Obsessions

Obsessions are nothing to joke about; although I'm sure I will find a way.
 
They have led to ancient kingdoms falling, vast empires being conquered, passionate romance and cold-blooded murder. Obsession or intense fixation is a mindset in which you become obsessed with attachment to another person, being or object. For example, there are some who might say I am obsessed with Harry Potter. I routinely read the series, watch the movies, write thesis papers about it, cried the day I discovered the only mistake in the series and I am nigh unbeatable in Harry Potter trivia.
 
Sigmund Freud theorized that humans may develop psychological fixation through two different paths. The first is a lack of proper gratification during a stage in your life; for example, a True Love ignored you but pays attention to a new girlfriend/boyfriend, so you fixate on the new person in their lives. Or your parents never give you the same praise they give your younger sibling, so you obsess on what you're doing wrong.
 
The second path is quite the opposite: one becomes obsessed by receiving a strong impression from a stage in their life. Perhaps a movie or book like Harry Potter truly changed your life, or helped you cope with a loved one's death, and you have become obsessed with it. Stalkers choose the person they obsess about often from just a brief look or a polite smile that they define as a huge moment and the start of their "relationship" with the person they are stalking. 
 
Obsession is hard to define because it can be an offensive or defensive strategy for coping with unhappiness. You might obsess to keep yourself from moving on to the unknown and "unsafe" future, or it might be your defense from being hurt badly in the past. Your mindset becomes so closed that you believe only whatever you fixate on can make you feel happy and fulfilled, such as losing weight, getting a 4.0 or dating a certain person. Beware: you might have an obsession that you view as healthy or not a huge problem. Our generation is obsessed with having their phones on and near them, checking Facebook or certain people's statuses, obsessions with how they look in photos, money, knowing what their girlfriend is doing, and the list goes on.

Experts believe that several factors create a climate for obsessive fixation: Leisure or boredom, vulnerability, inequality, a perceived failure, particular childhood experiences or undergoing dramatic life changes often coincide with obsession. Studies show the most important factors are ones associated fear or lack of self-confidence, which will cause someone to seek out an outlet for their anxieties. No matter the reason why, coming to terms with an obsession isn't easy. Some people have the power to talk sense into themselves, others require an intervention from friends or family, total seclusion from the object or person (like blocking someone's Facebook), or distracting yourself with something new (a la Twilight).
 
Behavior altering tools are also effective, such as snapping a rubber band around your wrist every time your mind wanders to your obsession, turning off your cell phone or putting on a fun movie whenever you start to fixate.The obsession may have taken time to develop (ten years in my case) so the same amount of time may be needed to get over it. The most important thing is understanding your obsession. What you do with that knowledge is up to you. While you do that, I am going to reread the Harry Potter series for the 112th time.