Obsessive, Compulsive Disorders

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Do you have an addictive personality? Of course you are going to say “no”, you’ve never been addicted to any drug in your life. Actually I didn’t say are you addicted to a chemical substance you made that leap on your own. I said do you have an addictive personality”?
An addiction is something that you cannot “not do”. I fact you have to do it, regardless of what “it” is.

I too would have said that I wasn’t addicted to anything, apart from chocolate once upon a time. There were some things that I did on a regular basis, there were even some other things that I did on a regular basis that were routine, second nature – and yes there is a difference, some of which as you may realise become habits. 

But what happens when those those habits become compulsions?

There was a woman in the coffee shop the other day. She was dressed in 1970’s fashion – tight white blouse and denim shorts cut so high that you could see the cheeks of her butt. Which is all very well, except she was 30+ years too old for what she was wearing….stuck in a time warp, or just a wardrobe malfunction – who knows. Anyway, that is not what I wanted to tell you about not today. You see it wasn’t her clothing that intrigued me per se, but her actions. She collected her cup of coffee, and then sat with her back to the room, and proceeded to shake chocolate powder over her drink. A confection that she had taken with her! She put down the shaker, picked up her cup and spoon, and then proceeded to eat the chocolate powder from the cup. Put down the cup, pick up the shaker, turn it upside down, two pats on the base, pick up the cup and start all over again. Compulsive, Obsessive.

The question I am mulling today is why don't we have compulsive behaviours over things that are good for us...like working on our projects, eating fruit and veggies or going to the gym. Why do the compulsions that we have keep us stuck in our own particular time warp, and how on earth do we know that we have them, and then be willing to do something about them?

I know this is going to sound odd, but if you can do it, you can find insights into your behaviours and actions....keep a note of what you do, it doesn't matter what the action is - it could be going to the loo and having to wash your hands fifteen times before you think they're clean. (This would be a good time for someone to follow you around with a video camera I think). Watch what you are doing, and then once you have collected your data, you need to ask if those actions, behaviours and emotions are worth keeping, or not.

Because you can only truly move forward if you know where you are starting from.

I wish for you a thoughtful day today...
Elle B
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