Your Obsessions

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That is my thing also.

Wondering why we are answering this question, and if it is doing the OP any good personally or just building up a data bank.

Ideally, a little bit of both

Socialising?
Getting to know people?

OK, I'm grouchy, but the OP offers no information, and my interests are easy to look up here.

Davideus85 is a relatively new member. In his profile he indicated that he has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. His interest are: Video games, movies, science fiction and fantasy novels, psychology, Star Wars, journaling, history, WWII, Marvel and DC comics.

So it seems like psychology might be one of his personal obsessions. Thus this question would make a lot of sense.

According to his other posts:

He is a 35 year old Aspie who was diagnosed at the age of 13.

He has been living in the same downstairs apartment alone for the last 11 years.

He wrote: "this [COVID] situation has really pushed me to my limits mentally and emotionally. Can't go to the gym, can't attend social groups, school, church, nothing. Lost my job. Can't even receive therapy and attend support groups anymore. I have almost no outlet for my social, emotional, and psychological needs. It has made me extremely depressed to a level I never thought was possible. I've always struggled with depression and loneliness, but this quarantine has taken an already bad situation for me and made it much much worse.

So my overall observation is that he is a genuine Aspie and craves social interaction.

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- So in a general conversation he might ask "What are your obsessions."
- We would respond by answering his question.
- Then we would respond by asking him what his obsessions are.
- He would respond "Video games, movies, science fiction and fantasy novels, psychology, Star Wars, journaling, history, WWII, Marvel and DC comics."
- We would then respond, "Oh that is interesting. Tell me a little bit more about your interest in XYZ."

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So Davideus85, tell me a little bit more about journaling. Keeping a daily journal or diary may be a tool to help relieve Depression, Anxiety and Stress.

According to the following article - 83 Benefits of Journaling for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

Journaling can be effective for many different reasons and help you reach a wide range of goals. It can help you clear your head, make important connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and even buffer or reduce the effects of mental illness!

You might be wondering how writing in a journal can have a significant impact on your mental health. After all, it’s just putting some words on a page—how much can that really do for you?

It turns out that this simple practice can do a lot, especially for those struggling with mental illness or striving towards more positive mental health.

Journaling requires the application of the analytical, rational left side of the brain; while your left hemisphere is occupied, your right hemisphere (the creative, touchy-feely side) is given the freedom to wander and play (Grothaus, 2015)! Allowing your creativity to flourish and expand can be cathartic and make a big difference in your daily well-being.

Overall, journaling/expressive writing has been found to:

* Boost your mood/affect;
* Enhance your sense of well-being;
* Reduce symptoms of depression before an important event (like an exam);
* Reduce intrusion and avoidance symptoms post-trauma;
* Improve your working memory (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005).

In particular, journaling can be especially helpful for those with PTSD or a history of trauma.

It’s hypothesized that writing works to enhance our mental health through guiding us towards confronting previously inhibited emotions (reducing the stress from inhibition), helping us process difficult events and compose a coherent narrative about our experiences, and possibly even through repeated exposure to the negative emotions associated with traumatic memories (i.e., “extinction” of these negative emotions; Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005).

Even for those without a traumatic experience to work through, we have a good idea of how writing can enhance our mental health. It can make us more aware (and self-aware!) and help us detect sneaky, unhealthy patterns in our thoughts and behaviors. It allows us to take more control over our lives and puts things in perspective. Further, it can help us shift from a negative mindset to a more positive one, especially about ourselves (Robinson, 2017).

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So Davideus85, what are your personal observations about journaling. Is it a beneficial tool? Do you write in a journal every day? Is it helpful? Do you write about what happens in your day or do you let your imagination run wild and describe your dreams and vision of a better world, your aspirations? Is it a tool you would recommend for other Aspies facing severe anxiety and depression?

Since you are really interested in psychology, I would like to recommend a really, really good book on the subject. The book is titled "In an Unspoken Voice" by Peter A. Levine.

I never thought to question the question. I like talking about myself, that's good enough for me. And it's helped me to get it a little clearer in my own mind where I'm at with this notion of obsessional special interests as an Aspie.

I have a lot of obsessions. Most of mine are listed below.

Music. Clothing. Health. Knives. Death. Animated movies.

Music, bowling, video games, and airplanes.

Kudos for doing this research

One that came back a couple days ago is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, focusing specifically on the poem “Jabberwocky” (yes, I know that’s actually in the sequel) and the character of the Duchess.

Answering posts involves creativity.
I enjoy involving my creativity.