glycemic index (GI)
Has at least 20% calories from protein (roughly 5g of protein per 100 calories)
Doesn't taste awful
Contains no artificial sweeteners

Does anyone have a good recipe that meets these criteria? I'm hoping to get at least 3-4 so I can make them in a weekly rotation. I have no food allergies, and I enjoy a wide variety of flavors. Other breakfast habit tips are also appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Question about roommates and kitchen cleaning habits and finding a happy medium

raztaj — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:23:10 -0800

What is a reasonable/normal amount of time for dirty dishes to be left in the sink, before they should be cleaned up? (This is a roommates question) One of my roommates thinks it's perfectly ok to leave dishes and cooking stuff in the sink for a week or more. This morning, I asked him if he has plans to wash his dishes sometime in the next month. To which he replied: "It's only been a week!" Shocked that he thinks this is acceptable, I replied: "that's a long-ass time!" He said he'll do them tonight. We'll see about that.

I clean my dishes daily, usually immediately after using something (unless it's something that needs to soak for a bit), because I don't like a mess, and I just find it easier that way. These are my own habits, and I don't expect others to adopt them.

My idea of reasonable/normal is to not leave your stuff in the sink for more than 2 days. Because it smells, and generates clutter in the sink, impeding on other people washing their stuff. I'm fine with cleaning someone's lone spoon or knife or cup, but a stack of dishes is, I believe, the responsibility of the user. (fyi, we do not have a dishwasher)

The above roommate, per the above conversation (and his noticeable habits), obviously thinks it's not a problem to leave stuff in the sink for a week or more. The rule in our house is to use our own basics of dishes and cooking stuff, but borrowing something every now and then is totally fine. He thus has his own dishes and cups, but dirties them all, using mine, and leaving mine all crusty and gross in the sink, or missing - probably somewhere in his room. I find this gross and very disrespectful.

There is a 3rd roommate in the picture - we both have roughly the same cleaning habits, but the roommate above helps himself to my stuff, because I am admittedly more patient about calling him out on his shit.

Having lived alone and with roommates before, I know that "kitchen habits" vary, are very personal, and are one of the most difficult things to change about a person. But when it comes to doing dishes, what exactly is "normal?" Within reason?

There are other issues with this roommate, and he is currently awaiting his third strike on something unrelated, so we are very aware of his general irresponsibility. And maybe this sounds like a petty roommate question, but my annoyance with him is growing, and I just want to have a better idea of what is considered "normal" when it comes to doing dishes, and general kitchen cleanliness with roommates, so maybe we can agree to a happy medium

Question to software developers and IT workers on their online habits.

willy_dilly — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:19:14 -0800

Question to software developers and IT workers on their online habits. Question for software developers.

I'll be going into an interview next week for a digital marketing position at an ad agency. The client is a software company giant and this is for the consumer branch of the company and not the commercial branch. So target customer will be businesses and developers as opposed to regular users.

The position will have focus on social networks and new media, but I'm not a software developer myself and am not familiar with the online habits of developers. Therefore I'm hoping that those who are developers here can provide me with insight. I really want to go into this interview ready so I'm trying to do as much homework as possible.

Here are a few specific questions:

1) Is it common for software developers and IT individuals to discuss, educate, and learn online with other fellow developers?

2) If so, what are some popular hang out spots for developers?

3) What do software developers and IT workers think of social networks such as Twitter and Facebook? Are there values in these tools in your line of work?

4) How are you using your mobile phone to make both your work life and personal life easier?

Those are just some questions off the top off my head. It will be a huge step in my career if I land this position so I deeply appreciate any insights provided.

HUGE thanks.

Why do I read right to left?

emhutchinson — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:26:29 -0800

Why Do I Read Right to Left? I am not dyslexic or learning disabled, but I always scroll through books, newspapers, magazines rtl. Is it because the index and glossary were always in the back of the book? I am extremely right-handed, and I did go to Hebrew school as a child, where right to left was how you do it. But why do I still do it? Google is of no help. And yes, I heart palindromes.

Why do people develop bad posture?

philosophygeek — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:22:59 -0800

Why do people develop bad posture? If it is true that good posture requires less energy to maintain, lines everything up correctly, and is more comfortable than bad posture, then why do people develop habits of slouching and otherwise maintaining bad posture? N.B. I am not wondering why people who have already developed bad posture tend to maintain that habit or why people will occasionally reposition themselves for a few minutes in order to loosen up or relax their muscles. My question is why people learn to regularly have bad posture if good posture is so much "better" mechanically.

The no-good, terrible, horrible, very bad table manners

Anonymous — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:03:17 -0800

My boyfriend has really terrible table manners. What can I do to fix this? (posting anon because I believe he also reads metafilter and knows my username)

My boyfriend of 2 years has very bad table manners. He tends to inhale his food, takes multiple bites of things at any given time, tears into hunks of meat or pieces of bread. Sometimes he'll lick his butter knife clean of sauce/jam. He'll use his fingers to wipe up bits of butter/jam/soup/sauce/grease and then licks them clean.

It bothers me, though not a great deal for the most part - if we're at home, I'm fine with it and really just don't care. However, we've recently been eating at more upscale places with people and this sort of thing is kind of embarrassing. He restrains himself a LITTLE when we're at these places (especially once I give him the eye) but he honestly doesn't think there's much wrong with his table habits.

I've mentioned it to him and offered to explain etiquette to him, but again, he feels he doesn't need it. He thinks he's doing okay. But I cringe when I see him lick jam from his butter knife or shove half a biscuit into his mouth.

So please help me think of some better ways to explain to him that yes, his table manners are bad, and he needs to change him. Some way to prove to him that they're not good. Or just some suggestions on how to keep him reigned in when we're out to dinner. I do practice good table etiquette in hopes that he will mimic, but it hasn't happened yet.

cigarettes:gum::internet:???

fermion — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:20:54 -0800

What can I do for a mental break besides surf the Internet? I'm a graduate student. Writing papers, researching, working problem sets and other grad-student-ly activities can be a bit fatiguing to the brain, requiring the occasional mental break to refresh the mind and re-set thought patterns that may have got into a rut.

Since I do most of my work on the computer, the natural thing to do when I want to take a break is to surf the Web. But inevitably, one link leads to another and I look up from my "five-minute break" to discover that half an hour has passed. Programs like LeechBlock have helped a little, but for me Web sites are like potato chips: I can't visit just one. Once I've begun it's difficult to stop.

So I need something to use as a mental break that, unlike Web surfing, is self-limiting. Something that I can do for five minutes that won't create such irresistible temptation to keep doing it, that will leave my brain refreshed and focused. Please help me replace this bad habit with a better one!

How do I find what I am not looking for?

parudox — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:00:03 -0800

How do you increase serendipity? This is necessarily a rather general question, but I want to know about effective habits and behaviors for increasing the chances of stumbling across something useful but not sought for.

A few examples of what I think function this way for me: reading MetaFilter, having RSS feeds of blogs and journals that are only of marginal interest, and looking through stacks of unsorted used books. I'm hoping the Hive Mind knows about some other strategies.

there is no more forbidden. why can't i understand this?

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:06:49 -0800

Raised in a super-strict, health-conscious household - I never learned "moderation" with not-so-healthy foods. Can I, as an adult, re-train good eating habits that do not include restriction, and do not include binging? My father was a biochemist/nutritionist. During my birth, my mother was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. As a result, food and healthy eating was a constant subject in our house, and I had little freedom to come to decisions on my own.

"junk" food was kept in a locked filing cabinet, to which only my father had the key. Our rations would include anywhere from 1-4 cookies a day, depending on our ranking from youngest to oldest (I am the youngest of four). Additionally, prior to my birth and my mom's cancer, food was less of a issue. It's normal for older siblings to pick on the younger ones; in my case, I was picked on because of the change in eating habits that merged birth and sickness. "We could always eat (x, y, and z) before you were born" was something I heard for many years.

Brown rice, tofu, steamed veggies, lean meats, low sodium, no-soda (and so on) was the diet of our household. As a result of this, I actually do sincerely enjoy eating "healthy" foods - they taste great to me. My favorite snack as a kid? Seaweed.

We were allowed to go go trick or treating as kids - but never allowed to keep the candy. Our rooms were searched for storing snacks we might have smuggled from school. This, in addition to keeping cookies under lock and key. Learning to develop a moderate diet, inclusive of everything with no restrictions, but knowing how to moderate foods, was something I don't think I ever developped.

Beginning in middle school when we had a little more freedom, I'd buy snacks at school, and hide them in places my dad would never look.

When I got my license and began earning my own money, this habit magnified - sneaking in the bad foods, hiding them, scarfing them down before I'd be found out.

I feel like I've carried these unhealthy habits into adulthood. I feel like if I get junk, it's not going to stay around. And so I must eat it quickly, in private, before it's found out and condemned. And I hate this condemnation. Even living on my own now, it's hard for me to rectify this ingrained reaction to junk or indulgent food - nothing lasts for long, because nothing ever lasted for long when we were growing up. In my mind I know no one is going to steal my hershey's kisses in the cupboard - but I feel like I've deeply internalized that if I have 3 now, I can't count on them being there tomorrow.

My problem is not that I dislike good-for-you-foods - I love them, actually. But I also feel like I don't know how to moderate my eating, and re-train my mind when it comes to developing good eating habits, where nothing is off limits - and find a balance between restriction and binging.

Can I change the way I think about food?

Mom has uncontrollable spending habits. What can I do?

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:14:20 -0800

Mom has uncontrollable spending habits. What can I do? Ok. This has been driving me crazy from a very early age. My mom can't seem to understand that you must pay for things that you buy when you buy them! She has always had terrible spending habits and I am really not sure what I need to do anymore. She insists that since it has worked out for so many years that things will just solve themselves. Can I save her?

Here is alittle bit of her history

Grew up spoiled and parents paid for everything.
Married my dad (a doctor)
Spent money carelessly (understandable since we had it)
Got divorced. Continued to spend money carelessly.
Raked up over 20,000 in debt.
Married again. Husband helped bail her out of debt.
Divorced again.
Raked up more debt.
Sold the house to make a very nice profit (sold before housing collapse).
Bought a smaller house.
Continues to rake up large amounts of debt.
I see no bail out unless she remarries.
(she has had jobs on and off for a long time, but for the most part likes being a house wife)

My observations

My mom continues to spend money on things she cannot afford! No matter what I tell her she doesn't seem to understand that being in debt and paying off just the interest is a horrible way to manage money.

I have been telling her my whole life that she needs to pay for only what she can afford. To live by her means. But she never changes anything! I don't know if its because I am her son or not.

Take 2 weeks ago. She doesn't have a steady job and she decides to repaint the house and hire professional cleaners. Boom $1300 dollars. She buys 2 brand new fold out couches for $400 a pop because they were on sale and guests may come. I tell her she could of bought those for much cheaper but she wanted something "new".

All this spending and no incoming money. She even got a home equity loan for some such amount and I know she is using that money to pay for living expenses and such until her "business" takes off. I really don't see her as a business type or her product making her a decent income in the foreseeable future.

Her retirement plan is to move in with me or my brother. I don't think thats fair but thats beside the point.

Conclusion

At this point it feels like being in a train with the throttle stuck in the full on position. She either goes bankrupt and loses everything, accepts what she has been doing this whole time and learns to live frugally or she changes her behavior now before the wreck.

The question is can I do anything about it or do I just let her crash?

I have tried for 18 odds years for her to listen to me and not spend but she doesn't seem to care about what I say when it comes to spending habits.

There anything I can do to change her spending behavior?
Maybe I can buy a book for her or something...

The reason I know her spending habits is because I live with her at the moment but plan to move out as soon as college is done.

Lordy, lordy, I'm hittin' 40!

adverb — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:56:42 -0800

So I just turned 40. Rather than treating it like a midlife crisis, I'm viewing this as a new opportunity to get my second wind - to kill old habits that have left me sedentary and overweight, and to start new habits that will help me live a healthy and enriching life. I'm going to start with the basics - more water, sleep, exercise, etc. - but over the next year I'd like to incorporate other things to help use my time more wisely and just get more done (less TV, more time with kids, clean house).

What other things can I do to live a better life? I know this is wide open, but I'd like to hear a wide variety of things - habits that will help me, my family, friends, even the world around me. I got some good ideas from this post.

How do I quit quitting?

acidic — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:34:03 -0800

I am a serial quitter. How can I quit this bad habit? For the last 4-5 years, I've fallen in to a cycle of quitting. Activities, classes, jobs, fitness, relationships-- I quit them all, or have to constantly fight the desire to quit (which means underperformance at school or work). I'm a generally smart and successful person, so I do well in many things, but at the first sign of potential failure, boredom, or second-guessing has me bolting for the next thing to do.

Surely, some level of quitting is fine, especially as a young person trying out new things, but it's gotten to the point of inevitability. I've developed a reputation of being a flake, which upsets me greatly. I guess this is a two-part question:
1) How do I make better decisions to realize and satisfy my long-term goals, rather than appeasing my short-term gut feelings, which are almost always fleeting?
2) When faced with difficult or monotonous situations, which I really shouldn't quit, how do I stop myself from quitting?

Any books, inspirational things, or other advice would be greatly appreciated.

What is "living life to the fullest"?

mintchip — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:12:00 -0800

What is "living life to the fullest"? How to do it? Sometimes I get bored by my life. I am not in the habit of doing a lot of activities outside the home (partly because of a limited budget). Also, it's easy to get stuck in a routine and get too busy with life's responsibilities. I am always thinking about future goals and often forget to enjoy the moment. This seems to be in large part a symptom of modern life. Sometimes, too, I feel pressured to make the "responsible" choice rather than the enjoyable one. For example, I probably could do a more traveling, but that would mean I might not get to save enough for retirement.

Recently I was wondering what I would do if I knew I only had one year left to live. The only thing I could really think of was traveling! Probably I would also watch less TV since I don't think it really enriches my life.

This is a two part question:

1. What is YOUR definition of living life to the fullest? What activities would you be sure to add to your life? What would you change?

2. How can someone get out of a routine/rut and discover new, fun and interesting things to do?

How do you naturally thin people eat?

tastybrains — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:00:07 -0800

I'm trying to find out how naturally thin people eat, so I can see if I can model some of my new habits after them. I'm also very curious (as someone with dysfunctional eating habits) just what is "normal" to some people. So...are you naturally thin/average in terms of weight? What is your typical day like in terms of meals and snacks? More specifically, I'm interested in:

1) What's your typical breakfast?
2) What's your typical lunch?
3) What are some typical dinners?
4) Do you eat differently on the weekends than you do on weekdays?
5) Do you snack? If so, how often and on what?
6) Do you eat differently on holidays? How so?
7) If you've eaten a bigger than usual meal, do you adjust your next meals at all?
8) What do you do if you find that you've put on a few pounds?
9) Do you exercise? If so, how & how often?
10) Do you use artificial sweeteners? In what situations & how often?
11) What beverages do you drink? Do you drink diet versions of soft drinks?

Also please feel free to let me know anything else about your daily diet / exercise that you think might be useful or interesting!

Thanks!

Cheeseburger for breakfast, cereal for lunch

lubujackson — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:57:53 -0800

Why do we eat "breakfast foods"? When did this originate and why? So eating my pancakes this morning, I started to wonder about the strangeness that is breakfast. There are foods for breakfast that you don't eat at other points of the day, while you don't eat most other dishes for breakfast. It hasn't always been this way. Why the cultural shift?

:) -> :D

Ambrosia Voyeur — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:57:08 -0800

Can I correct my smile posture? Should I? Can I? How?

When I smile a big smile naturally, my cheeks smush my eyes into little squinty slits and my teeth remain close together, sometimes my mouth is even closed, so I look all chin and cheeks, and sort of sleepy and smug.

Starting with really pose-appropriate pictures (weddings, work) I've practiced and perfected my photograph smile, but I don't like the fact that the way I look happiest and prettiest is a put-on. Can practice change this open-eyed, dropped-lip smile into my natural reaction to pleasure?

I refuse to buy any more pull-ups

hollygoheavy — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 08:03:31 -0800

Why is my son suddenly peeing everywhere BUT the toilet? My 4 year old son has been potty trained for about a year and a half-no accidents either during the day or at night since he's been using the toilet and he was surprisingly easy to transition from diapers to underwear. Within the last month he's been peeing on the toilet seat (rather than lifting it up like he was taught), peeing on the cloth shower curtain (he totally is Picasso like in his aim) and over the weekend my husband caught him peeing in his trash can in his bedroom. WTF? We've asked him why he does this but he just hangs his head and doesn't answer. He says he doesn't have to suddenly go and it doesn't sting or hurt so I don't think he has a UTI.

Toilet Paper: Under vs. Over

otherwordlyglow — Mon, 21 May 2007 16:06:02 -0800

What are the reasons for hanging toilet paper with the paper in front versus in the back? I tend to prefer toilet paper to be loaded on the holder with the paper falling to the back, close to the wall, while my boyfriend prefers to hang it with the paper coming off the top on the side of the roll that's closest to the user. I believe it's the over vs. under debate. When I consider it, I think that hotels generally use the "over" technique so that must mean it is more common, right? I think my preference for the "under" technique has to do with the easier one-handed tear that it allows. I also like the way it looks better this way.

Seeing as we're about to move in together, it's something I'm curious about but believe me, it's no deal breaker. I'm very willing to concede the issue but I just wonder why people prefer the "over" technique. It seems like it's easier to waste tp this way, too, because the roll tends to unwind quicker.

As an aside, he also prefers the non-spring loaded spindle (the ones that have an open side to them, rather than a spring-tensioned rod) because it's easier to change the roll but I think they're also harder to use since if you tear in the direction of the opening with any degree of force (I guess I'm a vigorous tearer) you'll knock it off the spindle.

We seem also prefer our paper towels the same (me: under, him: over).

I can pass up the pack, but the drag is killing me.

iamkimiam — Tue, 08 May 2007 17:57:42 -0800

How can I convince myself to not smoke casually? I smoked a pack a day from the time I was 12 until I was about 25. I stopped smoking completely (not even a drag) for a year when I signed up for a marathon. I figured that running was the sort of thing that even one puff could hamper progress. I hated running, every second leading up to the marathon, through that finish line, and beyond. Since then I've taken up surfing, which is similar in the same respects of requiring extremely healthy lungs.

I've heard all the rationales...and I agree with all the evils of smoking. I don't like the yellow teeth, or the way I smell, or the myriad health risks of course.

I've quit so many times that withdrawls and the process of quitting doesn't even bother me. What happens is that I get to a place (where I'm at now) where I don't feel physically addicted to smoking. Therefore, when I'm out drinking with my friends, or hanging out with somebody who smokes, I allow myself to have one. Or two. Or four. And I thoroughly enjoy them at the time.

In public I feel gross because I know I stink for the rest of the evening, and I know it's majorly unattractive. It also makes my hangovers worse.

It seems so benign to have one or two every once in a while. The risks and drawbacks seem minimal, and I've rationalized them.

How can I stop this? What are some ways to convince myself of the grossness and dangers of that one cigarette? Please offer stories, advice, mantras, healthy substitutes (especially things I can do while I'm enjoying the company of others and the outdoors during "smoke" breaks).

How do I streamline my coding and work habits?

treepour — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 10:02:38 -0800

What coding habits and working methodologies help you maximize productivity while reducing angst? So I'm picking up more business and shifting my life/career gradually into full-time freelance web programming work. Right now, I'm working mostly in PHP, implementing and tweaking various CMS's (primarily Drupal and Wordpress), but I'm also picking up some flash/actionscript work, and occasionally call on my previous experience coding in PERL. I like the trajectory I'm on and want to continue expanding both the depth and breadth of my skills and knowledge.

However, I'm beginning to feel that my working/coding habits are more haphazard and cumbersome than they should be -- sometimes I find myself tripping over my own shoelaces. E.g., I find myself saying things like this to myself more often than I'd like to admit: "Where did I make that change? Where did I see that function? Oh, wait, it was in the previous version of the file that I just overwrote. Ok, I know that function xyz is somewhere in the bottom 3/4 of the file -- should I just scroll until I find it or do I need to do a search for the function name?"

This sort of tripping-over-my-shoelaces thing didn't happen as frequently when I had only 1 project at a time; but as I take on more projects, it's happening more frequently. In short, I've realized that if I'm going to continue in this line of work, I need to develop some better habits and strategies.

So far, I've done most of my coding/editing/etc with a fairly simple text editor (Crimson Edit). I generally set up a mirror of the site on my local Windows machine running apache, mysql, etc, then FTP files up to the server. However, I realize that some people swear by IDE's like Eclipse, and others use utilities like grep, awk, etc., to facilitate coding.

So I'm looking for recommendations on streamlining my coding/work habits/experience. I know there's not a one-size-fits-all approach, so any suggestions/advice will be greatly appreciated.

I've Heard The Jokes Already

rossination — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 15:45:05 -0800

Help me find something to satisfy my oral fixation (no, not that). I have been trying to quit my nasty, nasty nailbiting habit for a while now. Thanks to the rubber band technique and a strong determination to have nails that aren't bitten down to the quick, I'm making some progress and am pleased with how healthy and "normal" my nails look. I've read previous Askmes on this struggle and they have been helpful.

But here's the sort of gross part - one of the things that I liked about biting my nails was rolling the bitten-off nail around in my mouth, and sort of chewing on it. This wasn't the main reason for the nailbiting, but it was a good reason to not stop. Now that I'm on the wagon, I find myself missing that feeling of having something in my mouth all the time (ha, ha, ha).

The obvious answer is: chew gum. And I do, more often at least. But gum chewing can be noisy and obnoxious to others around me (read: my girlfriend) and there are times when I just don't want to chew gum. Other possible considerations are things like hard candies and mints, but I'd just as soon not always be sucking on something sugary, and I definitely don't want something that will leave my tongue a funny color or give me that weird sandpapery feeling that eating too many Jolly Ranchers gives you.

So, I guess my question is: any suggestions for something to just have in my mouth? Unobtrusively tasty sugarfree candies, interesting flavored gum, chewing sticks, small pieces of tinfoil - any suggestions will be considered.

cat eats owner, news at 11.

sdn — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 20:21:00 -0800

which pets are more apt to eat their deceased owners? my friend is convinced that more cats would eat their (dead) owners if trapped in the house with the body, but i heard somewhere that more dogs would. can anyone quantify, explain, debunk. etc?

techniques for creating new habits needed

matholio — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 03:05:24 -0800

Does anyone know any techniques for creating new habits. I find it fraustrating that the habits I do have and don't want, are hard to break, and the habits I want are hard to establish. Thanks Even something simple like : "Drink a glass of water everytime I put the kettle on" or "go to bed at a reasonable hour" seems to start out well but then some time later, I realise I'm not doing it any more.
I usually don't remember the point I stopped doing something.

Perhaps identifying an approaching failure state is the trick.

Why are some people obsessed about drying up water ?

jacobean — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:49:00 -0800

Why are some people obsessed about drying up water ? Why are some people obsessed about drying up water ?
I am talking here about miniscule drops of water. I have witnessed an extremely annoying habit in some people is that they cannot bear the sight of even one drop of water in their living or working environment. They spend an obsessive amount of time with a mop or a cloth drying up tiny droplets of water.

During my time in college - there was one student in the dorm whom we all called "robocleaner" because even when everything was tidyed up and clean - he would still go around the kitchen area drying up any drop of water that could be seen. I thought this sort of behaviour was unique. However, in work life- I have seen the odd few people with the exact same trait. What is it called ? Is it some sort of compulsive disorder ?( like what some people have about washing their hands ) Or is it some sort of evolutionary throwback to when we were living in caves. Whatever it is - it really irritates me!

Metafilter views and comments please.

Healthy ways to accomplish relaxing/decompression brought about by destructive habits?

WCityMike — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 09:13:44 -0800

What healthier alternatives have people swapped into their lives that, to them, adequately (or mostly) fulfilled the deeper-level relaxation/decompression/whatever that food, drink, cigarettes, or drugs had formerly fulfilled? Without meaning any disrespect to those who have to deal with serious alcohol or narcotic addictions or to the severity of those addictions, I've recently come to a realization that one of the reasons I have a fairly bad weight problem is because for well over a decade "comfort food" has served the purpose for me that I think cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs have fulfilled for various other individuals: a way of comforting, relaxing, and de-stressing during periods of loneliness, hardship, stress, and intense negative emotions. It has calmed me down and taken me from fairly intense negative emotions (loneliness, high stress, etc.) down to a more relaxed state, much more quickly than mental relaxation techniques had, and to an extent that those techniques had not accomplished.

People give up alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and consequently need to find a substitute for the feelings those habits gave them. I have a feeling the substitutions that those people make might be of use to not only me but others who might read this thread.

If someone wished to answer the question anonymously, I imagine Jessamyn (or perhaps Matt) might be willing to post such comments.

Also, to make it clear, I'm not just looking for generic relaxation techniques, but specifically for anything that people have found useful enough to assist them in decompressing, relaxing, de-stressing, or in any way accomplishing any of the same effects that were once fulfilled or accomplished by a destructive or unhealthy habit.

On a small side note, I'm aware of Overeaters Anonymous, but don't know if, as someone who is not Christian and is not certain of a Supreme Being, any system that was based on trusting in a Higher Power would work for me.