OMG I love that show! Too much edition
March 11, 2023 2:15 AM Subscribe
To put it bluntly: how do I stop obsessing about a television show?
There is a show that has been around for over a decade that I am now just finding and I have fallen down the rabbit hole. This is not the first time I've done this but I'm really hoping it will be the last because it is driving me crazy.
It started innocently enough and now I find myself having obsessive thoughts about the show, the characters, the actors, etc multiple times a day. It doesn't help that a lot of other people are similarly infatuated with the show and post content that is easily accessible. I'm getting really tired of it but I can't seem to stop. I have been diagnosed with OCD in the past and have had this obsessive type behavior before about other shows but it's been a while. When these episodes hit, though, they are all consuming and I need it to stop.
I'm looking for coping mechanisms (other than the obvious which is to stop watching the show), anecdotes from others who have had similar problems, or theories as to why this is happening.
I am taking adequate medication for my OCD, I have no other manifestations of it currently, and I have access to a therapist but I wanted lay people perspectives.
It started innocently enough and now I find myself having obsessive thoughts about the show, the characters, the actors, etc multiple times a day. It doesn't help that a lot of other people are similarly infatuated with the show and post content that is easily accessible. I'm getting really tired of it but I can't seem to stop. I have been diagnosed with OCD in the past and have had this obsessive type behavior before about other shows but it's been a while. When these episodes hit, though, they are all consuming and I need it to stop.
I'm looking for coping mechanisms (other than the obvious which is to stop watching the show), anecdotes from others who have had similar problems, or theories as to why this is happening.
I am taking adequate medication for my OCD, I have no other manifestations of it currently, and I have access to a therapist but I wanted lay people perspectives.
It's hard to lessen an obsession by throttling it. Is there some chance that you can set aside some time to think your thoughts about this show, think as many of them as you need, not blame yourself or think about what else you should be doing, but plan something else at the end of that time period at which point you'll gently say "time to stop thinking about Saved by the Bell for now" and see if you can leave it alone for a while?
posted by less-of-course at 3:27 AM on March 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by less-of-course at 3:27 AM on March 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
How is your nutrition, physical activity, sleep, sunlight exposure, general stress? There's a lot of literature linking OCD behaviors to neuroinflammation, plus various studies showing remission of symptoms with dietary changes (I've seen particularly reduced sugar and intermittent fasting) and/or supplementation with specific amino acids. I'm not going to link here because I haven't rigorously reviewed and synthesized the literature, but searching around PubMed turns up lots of relevant research.
posted by Bardolph at 3:40 AM on March 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Bardolph at 3:40 AM on March 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
What if you went the other way, and read fan fiction, or wrote fan fiction, to get it out of your system until you lost interest naturally?
Sometimes deliberately immersing yourself in something causes your brain to go "Okay, that's enough [X] now"
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 4:22 AM on March 11, 2023 [11 favorites]
Sometimes deliberately immersing yourself in something causes your brain to go "Okay, that's enough [X] now"
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 4:22 AM on March 11, 2023 [11 favorites]
I think it's a normal part of human nature that when someone discovers something they think is SUPER SUPER COOL, they just go ham on it for a while because EVERYTHING about it is fascinating to them. It's not just TV shows - people get this way about new lovers, sports, religions, you name it. You know how when you have a new lover you go through a couple months where EVERYTHING that person does is new and exciting and wonderful and you can't stop talking about it, and you find yourself bringing up your schmoopie in every conversation you have with everyone else ("oh, we're talking about peas? My bae loves peas!")? That's what's happening to you now, just about this TV show.
But just like your affection for your schmoopie calms down as time goes on, this does too. Eventually other shit about life will start to occupy your attention again, you'll start having to devote brain space to that again, and that will blur your focus on the stuff you're obsessing about now.
Disclaimer that I'm speaking from a neurotypical position - but adding that I'm hoping it helps to hear that this kind of thing happens to neurotypical people as well. I think if you notice that you're deliberately ignoring other important life stuff to focus on this show (i.e., you miss a dentist appointment or something because you want to binge-watch a season), that may be worth calling your doctor, but for now, if you're still balancing other life stuff okay and you're just all giddy about "the writing and the costuming and this dialogue was so awesome", then it's okay, and it's temporary. You're just in the "wheee I have a new schmoopie" stage about things.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:33 AM on March 11, 2023 [7 favorites]
But just like your affection for your schmoopie calms down as time goes on, this does too. Eventually other shit about life will start to occupy your attention again, you'll start having to devote brain space to that again, and that will blur your focus on the stuff you're obsessing about now.
Disclaimer that I'm speaking from a neurotypical position - but adding that I'm hoping it helps to hear that this kind of thing happens to neurotypical people as well. I think if you notice that you're deliberately ignoring other important life stuff to focus on this show (i.e., you miss a dentist appointment or something because you want to binge-watch a season), that may be worth calling your doctor, but for now, if you're still balancing other life stuff okay and you're just all giddy about "the writing and the costuming and this dialogue was so awesome", then it's okay, and it's temporary. You're just in the "wheee I have a new schmoopie" stage about things.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:33 AM on March 11, 2023 [7 favorites]
I do this also, as does one of my 3 kids. We will find a show (although "The Office" and "Arrested Development" were the ones that really did it for us) and we will fixate on it to the point where we have memorized all the dialogue and have spent hours/days/weeks learning about the actors and production and all the trivia we can.
Here's the thing: a long time ago, we decided that our cult-like devil-worship of Michael Scott and the Bluths was okay. We know it's over the top for most, but we can still manage to eat well, exercise, and otherwise enjoy life. Some people play tennis, some play play video games or chess; we get a little obsessive about certain tv shows. Something in our brains gets very satisfied and we get big dopamine hits from this.
We know at some point it will peter out because it always does (we tried to get obsessive about Game of Thrones but couldn't), but we give ourselves permission to stay on the train and better, we really enjoy the train for as long as it lasts. We love to learn in jokes and the structure of comedy and why some things are funny, and we really enjoy memorizing the lines.
BUT. If we did NOT enjoy this and it felt a little manic or unhealthy, we would stop. You need to figure out if you can manage this enjoyably.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 5:15 AM on March 11, 2023 [7 favorites]
Here's the thing: a long time ago, we decided that our cult-like devil-worship of Michael Scott and the Bluths was okay. We know it's over the top for most, but we can still manage to eat well, exercise, and otherwise enjoy life. Some people play tennis, some play play video games or chess; we get a little obsessive about certain tv shows. Something in our brains gets very satisfied and we get big dopamine hits from this.
We know at some point it will peter out because it always does (we tried to get obsessive about Game of Thrones but couldn't), but we give ourselves permission to stay on the train and better, we really enjoy the train for as long as it lasts. We love to learn in jokes and the structure of comedy and why some things are funny, and we really enjoy memorizing the lines.
BUT. If we did NOT enjoy this and it felt a little manic or unhealthy, we would stop. You need to figure out if you can manage this enjoyably.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 5:15 AM on March 11, 2023 [7 favorites]
Is it actually bothering you or bothering you because you feel it should? I am fully aware I will go fucking nuts over a show or something for a period of time, sometimes years but I’m not missing work or neglecting my family or friends (possibly annoying them a bit, but they know me long enough and love me well enough that we have strategies around this). Weirdly I will then at some point turn off almost fully from it. Some stuff loves forever tho, Battlestar Galactica my beloved).
For what it’s worth, here in Sweden, geeking out like this is a legitimate hobby, “fandom culture” in the giant organization Sverok.
posted by Iteki at 5:22 AM on March 11, 2023 [5 favorites]
For what it’s worth, here in Sweden, geeking out like this is a legitimate hobby, “fandom culture” in the giant organization Sverok.
posted by Iteki at 5:22 AM on March 11, 2023 [5 favorites]
I’m a fandom person so my comment comes from that perspective. I’ve found over the decades that there are roughly two camps of fannishness. One is what I call encyclopedic fandom, and the other is what I call transformative fandom (cribbed from the Organization for Transformative Works, natch). Of course there’s overlap in who likes to do what, but very generally speaking the encyclopedic fans like to know canon facts, build timelines, curate information about production, collect official merch, dissect scenes, argue about minutiae like the correct read or watch order, create guides for people new to the media, etc. Transformative fans write fic and make fanart yes, but they also do things like create gifs and playlists and tinfoil hat theories, run competitions and challenges, make goofy memes, roleplay, cosplay, curate other people’s fanworks, etc.
If you are finding your current phase of being really into this show (I’m so curious to know what show it is…) is unsatisfactory, and continuing to leave you wanting, I suggest trying the other side of fandom that you don’t trend towards. It might help you feel like you have come to a good stopping point and focus on something else.
Example one: a buddy of mine was really into Popular Game Series (details elided to protect the innocent) and was in it for the gameplay, lore, and character relationships. He’d reached level gabillion and did all the quests and all that, and was floundering around getting mad at people in subreddits for no good reason. One day he messages me asking for an AO3 invite code. (If you want one just memail me, I got a bunch.) Turns out he had ended up finding a fic rec list and needed to subscribe to a particular author who was so totally right about all the characters. Three months later he’s like “so how would I go about finding a beta for my fic??” I was like, oh god, I’ve created a monster, except, he wrote one story and was like, “I’m done now.” And he is currently waiting patiently for the next content update for Game and happily noodling around with other games he had been wanting to check out in the meantime.
Example two: The group of people I pal around with on tumblr is made up of a core of Trekkies who all migrated over there like fifteen years ago. We still talk about Star Trek regularly in between all the other random stuff. Except this one person who was just fully trek all the time, doing fanart and graphics, writing fics, constantly sharing thoughts about character motivations, every day just a constant thrum of trek fanworks, either their own or shared from others. This went on for like at least five years. Anyway no big deal, tumblr is the right place for that and you do you on your own blog. Then suddenly they pretty much stopped posting. I asked what they were up to and it turns out, one, they were trans and had finally started gender confirmation treatments and being out about their whole deal irl, and two, in the wake of being exhausted from therapy and medical stressors, they didn’t have the energy to do fanworks anymore. So they turned to the Star Trek novelizations for light reading, and ended up writing and editing a ton of articles on Memory Beta, the wiki for extended universe trek stuff like the books, games, etc. It seems like just making summaries of plots, fact checking things, describing niche characters and so-on scratched the itch perfectly. And since then, their tumblr has been a nicely balanced combination of trans stuff, occasional trek memes and fanart, and a bunch of other media they have been able to focus on since freeing up that chunk of their mental capacity.
I suppose the other moral of that story for you to take away is that you should take some time to figure out if your show is comforting you in the face of some super scary needed changes. Like, if your outward gender or sexuality are actually aligned with your inner self, or if you’re unhappy with your job or home or family or whatever else. It’s totally okay to use media as a comfort, but if it’s preventing you from addressing fixable problems, that’s when to call in assistance.
Telling yourself to stop thinking about a thing is a sure fire way to keep thinking about a thing. Instead, try thinking about the thing in different ways. Write some fic, collect the trading cards, plan a trip to a con, get into a heated argument about character motivations with strangers on the internet, make tiny costumes for your cats, dress them up and post pictures that will immediately go viral, do research into costuming and figure out the exact garment worn in your favorite scene, learn about the director’s or producer’s other projects, make a screenshot gallery, create a playlist for your favorite characters… If you wouldn’t naturally end up doing a fannish thing, but it seems interesting, give it a try.
posted by Mizu at 5:27 AM on March 11, 2023 [20 favorites]
If you are finding your current phase of being really into this show (I’m so curious to know what show it is…) is unsatisfactory, and continuing to leave you wanting, I suggest trying the other side of fandom that you don’t trend towards. It might help you feel like you have come to a good stopping point and focus on something else.
Example one: a buddy of mine was really into Popular Game Series (details elided to protect the innocent) and was in it for the gameplay, lore, and character relationships. He’d reached level gabillion and did all the quests and all that, and was floundering around getting mad at people in subreddits for no good reason. One day he messages me asking for an AO3 invite code. (If you want one just memail me, I got a bunch.) Turns out he had ended up finding a fic rec list and needed to subscribe to a particular author who was so totally right about all the characters. Three months later he’s like “so how would I go about finding a beta for my fic??” I was like, oh god, I’ve created a monster, except, he wrote one story and was like, “I’m done now.” And he is currently waiting patiently for the next content update for Game and happily noodling around with other games he had been wanting to check out in the meantime.
Example two: The group of people I pal around with on tumblr is made up of a core of Trekkies who all migrated over there like fifteen years ago. We still talk about Star Trek regularly in between all the other random stuff. Except this one person who was just fully trek all the time, doing fanart and graphics, writing fics, constantly sharing thoughts about character motivations, every day just a constant thrum of trek fanworks, either their own or shared from others. This went on for like at least five years. Anyway no big deal, tumblr is the right place for that and you do you on your own blog. Then suddenly they pretty much stopped posting. I asked what they were up to and it turns out, one, they were trans and had finally started gender confirmation treatments and being out about their whole deal irl, and two, in the wake of being exhausted from therapy and medical stressors, they didn’t have the energy to do fanworks anymore. So they turned to the Star Trek novelizations for light reading, and ended up writing and editing a ton of articles on Memory Beta, the wiki for extended universe trek stuff like the books, games, etc. It seems like just making summaries of plots, fact checking things, describing niche characters and so-on scratched the itch perfectly. And since then, their tumblr has been a nicely balanced combination of trans stuff, occasional trek memes and fanart, and a bunch of other media they have been able to focus on since freeing up that chunk of their mental capacity.
I suppose the other moral of that story for you to take away is that you should take some time to figure out if your show is comforting you in the face of some super scary needed changes. Like, if your outward gender or sexuality are actually aligned with your inner self, or if you’re unhappy with your job or home or family or whatever else. It’s totally okay to use media as a comfort, but if it’s preventing you from addressing fixable problems, that’s when to call in assistance.
Telling yourself to stop thinking about a thing is a sure fire way to keep thinking about a thing. Instead, try thinking about the thing in different ways. Write some fic, collect the trading cards, plan a trip to a con, get into a heated argument about character motivations with strangers on the internet, make tiny costumes for your cats, dress them up and post pictures that will immediately go viral, do research into costuming and figure out the exact garment worn in your favorite scene, learn about the director’s or producer’s other projects, make a screenshot gallery, create a playlist for your favorite characters… If you wouldn’t naturally end up doing a fannish thing, but it seems interesting, give it a try.
posted by Mizu at 5:27 AM on March 11, 2023 [20 favorites]
Is this maybe a Special Interest? Do you have sensory issues, or other symptoms of being on the Autism Spectrum? Are you upset about the interest in itself, or because of society suggesting it’s weird? Autism is really underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed in women, so I just wanted to offer a different lens in case it resonates.
posted by asimplemouse at 6:26 AM on March 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by asimplemouse at 6:26 AM on March 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
Sometimes deliberately immersing yourself in something causes your brain to go "Okay, that's enough [X] now"
I like this theory. I am going through the same immersion with Babylon Berlin and I make myself get up and take a walk around the block, no matter the time of day or night. I know that “enough-ness” will descend sooner or later. I’m hoping it’s later, but the real world does beckon outside.
posted by BostonTerrier at 8:07 AM on March 11, 2023
I like this theory. I am going through the same immersion with Babylon Berlin and I make myself get up and take a walk around the block, no matter the time of day or night. I know that “enough-ness” will descend sooner or later. I’m hoping it’s later, but the real world does beckon outside.
posted by BostonTerrier at 8:07 AM on March 11, 2023
What are the consequences of this preoccupation with the show? You say you need it to stop but not why. Are you worried you’ll annoy people by talking about it? Is it taking mental energy away from things you really need to be doing? Are you just generally existentially worried it’s a waste of time? I think it makes a difference WHY you’re finding this so distressing.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:23 AM on March 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:23 AM on March 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
I would think about this is 2 two ways: there is the distress of worring about a percieved problem and the consequences of the problem.
I'd focus on articulating the effects of the problem such as I'm not doing things I need to do or whatever, and making goals to do those things more instead of goals to do the to the thing you like to do less.
If your having trouble with articulating bad things that are going on because of doing this, of question if the worry itself is an ocd manifestation.
It could really be either way.
posted by AlexiaSky at 10:07 AM on March 11, 2023
I'd focus on articulating the effects of the problem such as I'm not doing things I need to do or whatever, and making goals to do those things more instead of goals to do the to the thing you like to do less.
If your having trouble with articulating bad things that are going on because of doing this, of question if the worry itself is an ocd manifestation.
It could really be either way.
posted by AlexiaSky at 10:07 AM on March 11, 2023
Occasionally a show will have such a strong impact on me, for a few days to weeks, that switching focus to normal everyday things feels mildly dissociative and unreal. Watching/rewatching/mentally replaying give a dopamine hit but the flipside of feeling slightly disconnected from life is unpleasant. It's entirely internal, and does not affect my functioning in any way noticeable to a third party, but it does not feel good and that is sufficient for it to be something I'd rather didn't happen.
I'm ND and also have special interests and fannish, creatively productive, deep enthusiasms for shows. They don't feel unpleasant to me and I place them in a different category from the above. I wonder if you'd draw a similar distinction given you don't sound like you're having fun, but perhaps I've misinterpreted.
The only solution I've ever found is accepting and waiting for it to pass. I'm following with curiosity to see what theories people post as to why this happens.
posted by Ballad of Peckham Rye at 10:41 AM on March 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm ND and also have special interests and fannish, creatively productive, deep enthusiasms for shows. They don't feel unpleasant to me and I place them in a different category from the above. I wonder if you'd draw a similar distinction given you don't sound like you're having fun, but perhaps I've misinterpreted.
The only solution I've ever found is accepting and waiting for it to pass. I'm following with curiosity to see what theories people post as to why this happens.
posted by Ballad of Peckham Rye at 10:41 AM on March 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I've been having a similar but less intense experience. I realize, as Balthamos explained, that the media causing this for me is filling an unmet need.
Recognizing the frenzy passing is very uncomfortable. What I have tried to help it along is to find the last thing that made me feel like this and read it instead of returning again and again to the current thing. It's not perfect but it is sort of like lowering the dosage - hits some of the same points but to a way lesser degree - so I still get pleasure from it but not the big spike.
posted by Emmy Rae at 11:59 AM on March 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Recognizing the frenzy passing is very uncomfortable. What I have tried to help it along is to find the last thing that made me feel like this and read it instead of returning again and again to the current thing. It's not perfect but it is sort of like lowering the dosage - hits some of the same points but to a way lesser degree - so I still get pleasure from it but not the big spike.
posted by Emmy Rae at 11:59 AM on March 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
What about choosing to journal or make offline art about it? That might give you the chance to hang out with whatever is resonating *for you specifically* about the show - to talk to yourself or express the feelings that it's surfacing in you. Giving voice or expression to those feelings/thoughts might either fulfill the need on its own or give you more clues as to what the need is and how you might meet it in ways that feel good to you.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 1:51 PM on March 11, 2023
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 1:51 PM on March 11, 2023
I am a lifelong fangirl so this behavior sounds very familiar to me. I think Balthamos and Mizu have excellent answers here; instead of pathologizing the behavior, can you be curious about it and use the show as a tool to learn more about yourself and what you need? Why this particular show at this particular time in your life? What are some creative ways you can engage with the show to express your self or explore your feelings?
My obsessions always fade over time, or at least start to ebb and flow a bit. I would just ride the wave while maintaining self-awareness and making sure you're not neglecting other parts of your life. I personally love that little jolt of excitement when I'm slogging through a work day and suddenly remember that I can watch a new episode that night, or a new fic by my favorite author just dropped. Can you find ways to savor it a bit, and use new content as rewards or things to look forward to?
I also have (mild) OCD, and I very much prefer fangirling over some of the less fun manifestations of the condition.
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 4:31 PM on March 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
My obsessions always fade over time, or at least start to ebb and flow a bit. I would just ride the wave while maintaining self-awareness and making sure you're not neglecting other parts of your life. I personally love that little jolt of excitement when I'm slogging through a work day and suddenly remember that I can watch a new episode that night, or a new fic by my favorite author just dropped. Can you find ways to savor it a bit, and use new content as rewards or things to look forward to?
I also have (mild) OCD, and I very much prefer fangirling over some of the less fun manifestations of the condition.
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 4:31 PM on March 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I am not your therapist -- but I am a psychologist/therapist.
One "dynamic" that might be interesting to explore is what happens to you (emotionally) when you try to refrain from watching/thinking about the show. This is similar to what some other posters have referred to as "unmet needs."
But I'm thinking about it slightly differently -- more from the perspective of attachment theory. That is, you need to keep connecting with various aspects of this show because, IF YOU STOP, you will feel terrible, anxious, bereft, nervous, etc. This is similar to the kind of attachment called "insecure attachment" or, narrowing it down further, "preoccupied attachment."
You don't just love the show. You fear NOT being in contact with the show. You don't feel secure enough to leave your thoughts about the show, even for short periods of time, because -- what if you can't get it back?? (of course you know you can get it back, but that's your rational mind's knowledge; there is a little kid underneath that who doesn't know AT ALL that they can get back something they need if they willfully let it go).
You could have more control over this if you knew on a "deep" level that you were free to come and go as you wish and the show and all the satisfaction everything about the show provides would stay there during your absence.
but you don't feel that way. Maybe you haven't had a whole lot of CONSISTENT satisfaction in your life. maybe you don't feel that you are "holding the reins" of your life. So you have to CLING to something that makes you feel good, and get obsessive and fetishistic about it.
So I would maybe explore more about the loneliness, emptiness, AND feeling that you are not able to control and titrate comfortable levels of what the show provides. You're too powerless, weak, without authority, just a child, a person without resources, a person who is controlled by emotions or other people, a kid left alone with nobody there who really wants to take care of you, etc etc, pick your metaphor.
These are just some thoughts. They may have NOTHING whatsoever to do with you and my words don't constitute treatment, but, rather, general "psychoeducation" about this topic.
posted by DMelanogaster at 5:01 PM on March 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
One "dynamic" that might be interesting to explore is what happens to you (emotionally) when you try to refrain from watching/thinking about the show. This is similar to what some other posters have referred to as "unmet needs."
But I'm thinking about it slightly differently -- more from the perspective of attachment theory. That is, you need to keep connecting with various aspects of this show because, IF YOU STOP, you will feel terrible, anxious, bereft, nervous, etc. This is similar to the kind of attachment called "insecure attachment" or, narrowing it down further, "preoccupied attachment."
You don't just love the show. You fear NOT being in contact with the show. You don't feel secure enough to leave your thoughts about the show, even for short periods of time, because -- what if you can't get it back?? (of course you know you can get it back, but that's your rational mind's knowledge; there is a little kid underneath that who doesn't know AT ALL that they can get back something they need if they willfully let it go).
You could have more control over this if you knew on a "deep" level that you were free to come and go as you wish and the show and all the satisfaction everything about the show provides would stay there during your absence.
but you don't feel that way. Maybe you haven't had a whole lot of CONSISTENT satisfaction in your life. maybe you don't feel that you are "holding the reins" of your life. So you have to CLING to something that makes you feel good, and get obsessive and fetishistic about it.
So I would maybe explore more about the loneliness, emptiness, AND feeling that you are not able to control and titrate comfortable levels of what the show provides. You're too powerless, weak, without authority, just a child, a person without resources, a person who is controlled by emotions or other people, a kid left alone with nobody there who really wants to take care of you, etc etc, pick your metaphor.
These are just some thoughts. They may have NOTHING whatsoever to do with you and my words don't constitute treatment, but, rather, general "psychoeducation" about this topic.
posted by DMelanogaster at 5:01 PM on March 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
By the way, the reason I went into the sometimes depressing detail I did in my post above was because you said you have a therapist. So if you wanted to this might lead you to some exploration in therapy that you might not have thought of. If you had not said you had a therapist, I wouldn't have posted in the way I did.
(I'm not your therapist blah blah blah but I know obsessions and I like to help.)
posted by DMelanogaster at 5:10 PM on March 12, 2023
(I'm not your therapist blah blah blah but I know obsessions and I like to help.)
posted by DMelanogaster at 5:10 PM on March 12, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
Thinking about it in this way takes away some of the power of the obsession, and some of the fear of the obsession. Like, it makes sense I have latched onto this thing, it doesn’t mean I’m ill or going insane. It can also maybe motivate you to find other things to fulfil the needs that The Show is providing for right now, maybe like taking a class or something. This is good as it connects you with others and gives you something to do and practice. I’ve found my interest in shows and fandoms has waned a lot since I started learning a second language and use my free time to study, for example.
posted by Balthamos at 2:55 AM on March 11, 2023 [27 favorites]