O ... is for Obsession
Allowing something outside ourselves to determine our life's value diminishes us and makes us feel out of control. An obsession can be defined as a persistent, disturbing preoccupation with an idea, feeling or need that takes over our life.
Obsessions can take endless forms. A few examples are addictive behaviors towards drugs, alcohol, food, gambling, working or shopping. Obsessions can be focused upon wealth or obsessions with people. These obsessions can become the ruling force in our life, coloring all aspects and influencing every action we take.
As I'm sure you've heard before, substance/action abuse is a dead end street. No matter which substance/action one uses to dull the pain or quiet the anxiety, it only works for a short time, and when the good feelings begin to fade, a person is left in worse shape than before. Not only is the ordinal pain and anxiety still there, but the condition has compounded. On top of the pain and anxiety, they might then have to deal with money problems, trouble at work and in their relationships, loss of physical and mental well being, and - a lot of the time - the loss of personal dignity. It's impossible to establish and maintain good feelings about oneself while having to manage these circumstances.
For those obsessed with wealth, there will never enough because the insecurity comes from within rather from their actual financial circumstances. We've all known people who hoard substantial wealth while crying poverty. If a person is obsessed with money, if he is always thinking and worrying about it, he'll feel poor no matter how much money is accumulated.
Obsessions with people are destructive to the physical, mental, and spiritual health of everyone concerned. When one has an obsession with a relationship, one turns a blind eye toward the serious problems it contains in order to maintain the illusion of happiness. This type of denial deals a critical blow to one's self esteem ...they're telling themselves that they don't deserve better, that a relationship with this person is more important than a joyful, happy relationship with anyone, even with themselves.
Because we do these things to ourselves, we have the strength and the means to undo them. We can bring awareness into our relationships with ourselves and others. We can take off the blinders and move through the fears and illusions that our obsessions serve to cover.
Releasing ourselves from our obsessions begins with a desire to feel better, the desire to experience the simple, pure joy in the little things all around us. The first step takes courage and the willingness to stretch out our hand to someone qualified and willing to help. Though we might convince ourselves that our situation is hopeless ~ we can turn right around and tell ourselves the truth: It isn't hopeless at all...we're chock full of possibilities!
