Leave your obsession at home
Filed in Living an Interesting LifeI’ve sat here for about an hour now trying to summon up the energy to write a trip report, but it isn’t happening. There’s usually a reason for such things, so I’m going to leave that until tomorrow and write this, instead.
Don and I went camping overnight. I told him that he was welcome to bring my laptop but that I didn’t want to use it. I made a conscious decision to leave my blog at home.
For you, “blog” might mean “work” or “homework” or “unspecified thing that I’m obsessing about right now.” It doesn’t matter what it is, exactly. It’s a thing that is dragging you down.
Leave technology behind for a bit. Go away overnight, or even for a day. The objective is to not think about whatever’s been on your mind. Set yourself a task: to go for a walk, watch an eclipse, see how many creatures of the forest you can count. Do something low-tech; leave the rest of your life behind.
If you find that your obsessions drift into your mind, give them a mental nod of acknowledgement and tell them firmly, “Not now.” There is no point in berating yourself for their return. Detoxification doesn’t happen in an hour, and that’s what such things are–toxic waste in your mind.
I’ve found that doing this helps put a little hitch in any up and coming obsession–anything that is looming way too large in my mind. Removing myself from my blog overnight was a move that has left me refreshed and full of ideas. By not thinking about what the next post will be or the next kid-activity or whatever all it is for you, things shift naturally into perspective.
So, the next time you find yourself aiming towards being OCD, chill out. Go camping, go away, or even spend the day in a county park. It will help, I promise.
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One Comment, Comment or Ping
annulla (7 comments.)
It’s way too easy for things to become obsessions. It happens so gradually that we don’t even realize that something has slipped from “hobby” or “job” to “thing we can’t stop thinking about.”
If we are fortunate, we have friends who give us reality checks once in a while and yell, “Hey! Shut up about _________ already!”
Sep 22nd, 2007
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