Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Analyze the situation
• Method 2 of 3: Change
• Method 3 of 3: Creating a balanced life
• Tips
• Warnings

It can be hard to admit you have a problem. If you've landed on this page, it's likely that you are uncomfortable with your obsession with a celebrity. You may feel embarrassed or strange for engaging in everything what a certain celebrity does. Societies in general tend to worship celebrities. When that worship develops into thoughts and behaviors that negatively affect a person's life, action will be required. Stopping or reducing the severity of your struggle is easy to achieve.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Analyze the situation

1. Research Who this person is by determining the qualities that attract you. It is now time to sit down and make a list. For some reason you have a connection with this person. Physical attraction is probably not the only reason this person attracts you.
   • Often times, we see qualities in celebrities that are not present in our own lives, but that we wish they would be there. Maybe they are friendly to everyone, and you feel like most of the people in your life are not friendly.
   • Remember, celebrities only show the world an image (an ideal, masked version) of themselves, minus their more fundamental and true traits. You usually don't see them when they are having a bad day or during a private moment. It can ruin the image / image they have been working on.
2. Confirm what kind impact your obsession has on other relationships in your life. Obsessions are considered abnormal because they negatively affect a person's ability to love and be a productive member of society. Your mind can be so full of thoughts about a celebrity that there is little room for anything else.
   • Do you isolate yourself instead of participating in social events?
   • Are you rude to family and friends when you learn that your obsession has done something to upset you?
   • Are you depressed or anxious around others and are you fleeing your private environment to get back to your obsession with a celebrity? These are common emotions of people with a celebrity obsession.
3. Analyze why you think you have this obsession. According to research, the celebrity obsession can serve two functions: camaraderie and personal identity. Are you lonely and do you need someone who understands you? Or maybe you love the celebrity's attitude and want to be just like that person.
   • Clinical psychologists view obsessions as fixations on an object, person, or activity. Psychological obsession is defined as a continuous thought, concept, image or urge that is perceived as invasive and inaccurate, resulting in significant fear, distress or discomfort.
4. Ask yourself when you have thoughts and feelings about this celebrity, and whether they are rooted in reality? Imagine being friendly with the celebrity, and there you are for real convinced this is going to happen? Do you think you know what they think about a particular person or situation? Have you forgotten that you can't read other people's minds?
   • Have you met this person in a meaningful way before, which makes it possible to develop a healthy relationship? If not, then you have to recognize that you have imagined the relationship as something much more than a "regular" contact.
   • Researcher and professor Brian Spitzberg of San Diego State University's School of Communication indicates that social media communication with celebrities via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can cause a fan to feel unique, as if the celebrity is only speaking to that person. This can make you feel confused.
   • One-sided relationships are considered parasocial, meaning that one person invests emotional energy, interest, and time, and the other party, the persona, is completely unaware of the other's existence. Celebrity obsessions usually fall into this category.
5. Go after how the obsession with this person helps you meet your own needs. We all have emotional needs that we want and need to fulfill: the need to be loved, the need to belong, and the need for security, just to name a few. Are you so satisfied with your obsession that you start to forgo opportunities to find satisfaction in authentic human interactions?

When you find out how and why you react to people and things around you, you will be able to solve many of your personal problems. Only you can work to find the answers to these questions. An analysis can be difficult, but it will clarify the path to change you need to go.

Method 2 of 3: Change

1. Determine the level of your obsession. If you've been honest with yourself up to this point, you can probably determine how obsessed you are. It is helpful to know which category to place yourself in. The more aware you are of your own behavior, the more likely you are to be ready for a change in your thinking and interpretations.
   • Research has shown that there are three distinct dimensions of celebrity worship. Based on these three, where would you place yourself ?:
   • A. Entertainment Social: refers to the attitude in which individuals are attracted to a celebrity because of their perceived abilities, to entertain themselves, and to have a topic of conversation with like-minded people.
   • B. Intense Personal: refers to individuals who have intense and compulsive feelings about a celebrity.
   • C. Borderline Pathological: refers to individuals who have uncontrollable behavior and fantasies related to a celebrity.
2. Seek expert help in identifying the issues that you would like to change if you are unable to do this on your own. You can find psychologists and psychiatrists in your area through the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
3. Sign a contract of conduct and have a family member or friend witness it. With this contract you can formulate your goals and set deadlines. The signing of the document symbolizes your commitment to changing yourself, to free you from your celebrity obsession.
4. Expand your interests. Life can get unbalanced at times. If you endure too much of one thing, it is likely that you are limiting your own options. If you're obsessed with a celebrity for most of your day, week, or month, you're missing out on a ton of potentially valuable experiences.
   • In the days of global, 24/7 education, you can explore a new topic every day of the year and never be short of resources, and always have something to do or people to get to know.
   • Select three activities you would like to learn more about or participate in. You don't know what you like unless you try. This provides healthy distraction and will help you work on new and meaningful relationships with others.
   • Inform family members and friends that you are trying to do new things to learn more about the world. If you don't mind telling them you're trying to quit your obsession, do so. People can give you suggestions that you haven't thought of yet.

Method 3 of 3: Creating a balanced life

1. Calculate how many hours you are online. Many people spend a significant amount of time in the virtual world of computers and in the social media space, focusing solely on a celebrity. This makes it difficult to develop some healthy social skills and thus participate in real social interaction.
   • Studies have shown that people who learn social skills experience positive effects in their social-emotional development and behavior.
2. Decide if you want to stop all activities related to the focus on your obsession. For some people, stopping all activities abruptly (cold turkey) works best, and for others, gradually weaning the obsession down. Whatever you decide, you need to have a strategy in place to increase your chances of achieving your goal.
   • According to a study in the British Journal of Health Psychology, subjects were much more likely to achieve their goal by communicating what they wanted to achieve than a control group who did not.
   • Choose a day to start. Give yourself a deadline; that helps to focus on your efforts.
   • Have the support of family and friends.
   • Get rid of items that remind you of your obsession. This could include filling boxes with items and giving them away, or storing them in the attic or garage. This will help you solemnly concentrate and "store" your thoughts and feelings so that you can take a new path. This way you also remove possible triggers.
   • If you slip and find yourself getting back into your obsession, make some adjustments to the areas that were difficult and start over. That is allowed.
3. Limit yourself to a reasonable amount of time to keep up with celebrity performance (example: 30 minutes per month). Americans consume an average of about fifteen and a half hours per person per day on both traditional and digital media, so you're likely to come across some surprising news. Just try it.
4. Meet new people by joining groups, volunteering, or working. You can no doubt find people who meet your needs and who are willing and able to develop real relationships with you. There are hundreds of ways to help others, and everyone knows you feel good when you do. If you want to deal better with the stress of personal change, help others.
5. Create a balance in the time you spend on direct face-to-face contact and online situations. Life is meant to be fully experienced. Limiting yourself to nothing more than the online world will make it impossible for you to build that real life you want and deserve.
   • In all likelihood, you will be able to create and enjoy your incredible life without the help of a celebrity. They are probably too busy, and so are you.

Tips

• You can still be a fan of the celebrity without being obsessed.
• Be brave when it comes to new situations and meeting new people. You can do it.
• It can take time to learn new behaviors, so be patient.
• Gaining knowledge about human behavior can help you in many ways.
• Dare to say “no” to someone to participate in activities that can undermine the work you do to improve your life.

Warnings

• Be aware of your behavior and that violent obsessions can develop. Immediately contact someone (family, friends, 112) who can assist you at the first sign of aggression, directed against a celebrity or others.