I can't stop "nosing around".

[Acorn_Elf]

I have a strange urge to nose around in any house I go in. The nagging urge won't go away and causes me anxiety until I nose around in stuff. If I don't root around in people's personal belongings, I will repetitively think about it until I go back to the house I was in and nose around. What's wrong with me? Anyone else have this problem? Its like I'm addicted to looking and digging around in others people's stuff.

 

[FreeDiver]

I don't do it anymore. Not ever since I was 19 y.o. Have no real desire to do so anymore. But back in my teen years, it was really bad. In fact, it was so bad that I expected the owners to give me a tour of the place. There were even times when I would hide in a closet for as long as 2 hours, waiting for every one to leave so I could rummage through everything. I'd never steal anything but I would make a detailed list in my head of everything thay have.

 

[Acorn_Elf]

I'm at my grandmother's house right now and I can't wait for her to go to the store so I can nose around in the attic.

 

[JackSkellington]

This seems like a very unhealthy obsession you have. You need to find a way to stop it. Going through people's stuff (especially when you don't have permission) is wrong. If you want to know about someone- ask them in a nice way.

 

[Acorn_Elf]

It not that I want to know anything about them though, I just like exploring and going through things. I don't see anything wrong with it and I don't steal, but I agree that I definitely need to stop.

 

[Ambi]

It not that I want to know anything about them though, I just like exploring and going through things. I don't see anything wrong with it and I don't steal, but I agree that I definitely need to stop.

It's completely wrong because it invades their privacy - by not respecting their privacy, you are not respecting that person, it's not about whether they know or not or whether you steal or not. You are defining right and wrong solely based on your own terms - that's already a big problem. If you absolutely must nose around, just surf the web, go to an antiques store or a thrift store, those can be very fun places to rummage around.

 

[Acorn_Elf]

I've been doing this since as young as I can remember. It's almost a compulsion for me. I've tried to find stuff online about it but I found nothing. I know it wrong, but at the same time I feel like me seeing things doesn't harm anyone...it hard to explain.

 

[Acorn_Elf]

If I don't do it I start to feel extremely anxious.

 

[Thursday]

There are ways to make yourself less anxious, but that's for you to determine or a professional to help with. I can relate to the instinctive part because when I was younger, I used to instinctively tidy up in every house I go to...thankfully, I had the presence of mind to wait for an opportunity to do so that it was seen as weird, but not offensive. In the end, I decided I'd rather not offend anyone so I found a way to stifle my behavior.

I lessened the anxiety by learning to recognize when I'm having impulses and then turning my attention to a book I brought or to music in my phone. Which is why I usually have one or both when I know I'm visiting unfamiliar places.

It may not seem odd to you as you are able to pick when and how you check other people's things, but our impulses are based on our own standards and it's better to err on the side of caution -- as in find ways not to do it so the house owner will not know you have such impulses.

 

[Pariah Dog]

If I don't do it I start to feel extremely anxious.

This advice will probably be about as useful as defrosting a frozen dog turd in a frying pan but... Just stop doing it. Being anxious is not a viable excuse.

 

[Chance]

Wow, when I am anxious its just a shut down on the way if I cant get things settled down fast...
I'm certainly not thinking about digging around in anyones stuff, then or ever... But I guess we all got our quirks. This one could get you in lots of trouble in many instances. Not trying to judge, but maybe redirect that obsession into something else.
In my family that could get a person (including me) shot! Thats not a joke. I stay out of peoples belongings.

 

[Suzanne]

I have had this urge all my life, to the extent that when I have no choice but visit someone, I actually make a point of NOT LOOKING, because I base it on the fact that I dread it when people come to my home and are actually outright nosy!

For me, I think it stems on: if I get to know how most people behave, then I am better equipped to be in the NT world.

It is terribly hard to not look though and I do find my eyes wondering and have to force them back to the conversation in hand.

But even if the person popped out of the room, I am rooted to my seat and will not look, because of a deep sense of guilt at being caught out.

 

[Butterfly88]

I wonder if you are overly curious and if that is the case perhaps you can channel your curiosity into a different outlet, such as learning a new skill.

 

[Nick12]

i used to do when i went to other people homes i think it was a habit for me but i dont do it any more now i think is not polite to do it and i want the others people that live in the homes to like me on another note my best friend linda westman look through otherpeople stuff i think she has autsim