It's easy to fall into this kind of trap. Not everyone does but I haven't done the science to figure out what, if any, extrinsic factors affect whether or not this happens. I doubt anyone has.
I didn't have it happen and it's really easy to trace why. I had already "invented" the design patterns long before I was exposed to the book. Before the book was even written, really. My difficulty with patterns was "Why should I use these?" not "How can I make these useful?" I'm sure plenty of developers my age had that same experience.
I know a couple of people who were introduced to design patterns on my watch and who didn't seem to go through the "everything is this pattern I just learned" phase. Yet, I know a whole lot of people who went through that phase, regardless of who introduced them to patterns.
It's probably okay.
It's more important to find your way out of it than it is to avoid getting into it.
There is one defense I can imagine. I have no proof it will work but it probably can't hurt. Whenever you realize you are trying to bend a problem to fit a pattern, remind yourself that you should be finding the pattern that fits the problem, instead.
