Passion And Obsession: What’s The Difference?
Passion and obsession are two very similar realities, but also very different. While the first corresponds to a great flow of emotional energy that pushes us to exceed our limits, the second paralyzes the will or rather places it in extreme limits.
It must also be said that passion and obsession are two contiguous realities. In many cases, it is first the passion that comes and, if one goes beyond a certain limit, then one ends up entering the terrain of obsession. Obsession is, in a way, an excess of passion.
It is plausible to say that passion and obsession are two sides of the same coin. These two subjective realities are characterized by great emotional engagement, as well as extreme attention and focus. However, one of them is constructive, while the other is destructive.
Passion and obsession
In many cases, passion and obsession follow a line of continuity dictated by external factors. Usually, it all starts with an activity that we love and that suddenly makes us feel very special. The work is so attractive that the person begins to be passionate about it.
Passion makes us devote a lot of time to this work and pushes us to show greater standards in order to come closer to perfection. Then come the achievements and the recognition of the activity carried out, and there the problems can begin.
It turns out that external validation can work as a negative factor. What once was an activity that we did just for fun, now becomes an activity through which we seek a specific response from others. We no longer appreciate the process, but the result. This is where the obsession kicks in.
The labyrinths of obsession
When an activity obsesses us, joy turns into worry. We depend on others and this makes us restless and stressed. Studies show that when such an addiction develops, we can even engage in unethical behavior.
With the result of actions and the validation of the response of others being uncontrollable, obsessive passions are characterized by restlessness and frustration. Dependence on validation from others is not just emotional; it has been shown to also become physical.
Plus, this excess worry about approval from others has been proven to flood the body with dopamine. This, of course, reinforces the addiction and leads to burnout. We may even go so far as to cheat in order to get the applause of others.
Dependence on external approval
It would be a lie to say that a person can completely detach himself from the opinions of others. Reaching that point where we are no longer interested in the approval of others is difficult. Only an extremely spiritually evolved person achieves this; ordinary mortals depend to some extent on the approval of others.
Who isn’t happy to win an award or be recognized for what they have done? Even in everyday life, each of us feels a certain satisfaction when we post something on social media and get a “like” or a friend request, or when our number of subscribers increases.
The secret to not falling into the clutches of obsessing over approval from others is to do it on time. When we receive this “like” for something that we have done without pretension, we must keep in mind that the important thing is to have expressed something true, and that the rest is just one. bonus that may disappear tomorrow.
Appreciating what you do without taking into account the results it can bring is essential. It is not easy to get rid of the gaze of others, but it is important to make sure that you do not fall into this trap. Let passion guide us and not obsession.
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