Serious Obsessions

[tall_as_cliffs]

What I mean is suppose you have a friend who's having a rough time.  Well instead of just being normal worried for them in a "Hope they're OK" kind of way you read their face and examine and re-examine their words scrutinizing them for any indication of how they may really be feeling.   You wonder if they're telling the truth when they say they're

Comments

[unico_love]

I have more typical obsessions and I obsess over people. Sometimes in the way you do, but a variety of ways. The only time I've actively avoided people I obsessed over, though, was when something bad had happened with them.

[tall_as_cliffs]

thanks for responding. something very bad did happen to her. that's why she was having such a rough time. it was like normal worry times a million.

[mplsindygirl]

My obsessions with people haven't been quite that all-consuming, but have definitely affected my daily life at times. I've been able to learn to disengage from other people's issues, and listen without feeling the urge to "Fix" things. But I still obsess about at least one individual. My obsessions in the past were usually over people I couldn't be with - due to distance, or their death, and involved intrusive thoughts about them on a very frequent basis - many times a day. The obsessions faded very slowly - it took 8 years for me to stop thinking every day about the friend I lost to AIDS. It's kind of like getting over the hiccups. You suddenly realize that they're not happening anymore.

[tall_as_cliffs]

Hi. thanks so much for responding. You made me feel not quite so alone. I was wondering if you would mind expounding on the nature of your 'intrusive thoughts'? I liked the hiccup analogy. It was very apt. I just want to put this behind me and anything you might add could help.

[saltjam]

My mother obsesses over me. Now, i mean OBSESSESS not just normal motherly concern. She's constantly afraid I'm going to freak out or have a breakdown. She has these irrational compulsions when it comes to me. She's obsessed with my medication etc.

[bipolarwhore]

I obsess over leaving my hair straighteners switched on whenever I leave the house. In the few years I've owned them I've never left them on, but I have to physically remember turning them off before I can fully relax, and there have been times when I've had to turn around just to be sure. I hate it because it eats away at me to a point, but I understand you completely when you refer to the stove. I think we tend to allow outselves to get so consumed by other people and their shit at times that we forget about our own issues while we're worrying about them. I prefer to put other people first but sometimes we have to carry our own weight, and let others deal with their lives by themselves no matter how harsh it may sound.

[tall_as_cliffs]

Yeah. That does make a lot of sense but sometimes it can be the hardest thing to do. Necessary but so difficult. Especially when you really care about the person. But I think it's very true that we tend to obsess over lots of different things but especially over other people to avoid thinking about our own issues and problems.