Three obsessive behaviours that you might be doing that prevent you from recovering from stress can be easily identified and remedied so you can enjoy a stress-free life. Sometimes your anxiety and stress can go beyond what can be remedied by an activity like going on a fishing charter – whatever your preference.
Obsessed negativity is the first, and it is relatively easy to self-diagnose. People with obsessed negativity tend to be generally negative about things that happen in their life. Sometimes it’s just one area, such as work, but it can pervade your entire life, from your family and friends, your personal image, places you go, situations you encounter, politics and more.
Perhaps you find yourself saying things like “I can’t do this!” or “I always do the wrong thing or “Nothing ever works!”, for example. You may be doing this unconsciously, but essentially you have what’s known as a “sour grapes” attitude, and it inhibits you knowing what it’s like to view life through a positive lens and enjoy the beauty in yourself and people around you! The world looks different with happiness and positive thinking.
Obsessive perfectionism sets you up against impossibly high standards, either your own, or some external pressure such as what you think your friends will think, or your boss. If it’s your own standards, you may consider yourself a failure if you don’t achieve them; if they’re your perceived standards from other people then you may think that you’ll make them mad by falling short. This type of behaviour is sometimes difficult to identify as we all tend to want to do a good job. It’s recognizing whether holding yourself to the standards is causing you stress if you don’t meet up to them.
Obsessive analysis is the third one. You might be obsessed about minute details of processes and procedures, going over them again and again until you are sure you understand it in miniscule detail – often far more than is required. You may feel the need to repeatedly go over the finer details of the task, repeating the order in your head just to be sure you’ve got it right. You can’t relax is things go wrong!
While analytical thinking is an excellent trait if it’s done in excess you never get to stop and enjoy even the little things in life because you’re too busy trying to analyse everything and everyone around you. Letting go of stress can sometimes be as simple as realizing that you don’t need to have total control over everything and, in general, things always work out for the best.
If you recognize any of these blocking behaviours in yourself, there are tactics you can use to address them and help free yourself of them without having to resort to a medical consultant. First, ask a few trusted friends or relatives whether they think you are negative in general, or if they think you are difficult to be around.
Explain the three blocking behaviours and ask them to specifically address those as opposed to things that might not be relevant. The insight you will get from others’ assessment of you is invaluable and you’ll know precisely how others see you.
Secondly, keep a diary to write down and establish patterns of when you are using blocking behaviours. Even if you are not thrilled with the idea of writing, you can make little entries into a note book or journal each day. The great part is that you’ll begin to see patterns in your behavior that reveal exactly what you’re doing to prevent yourself from curing your anxiety.
Other relaxing hobbies you could take up to take your mind off anxiety include reading car magazines or watching blu-ray DVDs.