Rearranging the Furniture Compulsion

Originally posted by Spiramirabilis
reply to post by SuperSecretSquirrel

 

Like I said, the furniture moving was just a manifestation of her disorders.

sometimes I wonder if it isn't an individuals attempt to give themselves permission to believe they have some control - in a universe where they feel they have no control whatsoever

I very often find myself doing something like this when I'm unable to control or fix something else

so, whatever her other diagnosis - maybe the medication couldn't help this part of the problem because it wasn't really a symptom of OCD at all - just her trying to accomplish something?

oh hell, I am going to climb out on that limb with you and say it is exactly the reason. Control.. That room I can control... I will go control that room instead.. since it's mine. And then I am going to go buy something to make it feel even better...

You know? I think if I lived in a forest, I would still rearrange the sticks and leaves....come to think of it... I have even rearranged my yard, the rocks, the plants etc...

[edit on 3-6-2009 by seagrass]

I am one of the people who re-arranges furniture. Mainly this is done so that I can clean under the couch, chair, love seat and last but not least, to get on my husband's nerves (j/k on the last part). The simple reason is I get bored with it the way it is and I re-arrange it. Once bored with that look I will change it again. I have painted my kitchen 3 times in different colors and I have hung 5 different wallpaper borders in this same kitchen (note we have only lived in the house 3 years). Bottom line, I get bored with the same ol' stuff and by moving the furniture around it gives the room a different look and I know that I cleaned every where and not just what you can get to without moving the furniture. By the way I have 8 cats and 4 dogs that shed alot, so I figure if I have to clean might as wells move furniture to new spot. PLUS, it gives me something to do when my husband is busy on ATS. So the botoom line as to why I re-arrange my furniture, it is because my husband is on ATS all the time.

Now I want to move just thinking about it. I love to pack. I love to unpack and begin making my mark. An empty room is like a blank canvas. I am very sensitive to my environment.. and I either love or hate other peoples houses. I want to rearrange their stuff too, and usually it needs it.
I straighten peoples pictures and ask questions about their objet 'de art.
I pick fuzz off of shirts too.

Originally posted by IrishLass
I am one of the people who re-arranges furniture. Mainly this is done so that I can clean under the couch, chair, love seat and last but not least, to get on my husband's nerves (j/k on the last part). The simple reason is I get bored with it the way it is and I re-arrange it. Once bored with that look I will change it again. I have painted my kitchen 3 times in different colors and I have hung 5 different wallpaper borders in this same kitchen (note we have only lived in the house 3 years). Bottom line, I get bored with the same ol' stuff and by moving the furniture around it gives the room a different look and I know that I cleaned every where and not just what you can get to without moving the furniture. By the way I have 8 cats and 4 dogs that shed alot, so I figure if I have to clean might as wells move furniture to new spot. PLUS, it gives me something to do when my husband is busy on ATS. So the botoom line as to why I re-arrange my furniture, it is because my husband is on ATS all the time.

Why do you think it is that you get bored so quickly with the placement of your furniture or the walls of your kitchen? I am not saying that the compulsion to change stuff is obsessive, but it is a compulsion nonetheless.

I have a hunch: Do you think that you get bored with your pets and that is why you feel compelled to acquire another one? 12 animals is quite a lot. Do you hoard anything? My ex had this habit of hoarding nick-nacks.

I don't really hord knick knacks, they are usually out there to see, but I get tired of certain ones and put them away for a while. Holidays are nice because you get to add some flair for a while and then put it away.
Color affects me so I get tired of one and a new color makes me feel different. I can have a "new favorite color" and so I want to paint the whole house that color. Or it just is tiresome looking at it after a while. White is worse though.

reply to post by SuperSecretSquirrel


I think you are normal and that you just like things to be tidy. It turns into a problem, however, when you must clean something over and over again that is already clean.

Rearranging surroundings for aesthetic purposes is also normal but I think that when there is no "normal" and therefore you can never find an arrangement that you can be content with, its could be a problem.

When I move, I rearrange the furniture in my new place a few times in the first 2 months until I have settled on the most pleasing place for everything and then no longer feel compelled to move it again. I assume most people do this.

LOL. After reading this thread I had to rearrange my furniture.

I wonder how many others did the same? For me it is simply about getting a new prospective. Those with much turmoil in their lives find that change of perspective refreshing.

Originally posted by disgustedbyhumanity
LOL. After reading this thread I had to rearrange my furniture.

I wonder how many others did the same? For me it is simply about getting a new prospective. Those with much turmoil in their lives find that change of perspective refreshing.

Hey! Thanks for the belly buster, I'm still laughing. I don't know what else to say.

[

Why do you think it is that you get bored so quickly with the placement of your furniture or the walls of your kitchen? I am not saying that the compulsion to change stuff is obsessive, but it is a compulsion nonetheless.

I have a hunch: Do you think that you get bored with your pets and that is why you feel compelled to acquire another one? 12 animals is quite a lot. Do you hoard anything? My ex had this habit of hoarding nick-nacks.

Your question with regards to the number of animals I have is due to living in the country and people dumping them off on the sides of the road. They cannot care for themselves they are so young, most had to be fed from a bottle until old enough to eat regular food. I am not board with the animals, if you would like you can have one of them....j/k. The number may seem like alot but where I live is wide open. There is plenty of room for the animals to be animals.

I do not hoard anything, when I dont want it anymore it is either trashed or idonated.

As for changing paint colors etc, I didn't like the border I bought after I hung it up so I changed it. Paint color needs to match the border so I've had to repaint. You know how sometimes you buy the wrong thing, you keep if for awhile hoping to get used to it, well that is what I did, when I couldn't get used to it, I changed it. It is that simple really.

reply to post by seagrass

You know? I think if I lived in a forest, I would still rearrange the sticks and leaves....come to think of it... I have even rearranged my yard, the rocks, the plants etc...

lol

Seagrass...

I'm here to tell you - it's been done

camping with me might amuse you

or, make you feel a little sad inside

:-)

Originally posted by Spiramirabilis
reply to post by seagrass

 

You know? I think if I lived in a forest, I would still rearrange the sticks and leaves....come to think of it... I have even rearranged my yard, the rocks, the plants etc...

lol

Seagrass...

I'm here to tell you - it's been done

camping with me might amuse you

or, make you feel a little sad inside

:-)

Lmao... I'm sure it would be a kick to see how you do things. Why sad?

reply to post by seagrass


:-)

Lmao... I'm sure it would be a kick to see how you do things. Why sad?

just to see how strange a human can actually be sometimes :-)

I had a brief flash of insight earlier - about why I love living in chaos in my own home

it reminds me of camping

Have you taken the hypersensitivity test yet? click my sig for favorite thread at the moment. Curious...

reply to post by Hazelnut

The compulsion is more about the need for change in our life, specifically the need for inner change, the release of suppressed issues and feelings, etc.

Because most people cannot or will not seek out and find methods that help to release these issues/burdens, we use the nervous energy of it to make some change... any change... to release that energy we feel so strongly and the easiest way to release is to move furniture then get the feelgood thing happening for a short time.

An old saying quotes that our home and how it is kept is a reflection of ourselves. Some people can gladly avoid and live in squallor, where the mess becomes invisible to them as they search for an external thing or person to help change the life experience. So to for the compulsion to move the household furniture.

Originally posted by Tadarida
I used to rearrange my furniture all the time. I used to wonder why I did it, and then realized it just gave me a new perspective on my environment and mood. It helps you see things differently. Later on I went to school to study Interior Design, and now I move things around and space plan for other people.

There is something very therapeutic and cathartic about making changes in your living space - and rearranging furniture is free! I highly recommend it!

I completely agree with you! I am in school right now for ID. I love it. I have always rearranged my living room once a month and my bedroom as well. It does give you new perspective. I always feel like it's a new place when I do this. My mom has always done this too. Maybe I got it from her IDK.

I agree, it can be like that. However, it can also be used to find one's voice and vision. I think of it as an exercise in empowerment - to tangibly change ones reality.

reply to post by IrishLass

I have painted my kitchen 3 times in different colors...

ditto

it's impossible to live and breathe in a space that's the wrong color

call me crazy

:-)

I repainted my kitchen last week. Now I'm working in the laundry room. Same color.. need more paint... yeah.. crazy...
Ive painted mine more than 3 times. I think people come over just to see if I have repainted again.. because they always ask.. "Is this a different color than last time?"

reply to post by seagrass


and the rooms keep getting smaller -

I wonder why?

:-)