9's

[jakeblues]

I have a very strange compulsion..Everytime i look at a clock it always seems to be as 9 19 29 39 49 or 59 after the hour, which agitates the heck out of me! I know it sounds odd, but any input will help a lot!!

[Hidden]

Dear Michael,

This sounds distressing. I don't know whether this is helpful or not, but since I was a kid I've had an internal clock and when I wake up, even in the middle of the night, I always know what time it is, before I check. My grandmother could eyeball a hole in the ground and be able to tell exactly how deep it was without measuring it. It's possible that you also have an internal clock that is nudging you to check the time when there are nines in the number. It's also possible that your brain is ignoring or setting aside times you glance at the clock and there isn't a nine. Our brains look for patterns and tend to over-emphasize the importance of patterns and sort of throw out evidence that doesn't fit with the pattern.

I don't know how often you are checking the clock, but it might be helpful to try to delay the compulsion to check the time, even for a short while. Like tell yourself, "I'll check the clock after I have a glass of water," or "After I play one round of this game," or something.

Hang in there, Michael. These are tough times and we have to be kind to ourselves and one another.

Best,

Lisa

[jakeblues in reply to Hidden]

Man, I think you hit it on the head, I also, when i wake up kinda know the time[ usually within 20 minutes or so] Thanks for your input Lisa!

[Hidden in reply to jakeblues]

Thanks for your reply, Michael! Hang in there, buddy.

[asthedeer]

I went through this years ago with 3's and at the time was very paranoid and it freaked. me. out. and I started to think it was a signal for something bad. I know it may seem silly to others but you're not alone with this- Eventually it stopped but from time to time the numbers would change and I went through a similar thing with 4's but had good associations with that- I don't know if it makes any sense at all but I wanted you to know that you're not the only one.

[jakeblues in reply to asthedeer]

Thanks a lot for reaching out to me,It helps me knowing that i'm not alone!!