I need help/advice

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Hello,

I am new to this forum, and I need some advice.

My Psychiatrists said I don't have Aspergers, and I don't think I have it either. Nevertheless, I do share a good amount of qualities that are typically associated with individuals who do have Aspergers, such as hyperfocus on a particular subject.

Which leads me to my question, since many on here have Aspergers, and since one of the defining traits of Aspergers is a tendency to hyperfocus on particular subjects, I am aware of this.

I have always hyperfocused on topics ranging from construction equipment and sharks to Imperial China and Medicine.

However, for the past 3 years I just cannot stop thinking about/being obsessed with politics and also economics. I really don't want to be interested in these topics anymore, I want to be interested in Chemistry instead or Physics. So how do I do this? How can I just dump my interest in politics etc. and become interested in Chemistry or Physics or both?

I know it sounds weird, but I was just wondering if somebody could offer me their advice, in a kind and understanding way.

Thank you!

I wish I could offer suitable advice.

But economics and politics are interesting because they are both quite pertinent to our existence.

So are the hard sciences.

But politics and economics are more concretely pertinent.

Well, I think they're all really useful. We need Chemistry for so many things, ranging from Medical care to infrastructure, and Physics the same. Politics is the result of decision making and respective debates. Economics is important too to maximize returns on appropriate decisions and for the reduction of negative externalities and thus risk.

I just don't want to be so hyperfocused/obsessed with Politics/Economics. I just feel so trapped...

I usually don't have that problem. I also wouldn't call what you are are describing as hyperfocusing. Hyperfocusing is when a person is very focused and concentrating on one thing at a particular moment and has blocked everything else out. It's sort of like being in "the zone" of concentration.

What you're describing sounds to me more like obsessions. I have some control over my obsessions. What usually happens is this: I start reading, studying or doing a particular thing, usually one that fits in with my interests. I find whatever it is extremely enjoyable, and I can't stop thinking about it for a period of time. I will spend most of my free time doing whatever it is, usually neglecting my responsibilities in the process. Then after weeks, months, or years, I will very quickly lose interest and abandon my obsession.

If I get to a point where I am "stuck" with an obsession, I often lose interest. It usually happens when the obsession is a goal, a project, game, etc. When I get to the point where what I want to accomplish regarding the obsession becomes too difficult, I get frustrated and the enjoyment is gone.

Also, if I am spending too much time on an obsession, it tends to suck all the enjoyment out of it faster, and then I'm bored with it.

To get obsessed with something, I just have to find something about it that intrigues me. I have a lot of natural curiosity about things, and so I can very easily become interested in a subject. Things that are enjoyable in other ways also can become obsessions. Like going to the gym. Or playing video games, or building/creating things.

Basically anything that I can find enjoyable can become an obsession, at least briefly.

So find something about the subjects you'd like to be interested in that intrigues you, and find a reason to get frustrated or bored with your current obsessions.

Thank you very much for your response, I greatly appreciate it.

The thing is though, is that it seems like the more I read about Politics/Economics, the more the obsession just continues to reassert/anchor itself, or even grow. I just have no idea how to make it boring. And I just have no idea about how to make Chemistry for example interesting by focusing on something cool about it/interesting about it.

You could try avoiding reading anything about those subjects for a period of time to see if they will lose their power over you. You may not be able to stop obsessing about those topics; I don't know whether it's possible for everyone.

What I would probably do in your case is not allow myself to read/think/talk about those subjects for at least a couple of weeks. I would then start watching videos about and reading about chemistry or physics. Perhaps even do some simple experiments. But it's possible that you simply aren't interested in those things. I personally thought economics was very interesting when I took a class, because the theories are so logical and practical. But nothing could ever make me like politics. It only depresses me to study the subject.

I'll try that. I think it would be hard though, to force myself not to think about politics/economics. For college next semester I'm taking an Astronomy course and A beginner's chemistry course. My psychiatrist and therapist also said to just let things/interests evolve, so I don't know, maybe that will work. I also plan to buy a book called "Napoleon's Buttons," which is a book about how different molecules have affected historical circumstances. Maybe that will help too. At least I hope.

http://stuckinadoorway.org/forums/
This forum may be able to help. I haven't read any posts in many years--I just remembered their name and Googled them.

I have had a simelar problem recently. I have been training myself to lucid dream, which requires a fair bit of mental effort. For the first little while I was obsessed with it and I would do a ton of research on the topic which made it much easier, but lately my obsessions have been evolving which is making it much harder. I still want to lucid dream, but it's not what I think about in my mental down time which is causing me to have much less success despite me being so close to success after over 2 months of work.

When it comes to switching mental modes like that, there are a two main tactics that I use. One that I find works quite well is to try to guide my obsessions to evolve in a particular way. For example I could get from my current obsession with autism to my desired obsession with lucid dreaming by looking up how and if autism affects lucid dreaming (which is actually how my obsession evolved from lucid dreaming into autism). Another technique that seems to work well is to learn new stuff about the desired obsession. It could be more general then your obsession, for example in your case you could learn some new stuff about chemistry or you could learn more about string theory or quantum mechanics and that would be easy to transition into chemistry. One thing I can recommend is the books by Brian Greene which definitely peaked my interest in physics for quite a while.

Well, one method I have used is to approach the subject from a related, but perhaps marginal discipline.

For instance, I got more interested in chemistry and physics after I found out how these disciplines could be applied in forensic science (DNA tests, mass spectrometry etc.).

You could try reading Criminalistics by Richard Saferstein, for instance, as it introduces a range of natural science subjects with respect to a social/political problem: Crime.
http://www.amazon.com/Criminalistics-In ... 0133458822

That being said... Imperial China is cool... Especially the Tang dynasty... But chemistry or physics probably offer better employment opportunities .

Thanks for the response! What's the content of the book Criminalistics like?

I would say that I have an interest in Criminology, mostly derived from my interest in politics and to an extent economics.

I'm on a certain medication right now, an anti-obsessional medication meant for OCD. I'm concerned it will impair my ability to get focused on a certain topic that I want to become 'obsessed' about. I know it sounds weird, but that's how feel. Just another thing to worry about, unfortunately...

Imperial China is awesome! The Han, Song, Three Kingdoms period, Yuan, Tang, and Ming dynasties, really cool stuff. I remember I used to be fascinated with Zen Buddhist art and philosophy. I also was fascinated by Early Chinese contact with the Japanese, somewhere in the late ancient period to early Medieval period, according to most scholarly accounts.

It is a standard college textbook which surveys the scientific principles behind multiple fields of forensic science.

It covers the following areas (from the table of contents in my copy):

Crime Scene Investigation
Glass and Soil analysis
Organic/Inorganic Analysis
Microscopes
Drugs
Toxicology
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
Hairs, Fibers and Paint
Fire Investigation
Explosions
Fingerprints
Firearms, Tool Marks and Other Impressions
Document Examination
Computer Forensics

Richard Saferstein has a Ph.D. in Chemistry and 40 years of experience as a forensic expert in law enforcement.

Welcome.

I have been obsessively following Global Economics and Geopolitical Affairs for several years and cannot break away from it.
I also deeply love Science, Maths, Philosophy etc.... and I would prefer to spend my time focused on them but I cannot stop with the Econ./Poli. and I feel as though I am squander precious hours in this pursuit.

Can I ask how do you view the Globecon and its condition?
I have a good reason for asking......I will reveal that after your reply.

Hello,

That's actually a very interesting question. The Global economy is so vast, intertwined with global politics. At the end of World War 2 the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the world's two superpowers, and after the collapse of Communism at the end of the cold war, capitalism expanded, and this conglomerated itself together with the rise of Japan in the 1970's and the discovery of oil in the Persian Gulf region, for instance.

China has seen spectacular economic growth, and this is one of the main reasons the 'Communist' party in China is popular, as a strong economy is essential to the Party's grip on power. However, growth is slowing down in China, and China is really at the stage where it needs to be transforming its economy from a manufacturing based one to one that's more based around services and technology, with more funding for research and development. Also, China should improve its environmental record, improve human rights, and seek to compromise with the surrounding nations, rather than trying to dominate them. China in my opinion should also seek more gradual privatization of some aspects of the economy, as well as introducing national health insurance.

So the United States is now at the point where it has less control and faces severe economic and political problems, compared to sixty years ago. Various court rulings, increasing corruption, unnecessary spending, a huge debt problem, and campaign finance and lobbying all pose a dire threat to American democracy. Success depends on whether the United States can institute major reform and act on that reform.

This subject is fascinating, and I have only provided a small distillation of an enormous topic. To produce a work that effectively describes every aspect of the global economy would take pages.

But nevertheless, it is fascinating. What do you think?

Well articulated.

How do you regard the move from ZIRP to NIRP?
How will it affect us?
Why are they doing it?

How stable is the Globecon? is another GFC like 2008 in the cards?

What do you think of Sovereign debt levels in the G20?

Gawd, I love talking with someone who knows their stuff
Most people know f'all about this topic.