Everybody is Obsessive
Here’s an idea what to do about those unwanted thoughts.
A few years ago an international study came out which claimed that 94 percent of people experience unwanted, obsessive thoughts or impulses. Concordia University, along with 15 other Universities, were involved in the study, which interviewed 777 students in 13 different countries.
The only surprise is that six percent of people denied ever being obsessed with anything.
In the West, we live in cultures where an awful lot of people are worried, anxious, busy and preoccupied pretty much most of the time. We are marketing fodder, unable to actually think about what we want to buy or do because of the bombardment of choices offered to us. We like to think we are so distinct but we are pretty easily manipulated by those advertising gurus.
It seems like there is a widespread inability to stop and think, to reflect and be silent. When would we have the time? This has meant that there is this generalized anxiety, just humming along behind the script of most people’s lives. And this anxiety, together with an overload of information, a slightly narcissistic generation, and a lack of intentionality about our thought patterns appears to have led to obsessiveness in most people.
Or we are just bored.
Either way, we are obsessed and often do and think about things that we don’t actually want to. So what to do about that?
I want to suggest something from the Bible. Wait a minute. Hear me out.
If you go to a psychologist and say you are obsessed/anxious/stressed etc.. it is very likely that they will advise you to do something quite similar to what Paul the apostle and writer of half the New Testament prescribed 2,000 years ago.
Paul ended a letter to the Christians in Philippi, Greece, with the following words: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” Philippians 4:8.
We can be intentional about what we think about. We don’t have to give in to whatever thoughts float into our heads. The point is, is that our obsessive feelings of worry, sadness, fear etc.. are a direct result of what we spend our time thinking about. So let’s be purposeful about thinking about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and excellent. I would say if we give that a try for a few months we will be pleasantly surprised at the turn for the better our lives take.
