A huge number of us get obsessed with something, whether it’s a character, a topic, and/or an object. Why do we get so obsessed with something though? What are the roots that lead to obsession? How does obsession impact our health?

Familiarity is one of the factors that lead to obsession. If someone is familiar with something, then they can get obsessed with what they’re interested in due to the fact that they came across something earlier. Familiarity is what sparks an attachment and that attachment relates to obsession. Someone or something would also seem appealing because of how familiar it is compared to other characters/topics/objects. 

Another well-known factor for obsession is how the character/topic is set up. If someone/something has a good story, good character, and looks very attractive, then it’s very likely for someone to get obsessed. For instance, a superhero character who started off with many flaws and later having character development. Character development is what makes characters likeable. Same thing goes for story development. It’s easy to get attached to someone who’s imperfect because they’re closer to human.

Speaking of attractiveness, characters who have an excellent character design that matches what traits the viewer/reader desires would make them obsessed. Senior Reyson Pimentel is fond of maid anime characters and they’re the most appealing characters to him. He said “I thought Rem is one of the cutest waifus of all anime.” He also didn’t get very harmed by his love for Rem due to the fact that it’s “Just a wife & crush.”

Admiring a story and a character that has some development and it’s something to relate to is one thing, but obsession is something else. When someone is obsessed with someone and/or something, it hinders their ability to love and work. It can be a major distraction in life to be stuck with an obsession. For some people, it doesn’t last long, but for others, it may take months or years. Some people even get obsessed with someone/something and once they move on, they get obsessed with someone/something else. There’s also a range of how obsessed people can be. Some only have a slight obsession and they don’t sustain harm from it. There’s also others, like me, who do get insanely obsessed and it disrupts the mind, causing a loop that harms mental health.

There may be good things about obsession though. Obsession may lead to being gifted at something, such as having infinite knowledge on a certain fandom. It can also help with creating ideas for stories out of the inspiration from obsession. However, it can also be a quirk because it limits other abilities and there’s only focus on the obsession itself. This causes a lot of stress on people because obsession can ruin their ability to focus on other things besides their obsession. When there’s something stuck in someone’s head, it can also sometimes cause strange dreams, nightmares, and it may also disrupt sleep. It can also become harder to resolve once it gets permanently stuck in the mind.

Obsession may be disruptive to our health, but just like most health issues, it can be resolved. How to get rid of obsession is to do anything that can get your mind off your obsession. Reysons suggests that people who are obsessed with anime should take a break from it. If that obsession comes back despite trying hard, ask a professional for help. There’s also more advice as well. DON’T PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES SUCH AS MAKING MEMES TO COPE WITH OBSESSION! IT ONLY GETS WORSE THAT WAY!!!

By the way, if you can’t get rid of your obsession and you tried your best to get them out of your head, how about you view your obsession differently, that way you don’t have negative thoughts and cringe whenever your obsession is in your mind. After all, it’s you who has the obsession and you’re in charge of it. Go ahead and feel free to do whatever you want with your obsession, that way you can either find a way to get rid of it or keep it as a part of you, but in a healthy way. 

Obsession may also dissipate naturally, so even if you don’t do anything about it, chances are that your obsession naturally disappears. For those people who read this article, I just hope all of you find a way to control your obsession and either get rid of it or change it to something positive and keep it as a part of you.