Hello: I'm not sure if this is the proper group to post this in, but it seems the closest since I think that anxiety may play a role in my "habit", for lack of a better word. The following paragraph was written earlier today when I initially sought a website in the ask-a- psychologist category.

"Like many children, I had a security blanket. Mine was actually a clean, unused cloth diaper. Today, at age 36 I still have my version of a security blanket; a corner of my comforter that I have had for over ten years. I never wash it, and I only "use" it when I lie down or go to sleep. I lightly press it against my nose, covering both nostrils and continuing down to my upper lip. I tend to gently move it around my nose until I get the "right spot", usually a place that has a particular scent and is slightly damp. I typically breathe through the spot until I fall asleep. I do not suck my thumb, but I did suck it until around my early twenties. Essentially my question is if there is any real harm, psychologically or otherwise, and what may have caused me to continue this habit past childhood."

There are some things that I would have added, but I wanted to keep it short. But as I am here on DS I feel I should elaborate more on this. As it is posted on my profile here I have a lot of health problems, all of which began at the age of 23 when I was diagnosed with Addison's disease, except depression which I have suffered from my entire life. For the sake of brevity, my top health issues today are Addison's disease itself, which apparently I have a severe form of. My level of exhaustion is enormous and constant because of the disease. Also because of its treatment I have steroid-induced diabetes, severe osteoporosis and loss of several teeth. Needless to say the depression became much worse after having to declare disability, unable to work for over a decade. Also I suffer from severe pain related to three car accidents, the last of which occurred in 1999. I have been on a fairly large dose of two opiate pain medications which barely scratch the surface of the pain. These are my most pressing health issues that I deal with on a day-to-day basis.

Coincidentally, as I am typing this I have an episode of "Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew" playing on another monitor. An addict sits down for the initial consultation, she has something close to a baby blanket in her hand and carefully placed it on the the chair back and armrest. She says it's her "blankie". Dr Drew refers to it as her "transitional object" and thinks it's a great thing to have in her situation. I giggled a bit, then thought to myself maybe I should think about that being a possible explanation, or something along those lines.

So ask here: what do you think about this? I know I can't possibly be the only one with such a habit. Does anyone here have a similar habit? I'm really looking for a reason why and the possibility of breaking the habit, but I'm not sure I really want to stop. Am I harming myself psychologically in any way? I just want to understand this.