My (36M) wife (34F) keeps tying my boots after I've told her to keep her hands off of them. I tried to teach her a lesson and really hurt her feelings.

Yes, I know the title is bizarre. Here's what's been going on.<br><br>I just turned 36 and my wife will turn 34 next month. We've been together for six years and married for three. We are compatable in almost every way. <br><br>The strange thing about my wife that I found out after we were already living together is, she has an obsession with tying things. She ties curtain strings, the strings on the ends of hoody strings, ear buds, the straps on my gym bag, etc. One day I came home from work and found that she had even tied the strings of my work boots. <br><br>I found this quirk to be funny at first but as time went on it got annoying. I would untie something only for her to come behind me and retie it. I would take the strings out of my hoodies. She would find them and replace them and then tie them. It was a bit puzzling at first but I finally asked her if she always did this and she acted embarrassed and said yes. When I asked why she said she just always has. She then laughed and said she'd try to stop. <br><br>Well, she couldn't stop. She would tie things she was aware I was going to use shortly. She would even wake me up in the night to tie things she had untied and then retied. I finally sat her down and explained to her that this had long passed the "quaint point" and had gotten to the annoying-and bordered on disturbing-point. I completely stopped hanging anything up because she would tie the sleeves of my jackets and shirt arms together. <br><br>I said I understood that this must be some sort of OCD and I was willing to get her professional help but that she needed to stop. She said she would try but she couldn't. She would try for a few days and then fall back into the habit. <br><br>About a year ago I started going to a crossfit gym and found that I loved it. I only go four or five times a week and we have a morning class that you can take before work. I leave around 4:30 AM every morning and have to be dressed and out the door quickly. My wife always wakes up before I leave and we will sometimes talk for a bit. The talking isn't always necessary but she likes to hear me move around because she is a very heavy sleeper and doesn't want to sleep through me leaving. The first few times I started going to the gym she would tie my shoe strings. This made me very angry since I needed to be leaving in a hurry and having to waste time unknotting my shoe strings was depleting that time I could be using to get ready. I would rip the strings out in frustration and by the time I had my shoes on and was ready to head out the door I would have to untied my gym bag straps and the strings on my hoody. I tried talking to her about it but she just said she can't help it. I tried hanging my gym bag in the garage but she would still find it and tie the straps. <br><br>I decided to play a trick on her. The next time I went to the gym I "forgot" to untie my boots and rushed out the door with them "tied". I had actually doubled the laces and tightened them as much as I could. My wife heard me moving around the house and came into the living room as I was leaving out the door. She saw me walking out with my boots "tied" and she looked stunned. I walked to my car, got in, and left. When I got to the gym about 10 minutes later I pulled over and loosened the laces. I got back home around 9:00 AM and my wife had the day off work. I walked into the house to find her in tears, holding a box that contained both of her shoes. She had cut every pair of shoes at the laces and was threatening to throw them out. I tried talking to her and she went on a whole schpiel about how I embarrassed her and humiliated her and she has a medical condition that I'm not taking seriously. As far as I know she does not have OCD. I've urged her to go to therapy and she refused. <br><br>She went into the bedroom and slammed the door. She stayed in the bedroom until around 3:00 AM the next morning. At that time I was woken up to her moving around the living room and the sound of her tying different things. I looked around and she had found my work boots, my gym bag, and the one sweater I-owned sweater with strings and had tied strings. While she was in the kitchen the next morning, I untied the strings on my boots and sweater. I thought I was being clever by hanging my gym bag in the garage but she found it and retied it. <br><br>Since then she has ran around the house tying things she knows I will be using. It's been infuriating and I'm not sure what else to do. <br><br>I feel as though she's trying to get back at me for "humiliating" her. She knows that I need some of these things when I'm in a hurry to leave for work and she's tying them on purpose. I'm trying to be as patient as possible but it's becoming too much. I don't know if I should see this as her trying to get back at me for what I did, or a mental health crisis that I should be supportive of. I'd like to know if anyone has any advice. Should I try talking to her? Should I seek professional help on my own to see if there's some way for me to handle her? Should I just put up with it until she gets bored and moves on to something else?<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>TL;DR: My wife has an obsession with tying things. She knows that I don't like this and has tried to stop in the past. She won't stop and insists that she can't. I tried to play a trick on her by wearing my boots "tied" and she got mad at me. The situation is getting worse and I need advice.