Kandy Chechik

These might not even really be irrational; mostly just habits stemmingfrom fears I had as a kid.
1. I absolutely can't sleep at night without some sort of blanketcovering me. It can be over 100 degrees in my room, but I'll stillneed a sheet or blanket on me or I won't be able to sleep. Not just onmy arms or just on my legs. It has to be completely covering me,except for my head. When I was little, I used to feel like there weremonsters everywhere at night, and the only thing that could protect mefrom them was to have something hiding me.

2. I have to look behind the shower curtain before using the toilet.I'm pretty sure a lot of people have this fear. But this is seriouslyalmost ritual for me. I can't stop myself from doing it. This doesn'tapply to glass shower doors because they would be harder for a killerto pop out of and kill me, but it does apply even to see-throughcurtains.

3. In the same vein as the previous one, I absolutely cannot close myeyes while shampooing/rinsing my hair. I just can't. When I was littleI saw the opening scene from Psycho and since then I've beencompletely scarred for life, and I've been shampooing with my eyesopen since age 7. One day I just know I'll go blind from all the soapI always get in my eyes.

4. I won't touch anything in the public restroom with my hands. I usetissues, toilet paper, or paper towels so I don't need to get thegerms on my hands. I don't have this problem with my own bathroombecause I know the people in my family don't have diseases or defecateon the floor. It can be the cleanest public restroom in the world, butI'll still freak out and not want to touch anything. If it's betweenholding it in or using the public bathroom, I'll hold it in. It's alsobecause I don't want anyone to hear me going, too.

5. If there is a random knife sitting out on the counter or table,I'll keep my eye on it to make sure it's not moving. I have this weirdfeeling that some violent ghost or poltergeist is going to use it tohurt me. Maybe I've just watched waaay too much stuff about ghosts inmy life.

That's all I can think of for now, although I know there are more.I'll send in more when I remember them