The Obsessive BAMF
March 4, 2016 § Leave a comment
Daniela writes,
Is it healthy to be obsessed over a TV Show? I’ve read your diagnoses and yes I identify myself with lots of them but I mean… people think I’m crazy. Is that good?
Hi Daniela! This is a great question. People treat “obsession” like it’s a dirty word. But if we lived in a world where people weren’t obsessed with ideas or goals, then we wouldn’t have writers, researchers, leaders, explorers, entrepreneurs, and artists.
Sure, it’s socially acceptable to be obsessed with finding a cure for cancer, solving an impossible math problem, or even having your favorite sports!ball team make it to the finals. But people sometimes struggle to understand how the fangirl’s thoughts become dominated by a television show.
When obsession interferes with what therapists call “activities of daily living” or ADLs, it can be a problem. ADLs can include:
- work or school
- human relationships
- personal hygiene
- organization and cleanliness
- personal finances
So if you want to know if your obsession has gone too far, don’t focus on what people say about you. Instead, look at these areas of your life. Are they hurting? Then maybe it’s time for change.
The alternative is that your obsession can interfere with your ADLs in a good way. If a TV show inspires you to be bold at work or school, builds friendships with other fangirls, and otherwise motivates you to get your sh*t together in other arenas of life, then this is a wonderful.
So how do you flip the switch? People who use their obsessions for motivation tend to be:
- adaptable to change
- empathetic to others
- emotionally stable
So if you can see challenge as an opportunity for growth, you can stop and consider the perspectives of others, and you don’t let your emotions dictate your every move, then obsession is going to be a wonderful thing for you.
Daniela, you don’t have to stop loving your favorite show. Just start working on these three areas of your life. You can do that by seeing a counselor, asking a friend to be your self-improvement buddy, keeping a growth journal, and reading my book and others that promote personal transformation.
You don’t have to stop obsessing, friend. You can just start doing it like a BAMF.
Kathleen
Fangirl Therapy 
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