One thing I’ve found is that I have kind of a fear of repetition. Usually this manifests at work if I’m in a job that’s repetitive. I have this kind of out of body experience where it’s almost like I wonder how long I’ve been there and how many times I’ve done the thing.
And in college I always tried to sit in a random seat for lectures. Any time I felt I sat in the same seat more than once I would start to feel anxious.
I’ve somehow been able to cope exercising, not sure how since I take a few laps around my block when it’s still dark out. I think it might be that I set a timer? I’m not sure, but there are times when I get that anxiety when I repetitive exercises.
I’ve been trying to research online for ways of coping, but I’m not finding much. The link I posted seems to be just an article on phobias in general, and “dittophobia” sounds like something someone just made up.
Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was Employee Number 427.
Employee Number 427’s job was simple.
He sat at his desk in Room 427, and he pushed buttons on a keyboard.
Orders came to him through a monitor on his desk, telling him what buttons to push, how long to push them, and in what order.
This is what Employee 427 did every day, of every month, of every year.
Hi Stanley…
But on a more serious note, anything and everything can be a thing. But, recognising it and dealing with it could need help. Sometimes talking to a professional that specialises in this sort of area can be really helpful, but sometimes costly. Would suggest trying a session and going from there if it’s really debilitating to your daily life.
I don’t know if others are like this, but I NEED repetition AND novelty.
I’m very predictable day to day, and I like it that way. By sticking to the routine, I don’t have to spend brain energy on basic things like What’s for lunch today? (On Monday, it’s tacos.)
That being said, my favorite of anything is the one I’ve never tried before, or haven’t had in the longest time.
I don’t really understand it, because it seems very contradictory to me. I LOVE novelty and variety, but at the same time, I find repetition and routine comforting, and I’ll be mentally uncomfortable all day if the taco place happens to be closed on a Monday afternoon.
I also sometimes get obsessive thoughts or compulsions, though I fall well below the bar of an OCD diagnosis. OP, this doesn’t sound like an ADHD symptom. But just because you experience OCD symptoms doesn’t mean you have OCD. You can still benefit from coping techniques that people with OCD use to handle their obsessive compulsions.
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OCD is a very complex diagnosis, and I’m not even saying OP has it, just that they are displaying symptoms. Obsessive thoughts and compulsions do not always revolve around repetition, that is only one of many possible symptoms. Much like ADHD people experience ADHD differently, people with OCD have different symptoms.
ETA: compulsions involve feeling compelled to do something in order to alleviate feelings of anxiety/doom that something bad is going to happen. They often manifest as repetitive behaviors in most people with OCD, but I’m not here to diagnose OP. I’m just saying they are showing symptoms, and they could benefit from coping techniques that target obsessive thoughts and compulsions.
I’d call it something like epanaliphobia going off the word for repetition in Greek, epanálipsi. Dunno what the word would be in ancient Greek.
For me my mind will drift off and I won’t be able to stay focussed on completing repetitive tasks.
As a result thoughts of failure, stress, frustration, distraction etc will kick in and I will actively start avoiding it and sabotaging completing it until the last minute.
It only makes sense for me to try and avoid that scenario so I would say yes I have a fear of repetitive boring work/tasks but I don’t think its a phobia in the strict sense.
I’m not a doctor at all but something like this makes me wonder about OCD. Do you have other intrusive thoughts that are hard to shake?
