• Replies 3 replies
  • Subscribers 67 subscribers
  • Views 955 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Obsessive thoughts (teenager)

NAS38931

My 18 year old son is obsessed with storms especially as we have a steam behind our hedge which he is desperate to see flood. He missed one a few years ago then missed another three weeks ago where half a months rain fell in 20 mins. Since then he can’t get the fact he missed it out of his head. It is dominating his thoughts, affecting his sleep and making him depressed.

Any advice gratefully received.

  • A big change like going to university is stressful for anyone. Will he be still living at home, as it's in his home town, or is he moving into student accommodation? If so, that's another big change. It might be that rather than missing the storm that's actually causing him depression and loss of sleep. It isn't always easy to articulate the reasons.

    Speaking from my own experience, my special interests are a source of comfort to me, and I turn to them even more than usual when I'm under stress, for whatever cause. If you're trying to get him to "turn down" his obsession, now probably isn't the best time to work on that. But it's certainly worth helping him to look after himself physically, and do whatever else he does to relax. (And yourself, too.)

    Unless his interest in storms is so all consuming that it routinely prevents him from living a normal life, could you just let him continue to pursue it? Special interests can change over time anyway. And there is plenty of footage on YouTube of tornados, hurricanes and floods which he might like, if he isn't watching them already.

    If you're feeling stressed out yourself, that might not be what you wanted to hear, and I do sympathise. But my feeling from the little I understand is that it isn't really the special interest that's the issue right now, but the impending changes in his life. Talking to him about those might be more fruitful. Best wishes to you both, I hope it works out.

  • in reply to Misheard Lyrics

    Reduce him tho long about it all the time . I don’t know whether or not it’s possible to drop it although that would be lovely. I wonder if it’s related to the fact that he is going to uni in a couple of weeks, although it’s in his home city.

  • Hi, sorry, but I'm not sure from your post whether you're asking for advice regarding helping your son to pursue his special interest, or helping him to reduce it or drop it altogether. Could you please clarify what you meant?