Monday, March 1, 2010

Obsessive or Addictive?

After spending the evening trying to convince a toddler to organize his toys (in a futile effort to clean the playroom), I started to wonder if I had an obsessive or addictive personality.  So I did what any intelligent woman would do to find an answer.  

I googled.

Obsessive personality
A type of personality characterized by the manifestation of a rigid, pervasive pattern of perfectionism and inflexibility as the individual strives persistently for obvious unattainable and implausible goals, to the point that the actual completion of tasks and projects are frequently interfered by such behaviour.

Addictive personality
a personality marked by traits of compulsive and habitual use of a substance or practice in an attempt to cope with psychic pain engendered by conflict and anxiety.

Interesting.
Let's see...if I didn't have an addictive personality...

I wouldn't wage a constant battle with food.   I would stay a constant weight because I wouldn't be an emotional overeater. 

I would save money because I wouldn't drink booze every weekend.  Although, at the first of the year, I stopped drinking during the week. Except during vacation, of course.

I wouldn't be losing inches and looking forward to the challenge of the half marathon because I wouldn't battle food and need to run to keep the weight off. 

    On the other hand, if I didn't have an obsessive personality...

Our house would never be clean because even though he tries, Eric is not known for his housekeeping abilities.  There is nothing I love more than spending a day, deep cleaning, knowing that I'll be doing it all again within a week.

There would be piles of stuff everywhere.  I do not keep old stuff.  I love to go through closets, cabinets, and drawers and find things to throw away (which reminds me that I really need to do something this weekend about the crap that is in our bedroom).

None of us would have clean clothes.  Sometimes, I do a load of laundry, just because I can.  The routine of washing, adding fabric softener, drying, and putting it away is so satisfying!

I love Making Lists.  Period.

I'm not sure when the blogs became an obsession but I'd count them as one.  I'd probably sleep more if I didn't have the blogs because I would go to bed at a decent hour.  But I feel guilty that I'm letting down my peeps when I don't have a new entry every few days.

And none of this even covers when I get an idea in my head and obsess over it for DAYS on end.
You're asking for an example?  Well, let's see...

Whether or not to cut my hair.
Whether or not to do National Boards.
Whether or not we can afford the house addition.
I can't go to sleep with dishes in the sink and clutter on the counters.
I can't leave for vacation with a messy house (who likes to come home to a mess?)

And now that the kid's asleep, I think I'm going to sneak down and organize his toys when he least suspects it!

Need I go on?


Which one are you?  Or do we all have a little of both inside us?

2 comments:

  1. Yah, I'm a little of both I'd say. :)

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  2. I hear ya girl. I am pretty obsessive. I obsess about food & working out for sure. I know this, I just don't accept it.

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What say ye?