Most unusualy habit?

[Monika_Stix]

I was just wondering what your most unusal habit is or was, in relation to your emetohpbia.

When I was younger I wouldn't sleep in my room, for a number of years I barely slept in my room, I slept on the couch or in my mums bed, or on a few occasions, next to my mums toilet (ensuite). I think i started growing out of it after the last time I got sick and become attached to a transparent blue bucket. I kept it under my bed, ALWAYS. I couldn't sleep without it, it was like a teddy. I used to get into bed and reach my hand down to tap the side to make sure it was there, I couldn't sleep if it wasn't there. Even when I was taken on holidays with family, It came with me. In my late teens I managed to get past the need for it, though I have an identical bucket to that one, (used for carrying cleaning stuff and mopping floors), and I wont let anyone who feels sick use it. I have a smaller dark blue bucket I give to my partner if he wants one when he's n*.

I think that is the only "unusual' habit I have. Unless sitting outside when I'm feeling sick counts. Coldness and freshair help me calm myself down.
Oh, fans and something to write on and with. I keep a hand fan and something to write with next to my bed. Fan for air, writing and drawing to distract me. And sometimes i give into my old habit and sleep on the couch, not very well i must add... and when on the couch, I have my fan and writing stuff. I usually wind up back in bed around 5am, if not sooner.

[randall3329]

Mine is that i will not go to sleep until half past midnight at least because last time the sv hit my house it hit at that time for the first person, ridiculous really huh? Most nights il go off about 1, up at 6 - i have been constantly tired since 2005!! Lo.
another is if im in a crowded place i rub my hands together over and over so i know that i am not touching anything else.

[KatieM]

I feel like this can be kind of unusual, but I find myself always snacking on stuff because I know that as long as I can eat I'm fine. Does anyone else do that?

[jmoore10]

Wow....let's see.
I have to sleep with the TV on all nite, every nite. That way, if I wake up in the middle of the nite unexpectedly with belly pains i can try to focus on the TV immediately instead of laying there in the dark with my racing thoughts.
I will not eat at all during the day, only dinner at nite once I'm home. If we go out to dinner, i have to come home straight after. That way, I dont have to worry about sitting at work or being out somewhere with a stomach full of food.
I walk around the office with my arms crossed instead of at my sides. I do this to avoid touching things I don't want to and also because it's a freaking icebox in there, so win-win for me : )

[Monika_Stix]

Randall3329, the times I go to bed are based on my phobia too. All the times I remember getting sick were at night, so I used to only be able to sleep at sunrise. Currently i can only go to bed after midnight, and assuming I haven't eaten for four hours and that I'm not anxious or neuseas.
Though sometimes I can trick myself in to going to bed earlier, (I go to bed with the intend to listen to music or read)... or when I am extremely bored I can go to bed earlier. I generally go to bed between 1am and 2 am. Luckily I don't have to get up early, so it doesn't cause me too much problem.

[anxiousinmi]

One of my main ones......I have to have a wet washcloth when n* and for a while now I have been putting one by my bed at night and keeping one in a ziplock bag in my purse just in case. I also chew big red gum alot!

[DeadxxInside92]

I feel like this can be kind of unusual, but I find myself always snacking on stuff because I know that as long as I can eat I'm fine. Does anyone else do that?

Yeah I do that. I don't understand people who don't eat. Having food in me actually makes me feel better or even ease the nausea a little--be it anxiety induced or the real deal. I find bananas are helpful, dry toast sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, a spoonful of honey, anything even remotely salty and of course water...lots and lots of water.

As for my most unusual habit, well, I'm honestly not really sure. I don't have any really out of this world habits that pertain to my emet. I used to have the fear of beds problem as well when I was much younger. I guess I take my temperature on like a nightly basis but I literally chucked my thermometer out of the window the other night...good fucking riddance.

[PhoenyxAngel]

I feel like this can be kind of unusual, but I find myself always snacking on stuff because I know that as long as I can eat I'm fine. Does anyone else do that?

I do this as well. I eat small things or drink a soda. My theory is that if I ate/drank these things and kept it down then I'm not sick.

When I was younger I used to do something very odd. It actually makes no sense and I no longer do it....but I used to sniff my finger as a way to check if I was sick. Don't ask me why, but I was convinced that my pointer finger had a certain smell to it when I was sick, so if it didn't smell odd then I wasn't sick. lol.

But now I guess I just have obsessive hand washing and nothing else really.

[LouiseR]

jmoore I can not comprehend sleeping with the telly on! Do you have it on mute? I have to have complete darkness and no sound to distract me, though I often listen to my ipod before going to sleep.

Deadinside I check my temperature soooo much. Good idea chucking it out, I didn't own a thermometer last year and never once thought about my temperature but now I have one I use it so often. And I eat all the time too, I go through cereal bars like no ones business. And biscuits and fruit. And then meals. I do admittedly go through phases of having a much more diminished appetite, normally in the summer

[CathyDavies]

I think all emets do this but I literally have a panic attack without my trusty water bottle in my handbag or by my bedside. Next to my bedside right now is 4 bottle of cold water, so if I wake up in the middle of the night I can drink it and feel fine.
I even take a bottle with me on a night out in my hand bag haha! lol. If I panic because of the alcohol etc, I just sip my water, and I feel better

I also play relaxation and meditation music at night through my pillow (yes, I have a freakin' pillow that plays music through it!!!! such a good emet investment!)

[stoneskipper]

I was taking my temperature all the time for a while too! Then I ran out of disposable covers and decided not to replace them to see if I could stop, and it worked.

I think my only unusual habit is sitting in a bathtub if I feel really sick.. and if there's no bathtub around, then other hard surfaces, like sitting on the floor and leaning against a table. I can't stand anything soft or cushiony when I don't feel well.

[andee]

CathyDavies, that sounds awesome about the pillow!

I sleep with earplugs...I used to do it only at certain times, but now I don't want to be able to hear if the kids are sick (let Daddy hear them). I sleep sooo much better. But the pillow would be great for when they are sick and I'm in bed "hiding" and I don't want to know what is happening.

[jmoore10]

Hi Louise.......Nope, tv's turned way down but not on mute. I'm so used to it being on now I have a hard time sleeping without it. I know....I'm a weirdo!

[DeadxxInside92]

I have to sleep with the tv on too...I've tried numerous times without it and it just can't be done. I sleep like a freaking baby with it on but as soon as someone turns it off, I can't sleep for the life of me. The sound doesn't need to be up, I just like knowing it's there. Maybe it makes me feel like I'm not alone if I can hear Peter Griffin or Spongebob as I drift off to sleep lol

[mrobinson84]

I sleep with the tv on when my husband is deployed. When he's home and i wake up to one of my kids coughing or talking in their sleep, my husband is very supportive and let's me wake him up. He listens with me for a few minutes and is very good about reassuring me the kids are fine.

Most unusual habit, I don't eat or drink anything when im feeling anxious, or when I'm in a situation where I can't readily reach a bathroom to be sick in. I can't v* in a bucket...hence, I dont go out much during flu season. One thing I don't like is when I do make it out for the evening with friends and someone is complaining of stomach pains, etc, I get silent and the night is ruined...if we've been at a bar and I've been drinking, I get immediately sober and I just want to go home. None of these are really all that unusual, but i think having kids helps honestly...i know I have to be in control of myself when my husband is gone incase, god forbid, one of my kids gets sick. When he's gone, I don't sleep hardly at all for fear the kids will wake in the night and be sick. Good question!

[Betysue]

I can't tell you how relieved I was to find this site and this type of forum. I thought I was strange and alone. I have many unusual habits (which now don't seem unusual! yay!). I do have ones that disrupt my life. Once I hear that someone I know has been ill and v*-ed, I stop eating regularly and count the days I will have to wait to feel "safe" again. I, too, dread the night. If my daughter wakes up, which is unusual--my knees start shaking knowing that it is never good!! It is hard to believe anxiety can manifest itself into so many physical ways.

[claire43]

Hi Louise.......Nope, tv's turned way down but not on mute. I'm so used to it being on now I have a hard time sleeping without it. I know....I'm a weirdo!

My tv is on all night too. Been doing this for well over 10 years. I keep the sound low but couldnt sleep if it wasnt on in the background. No wonder my electricity bills are so high!! I also tend to snack even if Im slightly n*. I know its stupid but I think if I can manage to eat then I must be ok. Then theres the fact that I always carry a drink in my bag just in case I need to take an anti-emetic urgently, and I check to see if I look pale more often than I should. If I feel unwell and Im pale then I can have a meltdown. Ive got too many quirks to list if Im honest.

[spongedmonkey]

I'm new to this forum, just joined today in hopes of finding some support, and I have to say it's comforting in an odd way to hear that people share some of my habits. I can't sleep without the TV on either, or at least in my case, without Netflix playing on the laptop, which stays on through the night next to my bed. I can't seem to take naps in the afternoon, because the one time in my live I had the flu, I woke up from a nap and v*ed. I sleep with a two liter of flat ginger ale and antacids next to my bed. If I start feeling n*, I usually start sucking on antacids and sipping ginger ale. I also can't bring myself to eat for days at a time if I feel n*. PRobably my most unusual habit is putting ice packs on my stomach. It's not a pain thing, either, I just seem to be able to remain calm better with something freezing on my stomach. I can go through all four of our ice packs in a few hours if I'm having one of my worse days.

[jmoore10]

How funny that a few of us have the TV on all nite habit! I know mine is all fear based..for some reason having it on calms me. If it goes off for any reason, I will wake up immediately. I also have to have the ceiling fan on 24/7 too, but living in AZ, a ceiling fan is almost a prerequisite!
I once went to Vegas with a girl friend and she was the polar opposite of me....TV had to be off, room pitch dark and dead silence. It made for a very long nite for me....
Spongemonkey(cool name, btw!), I get nervous too if I accidentally drift off in the afternoon. Im not a napper either so any deviation from my "normal" routine puts me on edge, wondering what might be wrong.
Wow, if we could somehow combine all the brain cells we kill with worrying, rationalizing, etc etc, we could probably come up with a cure for world hunger

[Issystar96]

omg that is me exactly! if someone around me has v recently,i cant eat for days til i feel its safe,which is about 4 days.i mean i will eat,but only enough to survive.same with my daughter,if she wakes up in the night,my heart literally stops beating and i start shaking get all tingly and weak and feeling naus,just certain that she has the flu and is gonna come in and puke.its dreadful.when she does have the flu,i try to avoid her at all costs,its so sad cause she is only 4

[DeadxxInside92]

How funny that a few of us have the TV on all nite habit! I know mine is all fear based..for some reason having it on calms me. If it goes off for any reason, I will wake up immediately. I also have to have the ceiling fan on 24/7 too, but living in AZ, a ceiling fan is almost a prerequisite!
I once went to Vegas with a girl friend and she was the polar opposite of me....TV had to be off, room pitch dark and dead silence. It made for a very long nite for me....
Spongemonkey(cool name, btw!), I get nervous too if I accidentally drift off in the afternoon. Im not a napper either so any deviation from my "normal" routine puts me on edge, wondering what might be wrong.
Wow, if we could somehow combine all the brain cells we kill with worrying, rationalizing, etc etc, we could probably come up with a cure for world hunger

omg that's my boyfriend too...I just lie there looking at the ceiling thinking to myself...really...really? ​haha

[jmoore10]

Deadinside...
Be patient and give it time. My hubby used to be like that (silent and dark for sleeping) but after being with me for so long now he's inherited my weird tv habit poor guy, he must really love me to put up with all my crap!!!

[DeadxxInside92]

haha I hope I can convert his ways my dad used to be the same way but not after being with my mom over 20 years !

[pinogirl3321]

My boyfriend cannot stand the tv being on when he's sleeping,I always have to put the sleep timer on for him and as soon as he goes to sleep I take it off... haha. I need my tv on when I sleep and when I finally fall asleep and ill wake up the tv is off of course. I also take my temp a lot, I obviously pace when I'm anxious, its the only thing that calms me down.

[DeadxxInside92]

haha glad to know I am not alone in the habit of having the tv on all night. Everyone who knows about it thinks I'm cray cray lawl

[harmony18]

I have to sleep with the tv on.which realy annoys my partner when we are together as it keeps him awake..i also try not to go to sleep untill 1.30am because this is the time i woke lasttime i got a sv* and if i do full alseep before hand i always without fail wake up around this time then i panic and end up sitting up watching tv to calm me down..I eat little but often so if i do get s* it wont be much..also what ever foods ive ate in the past and v* the same day i no longer eat them things..so im running out of things to eat lol..when i was younger i had mild OCD and would have to do things more than once and then i knew someone would not v* but i knew that wasnt normal so i kicked that on my own as a kid..because when i was younger i hid from my phobia because i didnt know it was common..i have lots of strange things cant cant remember all of them

[crd08]

I have to fall asleep in this half sitting up and half laying down positon. I can't just fall asleep laying flat.
I have to have a fan when I sleep for some noise because I am afraid I'll hear someone get sick in the night.
I'm sure I have more that I just don't pick up on because it's so routine for me.

[Annie0206]

I used to sleep with the TV on but I have grown out of that habit. I take Kalms ALOT to help with certain out of my control situations. Also I have to have chewing gum on me all the time or I have a panic attack. I have convinced myself that if I feel sick and don't have gum then I will V*. I also sit and fold paper not origami just random bits of paper to distract me! When I eat out I can only ever eat 1 course and never ever eat dessert! My partner understands and ignores my sometimes self distructive ways which usually forces me into difficult situations. I love him for that because my life would be very miserable and lonely if he didn't!

[fayepotter123]

i always have to have chewing gum with me as well, i pace a lot when im anxious about being s*, and live at home so whenever i feel anxious about v*, i always get in bed with my mum, as shes the only one who can calm me down! i like to do criss cross puzzles as well, as takes my mind off it, and also don't eat a lot for fear of something not agreeing with me. so glad im not the only one with weird habits!

[laitka]

Funny how so many of our little "unusual" habits are all similar.

I never could have slept without a tv on a few yrs back (funnily my non-emet sister does this too - I think we inherited it from my dad who has his on all night) but my fiance would get so frustrated - no matter how soft it is, it wakes him. At first not having it on would keep me up all night, but I've slowly gotten used to it and now have no problems going to sleep without it. I still can't go to bed too early though - I end up waking during the night and that always panics me - so I'm another after-midnight sleeper.

And yes, constantly having a bottle of water and a particular brand of chewing gum. I'm in the process of slowly weaning myself off the chewing habit though!