The 24/7’s
December 15, 2015 § Leave a comment
Sophie writes,
I have an obsession with two YouTubers, and it’s really getting out of hand. I fantasize about them 24/7, even when I’m at school. It’s resulting in my grades dropping, and I no longer give a damn about the real world. I worry because my attitude to school has changed so much, and it’s parents’ evening soon.
This leads me onto my second problem: My parents really don’t understand my fangirling and it’s really getting me down. I know that it’s getting out of hand. I have tried to stop, but I can’t and there is nobody to help me, and if I say this my parents won’t understand! Help!
Sophie! It sounds like you really do have a case of the 24/7’s. I’ve been there one or twice in my fangirling career. Your brain gets stuck in the loop, and unless your smartphone gets struck by lightning, it feels like there’s no escape.
Fangirls have a talent for recognizing greatness when we see it. We’re all too content to be the little mice trotting along happily behind the pied pipers of stardom. What we forget is what it’s like to dance to our own tune. So can you take those fangirl senses and recognize the greatness in yourself? YAS?
Also, I would 100% encourage you to talk to your parents. Let’s practice translating fangirl into parentspeak.
Fangirl: I AM 100% DONE. *cartwheels into the sun*
Parentspeak: Some of my Internet interests are getting too distracting. Let’s make a plan so I feel like I’m taking care of myself.
If that doesn’t work, I suggest you talk to your school counselor. You don’t have to give specifics if you don’t want to–just tell them you’re looking for strategies to stay focused or a meaningful activity that grabs your interest.
Sophie, you can enjoy your creys, but at the end of the day, you can’t find meaning in them. That’s something you have to create for yourself. Maybe it’s not academics, but you should have something in your weekly routine that highlights a greater purpose. Pick up litter in front of the school. Tutor a younger kid. Write your grandma a letter. Put something positive back into the world that will balance out the feels it’s taken from you.
Remember, self-worth has nothing to do with the number of views on a YouTube video. Society wants us to believe that lie, but deep down we all know that life is about loving and being loved by others. That starts with loving yourself.
Kathleen
Fangirl Therapy 
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