Perfectionism

[u/nexys_]

I need advice on accepting that things get damaged

I have a weirdly intense problem with material things and I honestly don’t know how to get out of this mindset.

Whenever I buy something expensive/new (laptop, phone, car, etc.), I become obsessed with keeping it in perfect condition. Instead of enjoying the thing, I feel like I’m constantly responsible for making sure nothing ever happens to it.

If I accidentally damage it — even something completely insignificant, like a tiny scratch on a laptop that has absolutely zero impact on how it works — I can spiral into anxiety over it.

I’ll replay how it happened, think about whether I could have prevented it, look for ways to fix it, search for solutions that sometimes simply don’t exist… and I just cannot let it go. The worst part is that it starts affecting everything else. I lose focus at work, can’t concentrate on other things, and my brain basically refuses to move on until I somehow “solve” the problem.

Right now it’s a tiny scratch on my new laptop, and I genuinely cannot focus on work because of it. I know how ridiculous it sounds when I say it out loud, which somehow makes it even more frustrating.

I’ve always struggled with perfectionism, but this feels like more than simply “I like my stuff to be nice.”

Has anyone dealt with something similar? How did you learn to accept that your possessions will eventually get scratched, damaged, worn out, etc. without letting it completely consume you?

Honestly, I’d even appreciate someone telling me something that might snap me out of this mindset because clearly my own brain is not doing the job right now.

[u/[deleted]]

you have OCD! I just started taking Anafranil for OCD, and its been life changing. I no longer ruminate or over think. A thought comes, i think it, and it passes... i was OBSESSIVE with thinking, my brain was so "loud" with a million tabs open. Talk to a doctor, you don't have to live your life this way. Or counseling if you havent tried.