Ways to quit celeb obsession and stop stalking

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Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

You could have affection towards your favourite star(s) such as politician, actor, singer, etc. and I appreciate you for sending out positive vibes towards someone. But excess of anything is never fruitful, and this applies towards fandom as well. Unknowingly you might be obsessed with your favourite star(s) which you must not indulge in if you wish to enhance your persona.

To differentiate between the two, being a fan means appreciating someone’s work. Being obsessed means finding out details of their personal lives, the people they are close to, spending time fighting with fans of rivals over who is better and devoting excessive time thinking about your favourite star(s) instead of focusing on improving your own life.

Being loyal towards someone is delightful, being obsessed isn’t.

Sharing with you, dear reader, how you can deal with the matter and overcome obsession with your favourite star(s). Not convinced why you must stop this juggernaut? Please read between the lines when going through this article. I believe it’d make you progressive in your overall vision.

1. Constructive criticism.

We all want people to support us in times of need. We forget that there would always be thousands of people singing praises, what really matters are those who provide constructive feedback thereby making us better as a human. Several stars have gone down because they were surrounded by too many yes-man’s and practically no one talking about the emperor’s new clothes. Everyday I witness die-hard fans of rival celebs fighting with each other over who’s better, instead of working together to build a better nation. Till date face-to-face communication has more genuineness than writing on Computer screen, and if your star isn’t someone you can say something by looking in their eyes then don’t waste too much of your energy on her/him.

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Photo by Arjun Suri Photography

 

2. Loyalty versus obsession.

Being a loyal fan means standing through the rough times, it doesn’t mean that you start assuming yourself having a right on their personal lives. Avoid reading each and everything about your favourite star(s) in the press and Social Media. You can be a member of their fan clubs but try being more of a passive member than an active one. You are their admirer because of the work they have done (movies, songs, books, etc.). They can survive without your support on everything they do, what they actually need from you to make them better. Buy their products only if you genuinely need them. If a competitor offers something better then go for it, this would enable your favourite star(s) to innovate and also explore newer techniques they might not be aware of.

3. Divert your thoughts.

Whenever a thought on your favourite star occurs in mind, divert that elsewhere. Think of new ideas, your immediate family members, a product design that inspired you highly, or motivational words you heard recently. This would improve your personality considerably.

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Photo via Facebook, original perhaps via Daily Ten Minutes

 

4. Friend circle.

If most of your friends are huge fans of celebs, then that would have an effect on you. Try educating them on celeb obsession and if this doesn’t work out then start finding out those who are not obsessed with anyone. I am not asking you to dump old friends, just asking you to do something that would benefit you as well as them.

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” –Β Oprah Winfrey

5. Create your own path.

Always remember that your favourite star(s) became big not because of worshiping someone endlessly, but because of doing something extraordinary. A true star would want her/his fans to excel professionally instead of engaging in idol worship. If you are low on confidence that you cannot make it big then invest in education, read self-help books and make friendship with like-aged friends who are doing well academically or professionally. You have only one life, if your favourite star(s) can do it then so can you.

Discover your destination – you could be a fan of someone, or you could be someone having fans. The choice is yours.

“The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.” – Lily Tomlin

6. Learn from the best.

Explore the good aspects of your favourite star’s rivals, they would always be right in some aspect. Pick out the best from them and move on. There is no point trolling rivals of your favourite star(s) on Social Media, it is a waste of time. Be shameless towards learning the best values from whomever you can, if you persist you might even reach a place higher than your favourite star(s).

After reading his biography I realized that Steve Jobs was fan of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Dieter Rams, Picasso, Henry Ford, Thomas Watson, etc. but not obsessed with anyone to the extent of preferring idol worship over focusing on work. He never copied anyone, rather he chose the best aspects and made them his own. Instead of devoting time elsewhere he chose to focus on creating products we use affectionately.

7. The real star.

Behind the success of every celebrity there are always numerous people involved that you might not be aware of. Their interviews are often moderated by PR’s and social media accounts are carefully monitored so as to better their public image. All humans are alike in terms of basic needs and aspirations, and thus you are not different from your favourite star(s). All successful humans I’ve known closely have the same emotions as anyone else – they laugh, they cry, they get hurt, they feel happy seeing the progress of their family members.

Unknowingly you might be leading a better life than your favourite star by having friends in your life with whom you can share your darkest side(s). Very few celebs admit their flaws, for if they are out in public it’d harm the brands and products they are associated with. No one likes to log on to twitter to read hundreds of negative tweets on their personal lives by unknown faceless people who do not know them personally. Worse part is being lonely and losing out on people who really matter in our lives.

Do not try being someone else. It is your life, celebrate the fact that you can make grammatical mistakes on Facebook because it won’t be reported in the press, have friends who give you their time despite you not being a celeb, dance on the streets because no one cares about what you do, eat your favourite road side pani puri as paparazzi won’t click photographs, and if you do get famous then never forget those who were with you when you were nothing.

8. Purpose of life.

Before doing any activity such as writing a generous tweet, or a hate tweet against their rivals, or telling something privately; think on these questions.

  • Would you feel good about it several years down the line?
  • Would your family members feel you are living up to the investment they have made on your education?
  • Is it going to earn better career prospects for you in future?
  • Would your favourite celeb be proud of the image you are representing of her/him?
  • Or s/he would want you to do better in your life?

I hope you’d have got the point.

Go out and live your best life ever. Reach out for the stars and make a dent in the universe. You are special, and would be immensely proud of doing what you once felt was impossible. Opportunities knock only once, and this is one such opportunity. You have everything that your favourite star(s) once had, stop worshiping them like you used to and become the next superstar no one knows about… yet!

Recommended reading

Celebrity worship syndrome
Do you worship the celebs?
Put Harry Styles Down, You’ll Bream Him!
Revised Indian Law classifying Stalking as a punishable offense

10 thoughts on “Ways to quit celeb obsession and stop stalking

  1. very well written. Yesterday,I was trying to counsel a short stature boy that great heights can be achieved even with short height on the scale.To quote some examples ,I mentioned Sunil Gavaskar,Sachin,Shubhpreet (one legged dancer in final of IGT),Sudha Chandran etc. . The mother bowled me out by telling that she is only 12 pass but is the best selling agent amongst lacs in the state—-
    This is a classic example of coming out of the aura of celebs.Each one of you can be hero in his or her own way as a matter of fact.
    Once again ,congrats for the write up,Yaju–keep it up

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