Is something seriously wrong with me?

[Harley1]

I'm 16 years old and pretty scared. I have this issue where I obsess over things, people or periods of time. Like for example I will obsess over modelling and models and I will google and save photos and I will pretend to be them (this is so embarrassing to say), or I will obsess over a period of time and pretend as if I'm living in that time period, but after some time I will move on to something else. I don't have any passions, well I have them but they ALWAYS change. It is never consistent and I HATE it. I don't know what I want to do in the future, I love science but I also love arts and acting and I'm worried that if I do one, I will regret not doing the other. This constant change of thoughts and passions and ideas is hard, I'm confused, I don't know who I am. Some may say I am trying to "find myself" but I think I have gotten too deeply into this for it to just be that. Even with music or clothing choices, I feel as if I have 100 different personalities. I hate this feeling of constantly feeling so confused and not driven towards ONE specific thing, but rather I'm constantly drawn to multiple different things. Please help, I don't really know what is wrong with me can anyone tell me?

[Zeal]

Hi Harley,

Welcome to the forum!

I would say you do have passions: for science, the arts, and likely other areas too. At your age, I also was confused about who I thought I was as a person and what I wanted to do in the future. It's okay to be undecided about which path to take. However, it sounds as though you are concerned about obsessing over certain things, such as models and time periods.It could be helpful to talk to a parent about how you're feeling - family support is crucial. I am 23 and still talk to my Mum for support, as well as my boyfriend and best friend. At your age, Mum was always the first person I went to. If you're not close to your parents and need emotional support, you could go to your doctor (GP) for a referral to a counsellor. If you do talk to your parents (or parent), which hopefully you feel comfortable doing, you will still benefit from seeing a counsellor as well.

I hope you find the forums helpful. People here are friendly and non-judgemental 🙂

Best wishes,

SM

[Guest_3072]

Hi Harley and welcome to the forums!

I think it's perfectly "normal" to have different interests. If anything, it shows that you're not one dimensional. Try not to put pressure on yourself into committing to one specific area or interest. You're still so young and I think it's great to explore different topics and areas that you're interested in. When I was your age, I had many interests and as I've gotten older (i'm in my mid twenties) I have decided what to pursue as a career, and what to pursue as hobbies. Even in your future career path, it's often common to mix different industries together, as more fields are becoming collaborative. For example, I want to mix in media work and social work which combine my two passions. Don't ever feel that being drawn to different things is a sign of instability, it's more a sign of intellectual curiosity and that's a great thing to have!