From one obsession to another… autism and obsessions

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been throwing myself from one obsession to another. When I was a child, I was very often the one who absorbed everything about one subject for a few months and then, suddenly, became interested in something completely different. In that period of months everything around one theme dominated my life. Clothes, way of speaking, pronounced opinions, … I copied a lot of my obsession. That was not always appreciated. Sometimes this resulted in a ‘interest-related friendship’, that mostly came to an end after a few months. It wasn’t so much a friendship but more a shared obsession. Sometimes the friendship itself became an obsession. If that was the case, I became the shadow of that boy or girl. Until they made it clear I was too much, I came too close. Nowadays I am much more aware of my obsessive behavior, but I still find it difficult to moderate my enthusiasm on something or about someone. My current obsession is more on activities such as writing and reading or collecting quotes than on people or certain objects.

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Published by Sam

NL: Ik ben Sam, ervaringswerker autisme / autismeambassadeur Sterkmakers in Autisme, en ben onder andere actief bij de Vlaamse Vereniging Autisme en GRIP vzw. Ik ben samen met Roos. Daarnaast ben ik gek op schrijven, lezen, observatie, filosoferen, parafraseren, reageren, visualiseren enzo verder. EN: I am Sam, known as Sam Peeters, known as 'Tistje', and I have been writing about autism in a broad sense since 2008. I am an adult man with autism and above-average intelligence. I have various limitations and disabilities. I live with my partner Roos, who is also intelligent and has autism. I work as an experience worker, for example at the Flemish parent and family association, for GRIPvzw, a civil rights organization advocating for equal rights for people with and without disabilities and have several others collaborations. I have experience in several kinds of support, contexts and both regular and higher education, where I have earned three bachelor's degrees. I have worked in different types of labor and various forms of support, aid, and care. I am also active on social media platforms like Facebook, X/Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest under the name 'Tistje'.