Lionspaaw, I have to confess that I get really exhausted just thinking about you sitting in traffic counting lug nuts. Next time I'm stuck at a red light, I just know I'm going to be thinking about you and wondering what you're counting right at that moment. It's amazing how a child's mind learns to cope around the things that are too overwhelming for a child to have to cope with.

I'm not a counter, and actually get headaches when doing any kind of math, including counting for too long.

I think one of my coping mechanisms was to mentally redecorate people's houses. I used to spend hours as a child imagining what colours, fabrics, and furniture I would use...right down to light fixtures and curtain rods. It became almost an obsession; I couldn't go into someone's house and relax until I had "redecorated" it. Weird. Much more relaxing for me than counting would have been. It's still something I do if I'm in an anxious (or boring) social situation.