Why do I have these compulsive urges to do pointless, repetitive actions?

[Joe917]

For the past week or so when im driving, I have this compulsive need to bend my knee. Like, I feel if i don't, my knee will lock up and I won't be able to bend it anymore. I'll bend my knee real hard every few seconds, taking my feet away from the gas and break. I know its dangerous but its like I can't help it. Another annoying thing I'll do it while im using my phone, ill rub the bottom of my phone where the arrow is, over and over again. I guess because I feel like its not being touched enough? I know its completely irrational, but i can't help it. I feel very overwhelmed and irritated if I don't do these things, but at the same time im irritated for feeling like I need to do these things.

[Trouser_Trout]

How emotionally supportive were your parents to you growing up? I know they weren't at all.

That's the root of all compulsions. Compulsive thoughts spike when we are in conflict. Because we use thinking to mask the irritation.

You use the urges to mask irritation. Specifically parents are the most common root cause because they teach us how to live and because criticizing them is taboo and not survivable when you're growing up. So if your parents irritated you, you likely never truly sat there and felt "this is so wrong" since you were small.

[подруга]

Usually this is a sign of simple anxiety and your mind gives you a task to do to distract you from it, unnecessary as it may be.