THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2017
FEATURES
Obsessed with internet stars
Dear Annie: I’m young, and and ways to stop myself, such
as most young adults do, I have as putting my phone down, dis-
an interest in musicians, authors, connecting from the Internet for
artists, etc. For me, especially, I hours or getting outside to be
find myself engrossed in You- active, but at the end of the day,
Tubers. These are kids who are I’m still hooked. No matter how
around my age, 18 or 19. They hard I try to turn my obsession
make funny videos and
into a “positive addic-
DEAR
do ridiculous things that
tion,” it always seems
to fail, and I’m then
keep me entertained for
ANNIE
hours.
sucked into my phone
This is where the
and watching videos
problem comes in. I
again. Every time I try
found that I’m always
to address the issue with
drawn to be obsessed
my therapist, I become
with people who are
too embarrassed and
Internet-famous. I feel as
change the subject.
Lane
though I may be this way Annie
I want to help myself
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
because of my lack of
because I’ve become so
actual friends, so I think
depressed about these
I understand it. But understand- obsessions, but I’m just not sure
ing the problem doesn’t neces- what to do. — Obsessed and
Tired
sarily help me sleep at night.
Dear Obsessed: Celebrity
All my life, I’ve been bat-
tling being an obsessive person. “obsessions” and fanaticism
As a preteen, I would become have been a normal part of ado-
enraged if someone pointed lescence since the advent of
out my interest had become an mass media. But the Internet has
obsession. Now that I’m 18, made celebs seem closer to us
I’ve changed my reaction from than ever. We not only can spend
enraged at the other person to endless hours reading up on the
just plain irritated with myself. details of their lives but also
I feel as if obsessions are taking may even get a chance to inter-
act with them on social media.
over my life.
I’ve tried countless times This is even truer for Internet
celebrities, who inherently have
close relationships to their fan
bases. With this sort of access,
it’s easy to see how a young per-
son could get carried away.
But there is so much good
news in your letter. You have a
thorough understanding of your
issue. You realize it’s impact-
ing your life negatively. You
want to change. And you’re in
therapy — which brings me to
my ultimate point. Talk to your
therapist about this. Knowing
the full details of your life and
background, he or she can help
address the underlying problems
that are driving your obsessive
behavior. And I promise your
therapist won’t judge you.
Dear Annie: This is not a
question, only a comment. I have
read advice columns in the paper
for 40 years. In that time, I have
never seen advice given that is
as appropriate and impressive as
yours. It is without a doubt the
best column in the paper. Thank
you! — Dale B.
Dear Dale B.: Thank you for
making my day. It’s an honor to
have this platform, and I’ll keep
doing my best not to disappoint.
I hope to keep you as a reader
for years to come.
5A
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’ll be making
a pitch. Once someone has decided, it is use-
less to continue the explanation. If it’s already
sold, you don’t need to sell it. And if it’s already
ruled out, there will be no way to sell it.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Know and
enforce your own rules about who gets close
to you and how close they get. There may be
no way to keep negative people out of your
life, but you can certainly keep them out of
your inner circle.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Confusion is
often a matter of labeling. For instance, “my
problem” and “your problem” is one that
people often get wrong. So is “actionable” and
“nonactionable.” Call things what they are and
life becomes easier on the mind.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Be wary of
those who make more announcements than
moves. Action often needs no announcement.
What’s happening is news. The rest is paid
advertisement.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Once you join the
group, it is likely that the group dynamics will
influence you more than your own internal
process. So, deciding whether or not to join
will be the crucial juncture.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). This is probably
a good time to avoid the temporary escape
from other people’s social media and the
more lasting snarl of your own because, the
thing is, you need to get so bored it forces you
to deal with a problem head-on.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It’s not the right
thing to do every day, but right now it will help
you mightily to simply ignore the worrying
facts, especially the inevitable ones. Live this
day as though it were made just for you.
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). We like to think
we’re tracking with each other, but sometimes
we assume to know a little more than we
actually do. Don’t let the gray area stay gray
today. Spell it out. Make sure you’re on the
same page.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Is it better
to learn from the mistakes of others, or from
those of your own making? The first type of
knowledge is more easily won and sooner
forgotten. The second will be costly and
permanent.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’re
tough, and you can extract the good out of
criticism. The leader is harder on people
with potential. The one who calls you out for
mistakes is also privately noticing all the right
things you’re doing.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The sad truth
is people can be pretty shallow. As much
as you could use some appreciation and
acknowledgment, you’ll mostly be judged on
how you make others feel about themselves.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Self-confi-
dence leads to the win. Preparation leads
to self-confidence. Plan ahead and practice
the plan and you’ll head in the direction of
success.
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (July 20). Be-
lieve in yourself. You are much deeper, wider
and greater than you sometimes give yourself
credit for. You already know the direction.
When you push harder, you’ll be amazed
at what you can do. You’ll lead a trend in
September. November brings an investment
opportunity. April brings travel and excitement.
Capricorn and Virgo adore you. Your lucky
numbers are: 8, 2, 22, 28 and 45.