Special Interests

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So...here it is, the million dollar question...

Make efforts to control/contain them or let them flourish?

I have read 2 trains of thoughts on this subject, one related to OCD and the other related to AS, but I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

After a very long winded conversation with my "other half" today( post meltdown about my recent discovery of symptoms) he asked "would it be helpful to set limits on your special interests, to help you focus on other equally, if not more IMPORTANT things?" (also suggested I be offline between 12am-7am....hahahaha, take notice of the hour;)

Wow! While I am certain that my interests are simply driven by my complete and utter desire to know more and I enjoy every minute of it, I have also been known to say it is definitely not OCD, otherwise they would be anxiety driven.

I can't help but think that if I were to have limits/boundaries that it would provoke anxiety.

Anything?

Personally, my entire life revolves around my special interests. I can't speak for others.

My special interests form the most interesting part of my day. Take them away, and what's left? The daily grind of forced irrelevant social interaction? I need something to help me unwind after a long day, and my special interests give me a way to relax and do something "fun" -- perhaps not fun by NT standards, but definitely fun for me. So long as you aren't forsaking work, food, and sleep in an obsessive pursuit of your special interests, I see nothing wrong with indulging yourself.

For me, taking away time that I usually spend on my special interest to do other things WOULD make me anxious. But I can't say the same for you as I'm not inside of your body.

My personal opinion...if you enjoy your special interest (which im sure everyone does) then there is no harm in obsessing over it, as long as you get enough sleep and can concentrate on other things at other times.

I have special interests in four different things:

1. Classic Vehicles

2. Children's movies

3. Holidays of the year

4. Art

I think that I can merge these four things and let them flourish, so that I can make money off of my interests and hobbies.

In the past, I followed my special interests whenever possible and it felt good + i learned.

Now, i feel so buissy trying to sleep + being on here + work + my social life I try to maintain so I wont become friendless has left me no more time to persue them. After a while, you get used to not having them, but Id love to find time to continue my readings.

I feel, that aside from basic living nessessitys, it must not also get in the way with life in general, if you have a wife, kids and work, those should come first, when you have those, your special interests take a back seat to the responsibilites of life. Since I have a decent job and am persuing a family life someday, prepairing, I no longer have time for special interests (nor have I been outdoors as much as I used to this summer, tho im not sure if thats a special interest or not, probably is).

Soon I plan on changing my lifestyle slightly to not only go back to religion, but also to continue my special interests, top priority before that is quitting these damn pills that are getting in the way with life, heh.

I guess there is a rule of thumb I go by--- i can follow my favorite things as much as i desire, so long as it doesn't begin to interfere with my job, my BF, my ability to maintain my pets and home and bills, and my family. If I begin to miss bill payments, or if my BF is getting lonely--- then i need to cut back a bit. But everyone knows I will not give up my desires completely. That would be too much and would interfere with my well-being. There must be a balance somewhere in the middle--- this way I can enjoy keeping up with my desires (like my Oldsmobile and Olds paraphanelia and shoe collection and reading about diseases, among others) as well as paying the electric bill, etc.

Since my interest in books and reading helps me in my library job, I would definitely keep that one.

I wouldn't give up my love of cats and other animals for anything. Pets are some of the best things in life.

And in my case as well..

Tell me about it. Between walking the dog, working, commuting, cooking, not nearly enough cleaning, laundry, spending time with my wife.. how does an adult find the time? Seriously? I'd love to get back to obsessively reading on a subject, but on those rare occasions when I might conceivably be able to find the time.. I'm too tired. I need to be able to focus. I haven't had the energy for that for what feels like years, now. When I stop to think about it, it's incredibly frustrating, but them's the breaks, I guess.

As for controlling obsessions... if your obsessions are interfering with your life, then I think you need to control them. For instance, if I was reading something and didn't walk my dog, that would be a problem. She needs walking regardless of whether I'm engrossed in a subject or not. The laundry still needs done. If you can work around your other obligations - including devoting time to your partner so he doesn't feel neglected - then there's no harm.

my indrests are computer exspesially games so if any one has someting to ask about em ...pm me:D

That's crazy. And probably evil.

hahaha

Crazy as it may seem, my daughter was misdiagnosed with OCD, originally. The CBT that was recommended to help with her "obsessions" deterred the kids from pursuing their special interests, in effort to "fight" the suggested anxiety that supposedly provoked the "obsessions".

That said, I recognized a very extremely anxious reaction to this, which is what led me to continuing researching AS, as a primary diagnosis. I was sure that her interests (though strong in desire to pursue them) were not anxiety driven and I had this strange feeling that the CBT was going to be detrimental ....

That said, I have never actually confirmed this theory with any one professional and thought that I would ask, here, what people thought....

Well, just to complicte matters you need to remember that OCD is often a comorbid disorder. I'm AS, I've had obsessions in the past, and I also have OCD. I don't think I'd have ever confused my obsessions with my OCD, though - my OCD is very specific and repetitive, more akin to a stim if anything, but still not that. It's very distinct, though. If you had OCD, I don't think you'd be in any doubt of that.

I control my interests. Not strictly, but I've got so many things to do with 3 kids, 7 pets, and a husband, that I know I can't devote all my time to my interests. One of my biggest interests is reading, and since having kids, I rarely read any more. Once I start a book, I can't put it down and all I do is read. My kids will be neglected, my house will be trashed, etc. So I don't read often.

I don't feel like I'm punishing myself or anything by controlling interests, I just have more important things to do.

well, I don't know about anyone else, but whenever my special interest comes up I am more than willing to talk about it, and I certainly think about it when I'm not vocalizing. But do I think about it every day? Probably not. Aspects of it, certainly, but not obsessively so. It's not like I go around saying Amish Amish [/u]Amish[u]. The sweetness of my former religion will always be with me, and I'd love to share with anyone the experiences that I enjoyed as a member of the community, but I don't obsess about it.