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Obsession overload.

Owliet

The Hidden One.
For context: I have a few special interests, hobbies, obsessions...recently, I’ve noticed that one of them is becoming much more...stressful and over the top too focused on. I’m just wondering if anyone else has an obsession that can become too much for them? How did you handle it?
 
If it's stressing you out, try and take a break from it and do something else. I find if I do something completely different, it can help prevent burn out.

The break needn't be long term, but if you find yourself going back to it and still feeling stressed or unfulfilled, then you know the break wasn't long enough.

Ed
 
If it's stressing you out, try and take a break from it and do something else. I find if I do something completely different, it can help prevent burn out.

The break needn't be long term, but if you find yourself going back to it and still feeling stressed or unfulfilled, then you know the break wasn't long enough.

Ed
That’s really good advice. I’m starting to get really too over focused that it’s making me tired and overwhelmed.. and I fear burn out.
 
I usually get very stressed when I feel my job is not bringing me interesting fields of research and eventually, when my part time contracts are about to end. I stress a lot because I feel there is an emergency in getting a new job straight away, until the point I leave appart many tasks to spend hours in the office checking job offers instead of working.

For me in that case what helped me was the sport, going for a run or for a walk, then try to find a new job so that I can free my mind and focus in more stuff.
 
Interesting. When my special interest makes me brain ache (and it does at times) I just realize I am going onto another level. I like that brain ache. I have never been afraid of burnout or got tired of it. It's like blood and breath to me.
 
Interesting. When my special interest makes me brain ache (and it does at times) I just realize I am going onto another level. I like that brain ache. I have never been afraid of burnout or got tired of it. It's like blood and breath to me.
One of my interests is heavy focused in making things. I can become quite intense, to the point of it being obsessive with it being all consuming then stressful. Bizarrely, it’s the only one of the interests that this is happening with.
 
One of my interests is heavy focused in making things. I can become quite intense, to the point of it being obsessive with it being all consuming then stressful. Bizarrely, it’s the only one of the interests that this is happening with.
What kinds of things do you make?
 
What kinds of things do you make?

papier mache, armor from foam, and occasional sewing. It’s the current obsession with a project of armor foam building that I’m really stressing overwhelmed by. I love this, and I do feel like it’s becoming more of an obsession than what it should be. I’ve had overwhelming interests before were I’ve constantly focused on but it’s a different mindset and drive. I think perfectionism is also fueling this negative overwhelming response. I just feel a bit too overloaded.


Edit: just to add. I never really manage any of my special interests, hobbies in moderation. They do bleed over into other aspects of my life, but I never really get overwhelmed by them, even if they do seem to be only intense focused on. I’m wondering how far can an interest go before it becomes too much of an obsession! I’ve never learnt how to do things in moderation. And sometimes intense focus is great but with this one, I’m not enjoying the anxiety it is causing nor the potential for burn out. Which sucks.
 
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When I found out I get obsessed with thing ( I really did not know and it was my husband who alerted me to this), I somehow was able to regulate it somewhat. So, when I feel that I am getting obsessed with something, I make myself change course, before I get too deeply in.

Although saying that, I am obsessed with Korean dramas and that has lasted a few years now and obsessed with spiritual things, that is great for me.
 
When I found out I get obsessed with thing ( I really did not know and it was my husband who alerted me to this), I somehow was able to regulate it somewhat. So, when I feel that I am getting obsessed with something, I make myself change course, before I get too deeply in.

Although saying that, I am obsessed with Korean dramas and that has lasted a few years now and obsessed with spiritual things, that is great for me.

How did you find the willpower to change course?

what type of Korean dramas?
 
I would never ask someone to help me to control an obsession, and if someone tried to do it I would be very angry. It is so hard to find that passionate state, it is so delightful to be completely taken by a project, an idea, something that fills your mind, why would I want someone to wake me up from that dreamlike state? I know it is hard on the body, sometimes, but I don't believe the great artists and scientists mankind have produced could have explored their creativity and intellectuality otherwise.
 
I agree with @4na11 . Strangely, I don't understand the concept of too much obsession over a special interest. I saw a show once where a LFA man was making paper folds over and over......hundreds of them a day. It made him happy. How cool to find joy in something so simple! It helped me to see the things I do, stims, special interests, etc......intense, yes, but that's a gift to find complete soothing and that passionate state @4na11 describes........
 
How did you find the willpower to change course?

what type of Korean dramas?

I guess when I found that I do get obsessed very easily and it is my faith, that helps me to keep a certain amount of balance.

Korean dramas? Anything, but about the supernatural or ghosts etc or horrors or adultery or ones about sleeping together. If, during the drama, those scenes came up, I just fast forward them.

Watching now: Homemade love story. And: man in a veil.
 
I would never ask someone to help me to control an obsession, and if someone tried to do it I would be very angry. It is so hard to find that passionate state, it is so delightful to be completely taken by a project, an idea, something that fills your mind, why would I want someone to wake me up from that dreamlike state? I know it is hard on the body, sometimes, but I don't believe the great artists and scientists mankind have produced could have explored their creativity and intellectuality otherwise.


Whilst that is true. I’m concerned how much the stress/anxiety levels are spiking for me at this particular moment. And unfortunately, when levels go up, I do experience physical symptoms. It’s not even nervous anticipation, it’s just anxiety .
 
I think the dangerous thing is the addiction. We need to get our doses of that stuff we are connected with.
That I can understand, this is why people get worried.
And perhaps this is the difference between neurodiverse and neurotypical people, we tend to be more addictive people because we tend to go deep into things.
For instance, a harmless thing such as liking a specific kind of music or a specific singer. I am a musician and I hardly hear any music. I loathe most of the music that there is out there. But when I find something I like, something extraordinary, I need to hear it over and over again, till I understand how the guy did what he did.
At present I am in love with this singer Dimash Kudaibergen. I am listening to him so exhaustively that I think people may find it obsessive. But it has a purpose. I am studying everything he does, I am watching videos on people discussing how he does what he does. I am learning.
I think our obsessions are related to some kind of wonder. We are happy to see how things are wonderful. And sometimes a specific thing amuses us.
But if we think of those things as drugs, like any drug we need to have a break to get its effects, otherwise we get immune to its effects and get only headaches. If we stay away for some time, when we are back, they are even more delicious.
 
I think the dangerous thing is the addiction. We need to get our doses of that stuff we are connected with.
That I can understand, this is why people get worried.
And perhaps this is the difference between neurodiverse and neurotypical people, we tend to be more addictive people because we tend to go deep into things.
For instance, a harmless thing such as liking a specific kind of music or a specific singer. I am a musician and I hardly hear any music. I loathe most of the music that there is out there. But when I find something I like, something extraordinary, I need to hear it over and over again, till I understand how the guy did what he did.
At present I am in love with this singer Dimash Kudaibergen. I am listening to him so exhaustively that I think people may find it obsessive. But it has a purpose. I am studying everything he does, I am watching videos on people discussing how he does what he does. I am learning.
I think our obsessions are related to some kind of wonder. We are happy to see how things are wonderful. And sometimes a specific thing amuses us.
But if we think of those things as drugs, like any drug we need to have a break to get its effects, otherwise we get immune to its effects and get only headaches. If we stay away for some time, when we are back, they are even more delicious.

That’s a really good way of putting it. I think I am dealing with addiction, and I have taken a step back just to decrease. Hopefully it won’t be for too long.
 
Yes, it happened to me when my obsession was my national soccer team. Now I do like this: I start watcing a match, but if it is stressing me out I stop watching it. But stressing out and crying because of these matches are normal in my country and aren't ASD thing. But, I had the similar problem with some other teams and athletes that are not from my country. For exmple, skier Marcel Hirscher was my idol, but I started stressing because of him and then he retired in 2019 and after his retirement I enjoy watching skiing again. The man that I liked spoiled me fun at the end because I liked him too much. This probably was ASD thing. Marcel Hirscher - Wikipedia
@Owliet If making these things is stressing you, the most important thing is to do them until you enjoy, if you don't enjoy it anymore stop. Last few days I play minecraft in 15 or 30 minute sessions becuause it quickly becomes boring, but a few hours later I want to play again and then play again. I advice you to do like this with your interests.
 
For context: I have a few special interests, hobbies, obsessions...recently, I’ve noticed that one of them is becoming much more...stressful and over the top too focused on. I’m just wondering if anyone else has an obsession that can become too much for them? How did you handle it?
I can definitely relate to this. There have been times where I just completely "bury" myself in whatever current hobby or interest I am pursuing to the extent of me completely zoning out from everything going on around me. There have been times when I find myself completely ignoring my wife and kids for a whole night - until I finally make myself "snap out of it" at an unreasonable hour of the morning (3am) to go to bed. I end up becoming so obsessed or enthralled - that I cannot stop until I "finish" whatever I am working on - no matter how long it takes. This usually ends up causing me a bunch of anxiety as I attempt to switch my train of thought to something else.

My wife is more aware of this now and thankfully helps me to snap out of it and take a break. Usually this is for a few hours (until I can return to it with a more level-headed mindset.) But sometimes I will take a break for a week or more - until I can focus on enjoying it instead of obsessing over it.
 
For context: I have a few special interests, hobbies, obsessions...recently, I’ve noticed that one of them is becoming much more...stressful and over the top too focused on. I’m just wondering if anyone else has an obsession that can become too much for them? How did you handle it?

I've had this happen before. It's tough, but what you gotta do, is take a step back for a bit and find something else. I know, not an easy feat, because it's an all consuming thing, but really, if it's too intense, take a break from it. You could even go back to it after awhile.
 

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