Obsessive Interests Out of Control?

[Sunrise78]

Hello all,

I was just wondering if any of you who have Asperger's syndrome sometimes feel as though your obsessive interests are out of control - i.e. you become so focused in on the interest that you lose sight of the time and everything around you and/or you feel that you cannot stop obsessing about it. I feel as though I waste a lot of time on certain obsessive interests but often times it's like my brain becomes "stuck" in that mode and I can't get out of it. For example, I was up until 2 AM last night working on genealogical lists (one of my primary obsessions related to a world I created for a sci-fi/fantasy novel) and probably could have kept going except that I wanted to get some sleep.

The only thing I have been able to do so far is to ask the Lord to help me because I feel like there are things he wants me to do besides the obsessive interest and the interest has been crowding those things out of my life for the past few days. Today is actually the first day that I haven't felt compelled to go back to the interest.

Has anyone had a similar experience, or any other suggestions on how to deal with this?

 

[createcoms]

Well my ability to manage my time and how I use it (ie the balance of those obsessive interests against the boring but necessary daily chores) is rather failure-prone. I'm not sure if that's what you mean....

In terms of dealing with it, I suggest the Pleasure/Pain principal needs to be somehow invoked in that you either actually create some sort of painful consequence for yourself when you spend too much time on it or if you can at least convince yourself it will be bad then the brain (which likes the pleasure path better than the painful path) will switch you out of the interest because it wants to avoid the pain!

Stepping back from that though, my belief is that self-discipline can be obtained despite the extra adhesion (Obsession) to those interests, but it will take some prolonged effort (I'm still trying!)and my inclination would be to petition God through prayer since the most meaningful success I've enjoyed in the life has been by his strength (and Grace)not my own.



-cc

 

[Sunrise78]

Well my ability to manage my time and how I use it (ie the balance of those obsessive interests against the boring but necessary daily chores) is rather failure-prone. I'm not sure if that's what you mean....

Yes, time management in general is sometimes the issue ... however, I'm talking more about certain times when I become obsessive to the point where everything else is crowded out. I start indulging in my special interest(s) to the point where I have to literally force myself to eat and sleep because not even those things are as interesting as my special interest(s).

In terms of dealing with it, I suggest the Pleasure/Pain principal needs to be somehow invoked in that you either actually create some sort of painful consequence for yourself when you spend too much time on it or if you can at least convince yourself it will be bad then the brain (which likes the pleasure path better than the painful path) will switch you out of the interest because it wants to avoid the pain!

Hmmm ... that's an interesting idea. Not sure how to do this, though, to deliberately cause myself pain. I always try to tell myself, "there are more useful things I could be doing right now for the kingdom of God," but it's like my brain has a life of its own somehow. I'm not saying that I feel like I'm not responsible for my actions or anything, only that it is VERY hard for me to stop.

Stepping back from that though, my belief is that self-discipline can be obtained despite the extra adhesion (Obsession) to those interests, but it will take some prolonged effort (I'm still trying!)and my inclination would be to petition God through prayer since the most meaningful success I've enjoyed in the life has been by his strength (and Grace)not my own.



-cc

Prayer has been most effective for me so far too ... realizing that I am helpless in my own strength to do anything for the Lord in the first place. "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5b).

Thanks for the reply, cc.

Anyone else have this experience in dealing with seemingly out-of-control obsessive/special interests?