Emotional Self Awareness

The other day I overheard someone say "this whole emotional self-awareness thing is over-rated!" I was trying to be self-aware" she continued with a touch of dramatic overstatement, “and so I was paying attention to my feeeeelings ... and I just got myself all stirred up and angry. By the time my husband woke up I was like a pot boiling over. How is that helpful?? It's not. So I went back to just accepting my situation and carrying on." Everyone laughed and agreed that emotional self-awareness was of limited usefulness. Sometimes you just had to set aside your feelings and get on with life.

I was not really part of the conversation so it wasn't really my place to comment, but it made me think about how easy it is to be confused about what truly knowing your Self actually means. There are so many 'knock offs' available. It's so easy for us to indulge in 'rumination' and believe that we are attending to our feelings. It's so easy for us to feed our anger or hurt and think that we are validating our emotions. We sometimes 'bury' an injustice, and think that we are forgiving someone. Instead of gracious acceptance, we settle into passive resignation and believe we have done it right. But after we have tried it a few times, and there is no helpful or positive outcome, we say "See? This emotional navel gazing stuff does not work at all! I know my Self all right - and I know that dwelling on or sharing my feelings makes things worse!”

It's because this 'knock off' - this unhelpful deviation from authentic emotional awareness - looks quite a bit the same from the outside. It's like the difference between a slice of processed whole wheat wonder bread and organic sprouted whole grain bread. Or like the difference between doing a gym workout carelessly or with proper form. They both seem healthy, both look similar and both offer initial satisfaction, but over time, one actually does harm and the other nourishes health.

Setting aside our feelings in order to get on with life never works over time. We have an amazing adaptive capacity for survival and there are certainly times when our ability to set aside feelings is required. It was just never intended to be a long-term way of life. It works to help get us through some situations in our childhood but it definitely does not work in our adult intimate relationships. In fact, it wreaks havoc in a marriage.

When we are not emotionally aware, we lose the capability for intimacy because we fear vulnerability. We leak out anger/ hurt in covert ways that damages our integrity and upsets people. We dismiss, blame or invalidate other people in the same way that we have done with ourselves. We get headaches, stomach aches, digestive issues, back/shoulder pain that doesn't go away. We end up empty and lonely and have no idea why. It is not difficult to see how obstructive and destructive this is in a relationship.

If you are wondering if this 'lack of emotional self-awareness' applies to you, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Are you irritated or fearful when people display emotion?

2. Do you use your high standards to dismiss people?

3. Are you hard on yourself when you fail or make an mistake?

4. Are you lacking life-long intimate, invested friendships?

5. Are you a different person depending on who you are with?

6. Do you find it difficult to commit to a career, a relationship or a goal?

7. Is it important to you that you never appear weak or exposed?

8. Do you feel misunderstood, misrepresented, unimportant and like your voice doesn’t matter?

9. Do you find yourself choosing between blowing up or shutting up?

10. Have you ever wondered "How did I end up in this situation AGAIN?"

If you answer yes to 6 or more, you might want to consider how much damage is being done to you and your intimate relationship. You might want to consider the possibility that what you have tried so far might look or sound like being emotionally self-aware but is really just a detrimental 'knock off'. You might want to consider seeing a psychotherapist to get yourself on a path to an authentic healthy state of emotional self-awareness.

It's hard work, but it's worth it. The genuine thing always is.

Mired in Mud

I watched one of those videos on Facebook the other day where two men are trying to free an elk from a mud hole. The poor creature’s legs were mired and it could not get free. Even though it was trapped and exhausted from trying and trying to climb out, it roused enough energy to attack by swinging its formidable set of antlers around whenever they came near to help. They tried pushing and pulling and using sticks and making planks and nothing worked. Sometimes they seemed to make it worse and hurt it in the process. Partly because the elk was stuck so deep. Partly because of the grip of the mudhole. Partly because the animal was so tired. But a big part was because it was so frightened and would not permit ‘help’. And for good reason! Much of the time when someone (or something) got that close to a vulnerable elk, the intent was to harm.

After one man was gouged by a swipe of the antlers, they both kept their distance better. Eventually they lassoed the antlers, and pulled. I imagine that did not feel very good for the elk, but it did work. As soon as it was free, all three of them ran like crazy, the elk with the ropes still attached.

We are kinda like that elk when it comes to getting unstuck. We keep trying to get free over and over and it doesn’t work and we get exhausted. We unwittingly do things that make our situation worse and not better. And heaven help anyone who makes a suggestion or tries to help. We lash out, swiping and gouging and defending and attacking. Not because we’re all jerks. Because their ‘help’ doesn’t feel safe.

I’ve been in a few situations over the years where close friends notice things like this and we vow to one another that we’re going to be super honest about where we see each other ‘stuck’ and doing the wrong thing, and needing help. We all nod our heads and agree, but then when the time comes, we don’t actually do it. We might, perhaps, tip-toe close to a critique or suggestion of a person’s blind spots and faults, but one big swing of their head towards us and we scamper away, offering instead positive assurances. Again, for good reason! Why risk hurting someone or getting hurt? That doesn’t feel very safe or very much like a win. Not one bit.

This is a problem because we really need to be able to see ourselves, and others, a little more objectively if we’re going to get unstuck. We need to be able to recognize when we are sabotaging our freedom. But because it messes with our sense of safety, its super hard. We aggressively resist assistance from the outside because it doesn’t feel safe. So people keep their distance. People who care will not help, or will help from a distance because it doesn’t feel safe. We are all just trying to keep safe and distance helps. Even before Covid 19.

And that leaves us mired in mud. How do we get past our reflexive need to stay safe by swinging our big antler-laden head towards someone who is trying to help?

Well that’s the question we need to explore. And the very first step is to acknowledge that the image of that elk might be a fairly representative image of what we’re like. Muse on that.

And if you get stuck, call me. I can help.

I Got It So Wrong

Recently I was awakened by my cat meowing outside my door in the middle of the night.   It started soft and infrequent and just kept gaining in volume and intensity.  I was not happy.  She doesn't usually do that and I was not about to start a new routine where she meows insistently and I get out of bed to attend to her.  I’m a light sleeper and don’t like getting woken up unnecessarily.

 The meowing continued and eventually I did get up but only to turn on my sound machine to drown her out. Her meowing got extra loud and piercing as she heard me get up.  My sound machine was on the floor by the door and in the darkness, I felt her paw touch my hand.  It kind of freaked me out at first (I was alone in the house that night) and then I thought "Sheesh, she's sticking her paw under the door!"   I went back to bed.  There was no way I was going to cater to her whims in the middle of the night.  I was not reinforcing that behaviour for an adult cat.

 The meowing continued.  And continued.  Sometimes it sounded like it was coming from the side of my bed which was weird because the door was closed. I tried not to think about it.   I had the sound machine on and my ear plugs in, and I was doing my very best to block her out and get some sleep.

 The meowing continued.  On and off for a couple of hours.  I was getting a LOT of practice in mindfulness and deep breathing and intentionally letting things go.

 Suddenly there was a 'plop' beside me as she jumped up on my bed and I realized that all this time she had been stuck in my room trying to get out.  I guess she’s older now and, as well, I have a higher bed and so she hadn’t jumped earlier.  I flung back the covers, hopped out and opened my door and she shot out in a flash. 

 For the last two hours, while I refused to get sucked into letting her in, she had been inside trying to get out.  I had it so wrong.   All the time I'd been trying to stand my ground, block out her voice, not open my eyes, ignore her 'inconsiderate demands’, she had in fact been trying to communicate something important, that would have greatly benefited me to listen to.  All the time I thought I'd been right, righteous, wronged and I’d just been wrong.   She had rushed over when I got up to turn on the sound machine, and put her little paw on my hand as a desperate attempt to inform me of something, and I’d been exasperated because I had ear plugs in and a blindfold on and didn’t hear or see her approach. 

 She’d not had access to her litter box and so had used the corner of the ensuite by the toilet.  She had picked the easiest spot for me to clean up after her (as opposed to using one of the carpeted areas).  As if, opposite to my thinking, she was actually trying to be considerate.

 It occurred to me that this is a good example of what happens all the time in human relationships.  We are so sure we know what’s going on.  We are so quick to assume malevolent intent on the part of the ‘other’.  We believe we have all the facts we need.  That the conclusions we draw are obvious and accurate.  We become indignant.  We stand our ground.  We will not give in.  We even meditate and practice deep breathing and mindfulness as a ‘healthy’ way to block their inconsideration.  All the while we have had it wrong.  Sometimes it is the exact opposite of what we’d believed and we’ve been suffering needlessly.  Sometimes we have judged and condemned the very people who actually had our best interests in mind.

 The problem is that we really do not see what’s happening at the time.  We truly believe our feelings are justified and our conclusions are true.  We have no idea that we are the deluded ones and, in the moment, we are not really interested in exploring that possibility.

 If you have had the enlightening experience of realizing you were quite wrong in assuming things about your spouse, child, boss, employee, neighbour, mother-in-law, father (the list is endless), even though you were so sure you were right, then good for you!  That’s a huge realization.  If you are confused, frustrated and a little afraid that it could happen again, but don’t know how to do it better next time, then call me.  If you are in a place where your conclusions feel indisputably ‘right’, and you just can’t get the other person to see your perspective and be more considerate, then also call me.   

 I can help.

Confident, Compassionate, Clear, Clean Communication

I like the way Don Miguel Ruiz says it in The Four Agreements.  His understanding of humanity is based on his observation that we make agreements with our deepest beliefs and that these agreements rule our life.   To change our life we simply change our agreements.  He suggests the path to happiness and peace lies in adopting four agreements.  The first agreement we must make with ourselves, (the most important, the most difficult and the most powerful agreement) is to be “impeccable with our word,” and in so doing we can eradicate emotional poison.  He points out that it is our misuse of our ‘word’ that hurts us over and over again.  And that if we made an agreement with ourselves to use our ‘word’ only for truth/love, we would be free and happy.  Instead though, we tell a huge variety of lies to ourselves and others causing a great deal of suffering for everyone.

It’s complicated of course.  Well… at least it feels complicated because most of us have tried to be more honest (that is IF we are able to even recognize how dishonest we actually are).  It is amazingly hard to be impeccable with your word. 

This could be for lots of reasons but most of them are deeply buried coping tools that have helped us survive.  Anything that is a deeply buried coping tool used for survival is  (1) challenging to identify and (2) challenging to change.  No part of us wants to mess with what has helped us survive.  And from the moment we discovered as small children that our thoughts were private and that lying was possible, concealing the truth at times has been a powerful survival tool.   We discovered that it was possible to keep ourselves safe by simply not being completely truthful.  And that it is possible after a couple of repetitions, to believe our version of truth so that we don’t even have to feel bad.

Recently someone called me on my tendency to say cheerily (but meaninglessly) “Sure, let’s meet for coffee or lunch sometime,” but then not making it happen.  From her perspective, not only did I not follow up, but I dragged out her efforts to pin down a lunch date (no that day won’t work, no I can’t at that time) so that when we finally got to it, the actual lunch was not even enjoyable for her.  Of course her issues are in the mix too, but my focus is on MY participation in the un-enjoyable lunch and the truth is, I was not being impeccable with my word. 

Admittedly, my first response was “sheesh, everyone says stuff like that these days… it’s just a way of pleasantly wrapping up a conversation.”  Then I took myself to a more honest place and wondered,  “Why would I do that?  Why would I suggest lunch when it was clearly not something I could or would make happen?”  I don’t like it when people suggest doing things that never happen (which is no big surprise, but that’s another conversation).  The truth was I felt stressed at the thought of fitting another lunch date into my schedule but the reason I said so flippantly “Sure, let’s do lunch” was because I thought she would like that and my desire to make her happy in that moment trumped my ability to see further down the road.   And of course, that ended up hurting her more than if I’d not suggested lunch at all. 

Thus the relentless whirl of sabotaging what we really want. 

Sadly we repeat this ‘lunch’ scenario many times, many ways.  The goal of being impeccable with your word, of having an strong inner/outer integrity, of being compassionate, clear and confident in ALL your communication is a huge goal with many challenges.  If you recognize in yourself this struggle…  if you wonder why you choose something other than clean, clear honesty in the moment…. if you wonder why you cannot ‘see further down the road’ and anticipate consequences better…. if you want to peel back a few layers and understand how you arrived at this coping and how to change… Then call me.  I can help.

Habotage

In my office building, there is a poster of four cyclists in the 1920 Tour de France.  Two of them are smoking and one is leaning over to give a fellow cyclist a few puffs of his cigarette.  None are wearing helmets.  

They are fit, lean and in it to win it.  They have trained long and hard for this arduous competition.  They have no idea that they are putting themselves in danger of invisible concussion brain injury or lung cancer.  They have no idea that smoking is putting a deathly black coat on the lungs that they need to function at maximum capacity.  They have no clue that they are unintentionally obstructing the very thing they want most.

This is one example, but there are many.  People who have been going to the gym all their life only to discover now that the old way of working out is actually injuring and weakening certain muscles.  People who sprawled on the beach soaked in baby oil to get that 'healthy' sun-tanned glow only to find out it was a death sentence.  At one time Heroin was put in cough syrup and touted to cure coughs, colds and general irritation, which I'm sure it did!   Until the discovery that it also messed with brain chemistry in a life-threatening sort of way.

My point is that there are many examples of times when we believe we are doing something good for ourselves but in actuality we are doing something destructive.  I, as well as others, have called this sabotage.   However, as a client accurately pointed out recently, sabotage is a military term referring to the deliberate destruction or obstruction of a designed outcome.  The way I use it in relationships it is definitely destructive and obstructing what we really want, but it is not deliberate.  It is unconscious, unintentional and reflexive.  It is a blind habit rather than a calculated plan.  So I am dubbing this "habotage."

Habotage is rampant in relationships.  I see it everywhere.  There are so many of us (all of us actually) who think we are doing what's good for ourselves and our family but instead we end up exactly where we did not want to be.  We throw up our hands in frustration, despair and bewilderment without any clue about how we ourselves have participated in obstructing the very thing that we claim to want most.

It's hard to figure this out on our own sometimes.  If you notice yourself thinking "what just happened?  How did I end up here again?  Why is she so mad at me when I was only trying to help?   Why does he say or do that for no reason?  Why do I always find myself feeling hurt, lost, misunderstood, inadequate, awkward, wrong, sad or angry in relationships?" then you may be habotaging.  And if you can't quite put the pieces together by yourself, call me. 

I can help.

Mom Was Right About Bed-making

In my childhood home, I had what my mom called the 'front bedroom' in our ranch style house.  It meant, if my bedroom door was open, you could see into it from the front door entrance foyer.  It meant everyone who came to the front door could see whether my room was tidy.  

My solution was to close the door.  My mom's solution was to ensure that I made my bed nicely every morning.  Not surprisingly, her vote trumped mine.  She said it was nice to start your day by doing something to create order.  She said it felt good to never have to apologize or make excuses for a mess.  She said to do it as soon you got out of bed and then it was done.

I moved out of the house when I was 17 and for the next 35 years I did not make my bed.  It was a waste of effort in my mind.  I left my bedroom in the morning and did not return until it was time to crawl under the covers.  Why (I wondered with just a touch of superiority) would I spend even 5 minutes making a bed that no one saw, when there was so much to do in a day?

We moved into a new house this past summer - a bungalow - and I now sleep in a ‘front bedroom’ again.   I started making my bed and even arranging the new decorative pillows I’d purchased.  I could just close the door since my vote carries weight now.   I could make the bed or not make it for any number of reasons.  But there was something more.  In some bizarre way I feel like I'm honouring and connecting with my mom who is now gone.  I take 5 minutes every morning (probably closer to 1 minute since modern duvets make it pretty easy) to create an attractive, ordered bedroom.  I actually get aesthetic pleasure from looking at it.  Mom was right.

In fact, studies indicate that 71% of bed-makers describe themselves as happy.  62% of non-bed-makers describe themselves as unhappy.  Bed-makers are more likely to enjoy their work, own a home, exercise and generally feel good.  Non- bed makers are more likely to hate their job, rent apartments, avoid the gym and generally feel tired.  Of course, there is no direct cause and effect, but some speculate that making your bed as soon as you get up makes you feel like you've accomplished something right out of the gate, which gives you a 'win' mindset for the day.

Mom was right about a lot of things.  For a few decades, I often believed I was doing things better than my mom.  To be really honest, I thought I was a bit smarter.  In retrospect, I'm sure my mom knew I thought that way, but she never said a word.  It's funny, in a sorrowful sort of way, how when a relationship with someone is no longer possible, you see with rather horrifying clarity how wrong you were about certain things.

If I could do it again, I would listen more carefully to my mom's words.  I would care more about her perspective.  I would pay closer attention to what she had learned about relationships with friends, a spouse, in-laws, money, food, morality and God as well as bed-making.  I would not let my own youthful arrogance blind me to the wisdom that, truly, you can only get by doing time on planet earth (another thing my mom used to say).

I take one minute every morning as soon as I get out of bed to remind myself of this. 

If there is something you would like to give more attention to, someone you wish you had listened to (or not listened to), if your inner arrogance/fear has blinded you and if you long to create balance/order/integrity in your world but just can't seem to make it happen, call me.  I can help

Roxy

There are some really important things I have learned from my husband's dog.  I was never a dog owner growing up.  So I never really knew or loved a dog until I met Roxy.  She has taught me some valuable life lessons for personal health, businesss success and relationship well being.  Here are four of them.

1.  Always do the 'downward dog' stretch before going out for the day.   We hold significant messages from our emotional brain, in our body.  We hold onto much more tension than we are aware of, and this stretch really helps with that.   It's probably the foundational stretch of any yoga practice.  I have been going to yoga classes for years but I recently noticed that Roxy does it better.  She sticks her butt higher and reaches her front paws out further and when I try it the way she does it, it's a much deeper stretch.  I'm sure my yoga instructors also do it that way.  I'm just saying I understood it so much better when I imitated Roxy.

2. When you sense an opportunity, give it your focus and be there when the door opens.   When Roxy wants to go out, she'll lie on the mat by the front door.  If one of us comes nearby, she'll watch carefully.  If we go to the closet, she'll leap up.  If we reach for our coat, she'll quickly stretch (downward dog of course) and hurry to the door.  She puts her nose an inch from the door knob and does not move, does not lessen her focus, regardless of how long it takes for us to get ready.   I sometimes smile.  There is no way that she is going to miss the opening of that door.  The second the door cracks open her nose is through it.    She never misses an open door if her goal is to get outside.  And her goal IS often to 'get outside' where there are so many more opportunities.

3.  If you want affection and attention be clear about what you want, and also be understanding, available and mostly content while waiting.  Roxy loves affection and attention.  Maybe even more than food, and that's saying a LOT.  Sometimes she will come over and wiggle her head under my hand to make  extra clear what she would like.  She will put her paw on my lap.  She has no trouble communicating her desires for attention.  When I pat her, she makes little happy noises that my son compares with our cat 'purring'.  If it's not a good time for me to attend to her, she doesn't pout, criticize, stonewall or shut me out in any way.  She flops down nearby, or engages in something else, and stays alert for a mutually good time to connect with the people she loves.

4.  When you are happy, show it.  Happiness is contagious and why not spread that around, given how many other things we spread around.  When Roxy is happy her tail wags so vigourously that it takes her entire hind end back and forth with it.  Her feet prance around.  Her eyes sparkle.  Her whole body exudes happiness and excited anticipation.  It makes me want to do whatever she is excited about, which is usually a walk or food or affection.  It's pretty uncomplicated with her.  But lots of times that's what we want too.  Connection, something physical, nourishment, affection.  I'm pretty sure that if we received those things with such visible and tangible and pure happiness, we would attract a lot more of it.

Sometimes we can learn a lot from our pets if we are willing and observant.  In these four observations, there is a foundational assumption of non-abusiveness.  Naturally it changes (for both a pet and a human) if the relationship is abusive. 

If you can't seem to 'get' this in a way that feels real or meaningful...if you resonate more with stiffness and bodily tension, inability to focus and missed opportunities, lack of affection and confusing communication,  sadness/anger or at best 'guarded' happiness...  or... if you are in an abusive relationship and want to change that, call me.  I can help.

I Wish It Was His Fault

I remember once when my son was about three, he was playing alongside his little brother Jesse and he hurt his foot on a toy truck that he'd left in the middle of the floor.  I went over to comfort him and after a few minutes he said "I feel like hitting Jesse." 

"Why?"  I asked him.  "It wasn't Jesse's fault."

"I know" he said, "But I wish it was."

 Touché.  Honest and transparent and what we often feel but don't admit.   He had been agitated for awhile with his 1 year old brother for a variety of reasons (that only a 3 year old oldest child with a 1 year old new sibling fully understands). How awesome would it be if somehow he could blame (and hit) the person who seemed to be currently upsetting his life, rather than take responsibility for his hurt foot.

 We do this all the time as adults and sadly, we often don't get to the "I know it's not their fault but I wish it was"  level of awareness and integrity.  Whether it's an annoying person at work, a spouse, an ex or a sibling, we can find a way to blame them for our troubles.    It feels so much better to have it be the fault of someone we dislike, rather than our own fault.    If my little son had been a few decades older, I'm sure he could have discovered some way to trace the trucks positioning back to his brother.  Perhaps if Jesse hadn't been sitting on the floor,  the truck might be in that spot and not where it was and he wouldn't have stepped on it.   If Jesse hadn't been playing with the blocks then perhaps he would be playing with them and not the truck.   Our creativity and resourcefulness in finding a way to blame someone else is truly remarkable.

 It does make sense that we do this though.    The feeling of "this hurts and it's my fault" is crappy.   It feels much better to legitimate our aggravation towards another person by blaming them.   It gets us off the hot seat and substantiates our dislike of the 'other'.  

 The only catch is that it doesn't actually work.  It is short term relief and often with unhappy consequences.   And, over time, if we become accustomed to finding someone to blame when we get hurt, we never learn the very important skill of owning our choices.   We get to a point where we immediately reflex to "it's her fault"' response, rather than "How did I participate in this outcome?" query.  

I am not suggesting that we just shift the blame from 'other' to 'self'.  This is not about letting other people off the hook and blaming yourself or beating yourself up.  Most of us have that skill down pat too.     What I'm suggesting is something much bigger and ultimately, wonderfully liberating.  There are some small but absolutely crucial differences between 'beating yourself up' and 'owning your stuff'.  And the difference in the emotional experience and relationship outcome is huge.

 If you believe you are 'blamed' for everything by someone in your life and don't know what to do, or if you have the self-awareness to recognize it in yourself but don't know what to do about it, then call me.  I can help.

Mike Ross in Relationship

There are not a lot of great relationships to root for on television these days.  But one relationship I find myself cheering for is the relationship between Rachel and Mike Ross on the Suits series.  And that's why it was so disconcerting when, in the middle of sky-high tensions and last minute decisions with so much at stake... at the end of season five... Mike Ross chose to make an arbitrary decision directly against his promise to Rachel.

 I know it's a TV show.  I know he says he had only 3 minutes to make the decision that changed everything.  I know there was a great deal to lose if he miscalculated.  I know that he felt the weight of it unbearably.  I know he loves Rachel deeply and would sacrifice himself for her.   I know it was an incredibly difficult decision.  And even though it is a TV show, there are real life choices that are also very difficult. Those 'rock' or a 'hard place' choices that are agonizing.

 However, my point in this blog, is that he broke his promise to Rachel without a conversation with her, and made his 'higher calling' choice without appreciating the impact on her.   Several times Rachel tries to keep them together, united, working as a team, intimately connected, and although it is abundantly clear to the viewer that Mike's love for her is immense, he makes his big decision on his own.  In the end, he is a lone wolf.   He somehow misses the fact that to sacrifice himself has a huge impact on Rachel. 

 This is a significant thing.  When you are in a relationship it is truly challenging to live in the place between individual freedom and commitment to 'team'.  Some  people naturally go for autonomy and independence and can experience 'team' as a confining 'trap'.    Others naturally go for alliance and dependence and can experience freedom as a type of abandonment.  So it's tricky.

 However, the one thing that is crucial either way is communication and vulnerability.    It is not compromise, or 'taking one for the team', or silencing your natural yearnings that makes the relationship work.  And it most certainly is not your old ways of getting your needs met.. like subtle manipulation, overt demands and various ways of 'self' and 'other' deception.    It is being honest and open.   It is through 'real' conversation.  It is knowing yourself and knowing the other - and that can only happen  with honesty and vulnerability.    And honesty and vulnerability can only happen when you feel safe.

If you are struggling in a relationship where you feel misled, misinterpreted, misrepresented, misinformed... and generally 'missed'...  then you do not have  open, vulnerable communication.  If you cannot seem to have a 'real' conversation,  then connection in your relationship is not really working.  If your influence in the relationship seems to veer between tight and controlling to ineffective  and unmanageable...or if you experience your partner as either withdrawing to a place you can't access, or acting out in a way you can't handle... then neither of you feels safe.  And that's a problem.

 Unfortunately, there is no 'magic' technique here.  It is a (probably lifelong) journey towards  enjoying a liberating connection and secure interdependence.   Freedom AND safety.   It is work, but it is definitely worth it. 

  If you want to do this but don't know how, call me.  I can help.

Getting Better

I was working with my trainer this morning at the gym and she was pointing out how some of my muscles simply do not respond even when I'm 'trying' to make them work.   Some of the smaller muscles have become so weak from underuse to the point where I can't even access them, while some other muscles have become so tight from overuse that I can't even relax them.   Perhaps it started during a gymnastics accident when I was a kid.  Probably exacerbated by the three occasions when a moving car hit my stopped car from behind.  Further exacerbated by computer work, writing a lot, being right handed etc etc.   In any case, little by little, over the decades, there developed a complicated, interconnected system of "gnarly" (that's my trainer's word) knots and scar tissue, jamming the muscles and making the problem worse each year.   It now affects my neck, shoulder, back and hips.   She has to literally pry my muscles apart and knead the knots out. 

 This is painful.  She is not particularly gentle because 'gentle' would not get me results.   In the moment when she is inflicting pain, I want her to stop.  I would prefer to let my muscles reflex back into their dysfunctional place.   It is tempting to choose the familiar discomfort of my tight muscles and gnarly tissue over the pain she's forcing me to deal with. I try to remember why I'm paying her.   However, I know that it's a good pain.  Most of us can tell the difference between good pain and bad pain.   With good pain we grow and become freer, even though the process might hurt.

 And so my relationship with my trainer is bitter sweet.  I go because I know it's good for me.  What she says makes sense.  The process is not pleasant, but choosing to ignore it seems foolish.   Also, apparently I need her help.  I can do some of the exercises on my own, but there is some work that requires her intervention.  (She's also good at what she does and a very nice person, and that helps too).

 It's exactly the same with emotional injury that occurs during childhood.   We shut down certain emotions and overuse others.  Some ways of coping become strong and reflexive from overuse, while others become so weak we cannot even access them.  It happens unconsciously, little by little, so that by the time it causes problems in our external world, there is a major network of gnarly, scarred emotions and tissue damage on the inside.

 Some people come to therapy understanding this and are determined to push through, even though they don't actually 'enjoy' coming to see me.  They continue to show up because they recognize it is 'good' pain.   There are also some people who stop as soon as it becomes uncomfortable.  As soon as they 'feel' emotions that they chose to shut down years ago, they decide they were better off living with the distress of their presenting problem, than the discomfort of healing work.  

 It's an unfortunate twist that what started out as good coping becomes a harmful habit.  Just like it 'made sense' for certain muscles to 'retreat' in order to heal, (while others took over) after my gymnastics accident, it 'makes sense' for certain emotions to shut down when they have been hurt.   But over time, the original balance needs to be restored, and it often isn't.   And so it ends up creating a state of ongoing suffering.  In our bodies.  In our minds.  And in our emotions.

 If you need help restoring that balance, call me.  I can help.

Seven Ways of Dealing with Life's Ups and Downs

I remember a line in a book I read once that seemed to capture one of life's little mysteries.  It went something like, 'One day you wake up and feel like you could conquer the world and the next day you wake up and are flattened by a spilled cup of coffee.'   It's true.  Something in us seems to shift, sometimes during the night, and we just 'wake up' feeling strong and unshakable or weak and fragile.  We can't always control whatever that is.  However we can still choose our response to it.  You can:

1.  Cut yourself some slack.  Maybe you slayed dragons during the night and need a break.  Maybe your body and psyche are telling you to rest.  Maybe its hormonal.  Maybe it's the position of the moon.  Who knows all the threads in the tapestry of our 'wake up' mood?  We just 'know' that we as human beings have different moods and feelings and some days are better than others.  Be nice to yourself on a 'spilled cup of coffee' day.

2.  Blame no one.  Honestly?  It never helps.  First of all it gets your brain and then your heart all swirling and agitated and angry.  Secondly, if you blame someone/something else, then you are filled with indignation, outrage and offense, but since you are a victim, you feel powerless.  If you blame yourself you are filled with guilt, shame and regret, but since it is 'in' you, you feel powerless.  Remember #1, cut yourself and others some slack, and focus on what would truly help most in the moment.

3.  Allow yourself to Feel.  Maybe the most helpful thing in the moment is to face your feelings.  Maybe you are genuinely disappointed, sad, hurt, angry, remorseful....  Allow it to be real.  Say it out loud.  Hold it carefully for awhile, and then ask yourself, what is the most helpful thing for me to do with these feelings now that I have truly felt them.  Do I need to write it out?  Talk to someone?  Let it go?

4.  Own what you need to own.  If you have participated in creating your 'down', then own it.  This is very different than blaming yourself or beating yourself up.  If you drank too much, ate too much, watched the wrong movie, spent time with the wrong people, worked too late or... indulged the wrong thing... yet again, make it real by saying it out loud to yourself in the mirror.   Pledge to your reflection in the mirror that you will set a new healthier course for yourself.   Remember #1, #2, and #3 as you are doing this.

5.  Seek Growth.  Sometimes it's on the down days that you make new resolutions that end up being life-changing.  Maybe the 'new healthier course' leads to a pivotal decision that takes you someplace awesome.  When things are going smoothly, we sometimes become morally, emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically a bit lazy.  It's partly why kingdoms won are then later lost.

6.  Don't Believe Everything You Think.  It is true that when you are 'down', you truly cannot remember all the good things in your life.  It's called 'mood-dependent memory'.  However if you know that, you can press over-ride in your brain and remind yourself that your current thoughts are not accurate.  If you have trouble recalling even that, then write a note to remind you and stick it to your bathroom mirror or your dashboard.

7.  This too Shall Pass.  It's a fact. Whatever you are feeling and experiencing today will pass.  It's true about your awesome days as well.   Don't let your identity become so enmeshed in your daily mood that you cannot remind yourself of this time-tested truth.  It will help keep you both humble and empowered.

And... as always...If you are struggling to find the strength or wisdom to respond in this way, call me.  I will help.

Everybody Has a Hungry Heart

Got a wife and kids in Baltimore Jack
I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don't know where it's flowing
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going

Everybody's got a hungry heart...

Everybody needs a place to rest
Everybody wants to have a home
Don't make no difference what nobody says
Ain't  nobody like to be alone

Everybody's got a hungry heart..

         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxptQ_75mQw

I saw Bruce Springsteen the other night in Toronto.  In addition to his phenomenal demonstration of physical endurance (at age 66 he played for 3.5 hours with no breaks... not even a breather between songs)... the concert was awesome.   Songs and bands that go the distance do so at least partly because of the powerful words of truth and tragedy woven into the lyrics and music.

 Everybody has a hungry heart.

 Yes.  We do.  But that's not the tragic part.  The part that fuels the song industry is the fact that we can't seem to find the right food for it much of the time and so our hearts stay in a state of chronic yearning.   Unsure, unfulfilled, unhappy, unsatisfied and...well... hungry.

 And to further complicate the tragedy, we do things that actually sabotage being fulfilled.  We make choices that make the hunger worse.   We dread being alone and without a 'home'... but we "go for a ride and don't go back".  We long for "a place to rest' but we make 'wrong turns and just keep going'.   We flow as helplessly and unknowingly as the river without any realization of the power that could be harnessed.   We blindly drift, run, or 'carry on'... rather than stopping to orient ourselves and correct our wrong turns.... and our hearts become more and more mal-nourished and emaciated.

 It doesn't have to be like that.  The way to nurture and nourish your hungry heart is to stop, become intentional about identifying and facing wrong turns,  and then begin the process of re-orienting, rectifying, repairing and rebuilding,  Learning how to truly nourish your heart is a life skill.  Don't settle for a fast food drive through.

 If you don't know how to begin this process... call me.  I will help.

Breaking Habits

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight

Linkin Park - Breaking The Habit Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

 Wow.   Those are some pretty serious 'I don't knows'!  Not knowing what to fight for.  Not knowing where to invest your time and energy.  Not knowing why a scream rises up inside you and must come out.  Not knowing why anger, fear, rage, hurt or paralysis swirls around in your head and body.  Not knowing why you lash out at other people.  Not knowing why you say things you regret.  Only knowing that it is not alright.

 Sadly many of us can relate.  And there's only one tiny problem with Linkin Park's lyrics.  If we don't know the 'what', the 'why' or the 'how'.... it is really really hard to break the habit.  It is hard enough to change behaviour when we know what we want and why.  But it is super hard when it comes from that confused, lost, free-floating troubled place.  If only it were as simple as concluding "Hey... this isn't alright!  I'm gonna break this habit tonight!"

 January 2016 is the beginning of another new year.  Traditionally it's a time of fresh resolve to live life better.   The gyms are full, the diet industry thrives, self-help books fly off the shelf.  And within a few weeks, sadly, many of us will have failed.  The habit we wanted to break or the resolution we wanted to keep has been tossed in the giant 'failure' bin, and we carry on as usual... a bit more jaded and cynical perhaps, but otherwise unchanged.

 However it is possible to change.  It really is.  It is not easy but it is possible and that's huge.  Habits actually can be broken and healthy choices are doable.  First though, it is so very helpful if you can put some of the puzzle pieces in place and understand the lure and the drive towards unhealthy choices, bad habits and self sabotage.  It is very helpful to understand what part of you wants to run, scream, hide or fight. 

 If you want to stop spinning, flailing and falling and figure out what you really need and want and how to get it, call me.  I can help.

Limiting Fears and Being Healthy

A few weeks ago I had lunch with my university room mates.    They were always attractive women and they still are... but Max actually looked better than she had at the last reunion, a couple of years ago.  She attributed it to her successful completion of the Whole 30 diet... a diet that eliminates the most allergenic foods to 'reset' your health.

 I have long been interested in good health.  I was the one who served 'spinach loaf' to my room mates when I was nineteen.  Back in the days of white wonder bread and iceberg lettuce salads.  "What is this?" they asked at the time.  "Spinach loaf!" I replied brightly.  Silence.  "It's green" someone observed.  "Yep" I said "spinach is green" my tone defying anyone to further comment.

 Max explained, over our lunch that day, that she has never felt better physically or emotionally.  Never slept better.    She looked great at age 19 so we couldn't really say she never looked better.  But still.  People in their 50's are not usually talking about how good they feel or sleep.

 The Whole 30 diet, she said, was very restrictive.  No sugar.  None.  Not even the bit that comes in your ketchup.  No grains.   Not even the trendy healthy quinoa.   No dairy.  No alcohol. No legumes.

 I've always secretly believed that if I could just completely eliminate sugar, all my ailments would disappear.  I've believed that since I read "Sugar Blues" when I was seventeen.  However, I have sweet 'teeth', not merely a sweet tooth.    So... completely eliminating sugar was akin to eliminating sunshine.  Impossible and by mid morning... why would you want to?  I regularly 'curb' my sugar intake to accommodate my health beliefs, but completely eliminate?  Never happened.

  I was, however,  impressed enough to google the Whole 30.   It sounded daunting.  The authors do a tough love approach and do not care that their diet is hard.  Apparently I do because I found myself balking.  I have never gone even a week on a diet that restrictive, although I have attempted lesser versions.  What makes me think I could do it this time?  Better not to commit.  Then if I can't do it, it's not such a glaring failure.

 I caught myself thinking that way.  Wow.  Seriously?  Better not to try in case I can't do it???   I'm a psychotherapist... I preach against those self-limiting thoughts.   So I decided to practice what I preach and unpack the mental blocks and do whatever I needed to do to make it happen.  The premise of the whole 30 is that you have to do it for 30 days without even a tiny exception in the 'rules'.  If you do, no problem though... you simply start again at day 1.

 I took some comfort in the fact that Max did it.  Not in a 'well-if-SHE-can-do-it-I-can-do-it' sort of way.  Just that she is the kind of person who does not mind being 'real'.  She does not try to present herself as someone who effortlessly breezes through hard things while also making home- made bread and inventing a better wheel.  So I was inspired by her achievement, and by her comment that she's going to do it again because it was such a good thing. 

 The authors basically say "quit your whining about it being hard.  Battling cancer is hard.  Losing a loved one is hard.  Drinking your coffee without cream and sugar Is Not Hard."  Point taken.  Perspective is important.

 Re-working your perspective is a big part of it and it does help to remember all the really hard things people can do.  But basically we are motivated to the extent that there is a payoff for us personally.  Max wanted to look and feel great for her daughter's wedding....it was her motivating pay-off.   If we are continually failing at things, it's largely because we are not more emotionally invested in succeeding than we are in failing.  This can be complicated because sometimes we have unconscious reasons to resist success.  Perhaps we're afraid of what success means, or entails, or creates.  Perhaps we are reluctant to give up our victim helplessness and self pity (which one part of us despises and another part of us depends upon).  Perhaps we are afraid to discover what our 'ceiling' is, or what our 'limits' are and prefer the fantasy that we 'could have' if we'd wanted to.  Fear of failure and fear of success are really powerfully limiting fears.

 When people come into my office, it is most often because they are motivated by crisis.  Crisis is hugely motivating.  Suddenly what might be lost (your marriage, a relationship, an opportunity, your health) is worth doing whatever is required to keep it in your possession.   Sadly, sometimes it is too late then. 

 If you would like to make some significant changes in your life but find yourself balking, procrastinating, wishing, blaming, envying, regretting or stagnating...then perhaps you would like to make an appointment to discover what your limiting (perhaps unconscious) fears are. 

Call me.  I can help.

 p.s.  I did complete the Whole 30 :)

Was I Good Mommy?

My son pushed his little face up to mine as soon as the guests had left.  "Was I good mommy?" he asked, his eyes searching mine.

 I confess he sort of caught me off guard.  I had reprimanded him a day or so ago for behaving badly at the dinner table when we had guests.  Now the previous hour or two flashed through my mind.  He had been a squirmy, energetic 9 year old boy and if 'good' was defined as a prim postured child with only politely appropriate words and flawless table manners, then no, he would not qualify.  "Well", I said, "you weren't perfect, but I wasn't asking you to be perfect."

 As I mused on his query later that day (and again now, years later) I thought ...that's really the fundamental question isn't it.  That's the question underneath layers and layers of life and experience.  Underneath years of striving, anxiety and bad choices in the adults I see in my office, is a little child wondering "Was I good mommy?"  "Did I get it right this time mommy?" "Were you proud of me?

 Sadly, as parents we often miss these opportunities to validate our child and help them to build a solid 'self'.  We miss the many many times the child does not ask directly, but the question is there all the same, waiting for a response. 

 I remember once when one son gave the dishwasher door too big a push and it slammed shut.  HIs dad hollered at him "Don't slam it shut like that!!!"  Then another son got up from the table and went over and did pretty much the same thing.  This time their father was furious.  "I JUST told your brother NOT to do that!!  Up to your room!!!!"

 I found the behaviour a bit curious and atypical, so after a few minutes I went up to his room.  He was sobbing.  I asked him gently "Why would you do what daddy had just told your brother not to do?"  Eventually, between  sobs and gasps, his perspective emerged.  "Daddy said, 'Don't slam it like that" (sob) so I thought I would slam it the proper way.  (sob).  I thought daddy would be happy with me slamming it the right way."

 He was just a little child with a simple desire to do good.  To make daddy proud of him.  (Along with the bonus experience of 'showing up' his brother).  It is so easy for us to miss this as a parent, and life goes on, and we never know.  Because the child doesn't have it in him to come to the parent and say "I'm feeling a bit misrepresented dad.  I'm not sure if you interpreted my intentions properly and I think perhaps you reacted too strongly without enough information."  Instead the child goes away, a little part of him broken that he no longer is motivated to put back together.  He feels wrong, confused, shamed and he will continue to feel that way a little more, every time, until he decides feeling that way is too crappy... and then he will block out feelings, lash out...or some other coping.

 And that's how our innermost core beliefs about ourselves (and corresponding coping) can solidify deep inside of us.  And we are haunted with beliefs about being wrong, inadequate and unworthy (regardless of how many degrees we acquire or companies we own) and still not having it in us to say "I'm feeling a bit misrepresented here..."  (in intimate relationships) because we were never taught to validate those feelings.

 I woke up the next morning after the evening with dinner guests and went to my son.  "Remember last night when you asked if you were good?"  "Yes" he said.  "Sweetheart, you are a very good little boy and I really appreciate you trying hard to be well behaved in the restaurant."  His face lit up into the sunny, untroubled smile that only children seem capable of, and he bounced out the door.

 The wonderful part of all this, is that we can learn how to validate our feelings, build a new sense of self, change our core beliefs and become freer from the wounds that were never properly dressed in our childhood.  If you are interested in doing this, email me (marycmanson@gmail.com). 

 I can help.

Thanksgiving

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! 

Feasts to celebrate thankfulness have been around for a very long time and it seems that gratitude is a deeply human response to 'good'.  Throughout history, a bountiful harvest was such a nice feeling.... so safe and comforting and heart-warming.  All the anxiety and worry about the unpredictable weather and the many many possible obstructions between planting a seed and reaping the harvest... were over.  There was safety.  And rest.  And gratitude.  And celebration.

It is almost trendy, these days, to be 'grateful'.  With all the emphasis on 'how to be happy', and the extensive studies showing that grateful people are happy people... many of us now try to make a habit of being thankful on a daily basis.

Although I've never been a big fan of doing what's 'trendy'...   gratitude really does change you for better.    It actually IS is difficult to be both depressed and grateful.  Not as a little checklist ritual (I'm thankful for A and B... hmmm I need one more thing to be thankful for...umm....... oh ya... I'm thankful for C too)... but as a deep resurgence of clarity and a exercised capacity for appreciation.

 "Clarity" because we can readily lose focus and see only the overwhelming landslide of whatever negative things are in our life.  It seems so much easier to magnify the disappointments than to magnify the things we are grateful for.

 "Exercised capacity for appreciation" because our appreciation muscles need to be 'exercised'... stretched and worked like everything else in our body and then they become stronger, more flexible and we feel so much better.  Our brains are wired so that when we feel gratitude, other emotions click in as well... safety, comfort, warmth, celebration....

 But we actually have to do it.  Focus.  Work our brain to lift up the good things for us to see.  Look at them and say out loud "I'm so thankful for...". 

 It's a beautiful autumn day in Guelph today and I have been out for a bike ride (what I call cycle-therapy) and I thought of a couple of exercises to try in the gratitude gym.

 You know how you can't really give a neck massage and receive one at the same time?  Because in order to receive a neck massage you need to relax the very muscles you need to tighten in order to give one?  Well... when you are giving thanks, if you are sincere, you will be focused on truly thanking someone else and when you are truly thanking someone else, you really can't be feeling unappreciated yourself.   So many times we get on that downward spiral of feeling unrecognized and unappreciated and one of the best ways to reverse that spiral is to find someone to authentically recognize and thank.  It actually does feel much better....

 The key words, however, are "truly" and "sincere" and "authentically".  Just 'imitating' gratitude but not really feeling it does not get results.  And here's an exercise to help you with that.  Let your brain visualize for a few moments what it would be like to be... a quadriplegic... for example.   I'm pretty sure most of us will promptly have a fresh surge of gratitude. 

I remember many years ago reading a story of a young woman breaking her neck in reckless moment diving off a rock... and being paralyzed from the neck down.   One of the many things she missed was a cold toilet seat.  A cold toilet seat!  That might not normally be near the top of my gratitude list... but... ya.  Wow.   Gets me thinking.  In the winter when I crawl out from under my cozy down comforter and head to the washroom... I remember that.  And there is so much to suddenly and sincerely feel grateful for.

  If you wish you could feel grateful but you just can't because the moment you manage to work up a little gratitude, another bad thing happens and you are flattened all over again... then perhaps you need some help.  Perhaps you need a hand up.  

 Call me.  I will help.

Love Tearing Us Apart

There's a rather grim sounding but poignant song by Joy Division called "Love Will Tear Us Apart".   One of the verses goes like this:

When routine bites hard,
And ambitions are low,
And resentment rides high,
But emotions won't grow,
And we're changing our ways,
Taking different roads....

Love will tear us apart....

 It's sadly poignant because there is so much truth in it.  Love seems to very frequently "tear us apart" and most of us who have a few years under our belt, understand the lyrics.  Routine does bite really hard into relationships and leaves visible teeth marks.   The ambition to keep alive 'desire' (that once seemed effortless) dwindles.  Resentments accumulate.  The emotional connection gets lost... sometimes irretrievably.   Our goals and values shift and change and we suddenly realize one day that we are traveling on a different road than (the person we thought was) our life partner.  

 Why is that and what can we do about it?

 There are many threads in the torn tapestry of a love relationship.  Things like having kids while trying to build a career in a culture that is more 'self-focused' and 'child-focused' and 'success-focused'  than it is 'marriage-focused.'   We have to be so intentional about maintaining a love partnership... but... well... in the beginning it doesn't feel as 'urgent' as some of the other things.  In fact, it's kind of scary just how gradual and innocently the fabric gets little rips in it.

We might 'suddenly realize' that we have taken a different road than the person we 'loved', but it didn't happen suddenly.  It happens, like most things, in tiny little increments.   It is much like the story about the frog who gets boiled to death when the water heats up very slowly.  If it was hot when he jumped in... he'd jump out instantly.   Probably he'd sense it was hot and not jump in at all.  But when it happens over time...  when it feels 'just right' at first... then the changes in temperature are barely perceptible until it's too late.

 So it's the little things.   The times you get annoyed or hurt about something you believe your partner has said or done, but you "let it go" because "it's just a little thing."     In fact, it would be great if you could "let it go" because it probably IS a little thing, but the truth is, we don't let it go.  It gets registered in our brain and we come to some conclusions about the other person and we raise our inner guard.  Sometimes this is unconscious.  But we are always, always, looking out for our safety ...and feeling hurt or annoyed doesn't feel safe.  And 'assumed conclusions' about the 'other' combined with our 'raised guard' just does not breed intimacy.  It creates a small weak spot, a small tear in the fabric of your love.  And soon resentments grow, desire dwindles and the emotional connection is gone. 

 Truly 'letting it go' is a wonderful relationship skill.... if we can do it.    But it seems to take a great deal of practice, purpose and maturity in a relationship built on trust , forgiveness and openness.   In the meantime, working towards small conversations to clear up small mis-understandings based on small assumptions to prevent the raising of small little shields... is a good thing.  If we practice on the small things, it won't be like a landslide of pent up 'hostile hurt' when we do have the conversation.    Done properly, it won't lead to a BIG THING if you want to have a small conversation about something that's bugging you.

 If you can't do this, call me.  I can help.

Thirty One Questions

“The key to wisdom is knowing all the right questions.” – John Simone

What questions are in your head?

Because it's actually true that the kind of questions you ask determines the kind of life you lead.  Your questions determine the answers that establish your beliefs.  And the things you come to believe determine your emotional response.  And your emotional response and your beliefs determine your choices and behaviour.  So... asking the right questions is pretty important. If you ask yourself limiting questions, you’ll get limited results. If you ask yourself mind-opening questions, you’ll have an expansive rich life.

Some people like to ask questions like “Why did this happen to me?”, “Why didn't I do 'x' instead of 'y'?” and “Why am I always in such a mess?”.   And with questions like that, the answers are predictably dis-empowering.  On the other hand, questions like “What can I learn about myself from this experience?”, “What can I do differently moving forward?” and “What am I grateful for?” are empowering. They get you thinking about how to live life better.

And so here's the challenge.  For every day in the next month, ask yourself a different clarifying, inspiring, motivating question to move you closer to where you want to be.  Focus. Discover. Reflect. Ponder. Grow.

1.              Who do you want to be?

2.              What are you passionate about?

3.              What are your values?

4.              What have you achieved in your life that most closely reflects your passion and values?

5.              What 20 things are you most grateful for?

6.              What do you yearn for?

7.              Do you like yourself?  Why/why not? Where should you grow?

8.              If you had one month to live, what would you do?

9.              What advice would you give yourself 5 years ago?

10.             What things that you do today will matter in 3 years?

11.              What's in it for you to keep hating "_____"?

12.             What is your biggest goal?

13.             What's keeping you from achieving your biggest goal?

14.              Are you putting a part of your life on 'hold'?  Why?

15.              What do you regret? How can you correct it?

16.              What's the most important thing you learned last year?

17.              What is your ideal lifestyle, diet, job, day, physical look?

18.              What is your greatest fear?  How can you confront it?

19.              What thoughts spin in your head the most?  Does this spin cycle help?

20.             Where are you living right now?  Past? Present? Future?

21.              What habit would you most like to break?

22.             What habit would you most like to cultivate?

23.             What is your mission?

24.             What drives you?  Is that helpful or unhelpful?

25.             With whom do you spend the most time?  Do those people help you become who you want to be?

26.             What/who inspires you the most?

27.              What qualities do you most admire?  Most despise?

28.             What would make your life more meaningful?

29.             How do you practice self care?

30.             Is there anything you are running away from?

31.              What are you going to do differently tomorrow?

In the movie 'How Do You Know?' there is a point when Lisa goes to a therapist.  She doesn't quite know what to say, so she blurts out :  "I was just wondering if there was one general thing that you've found over the years to be generally true in a general way that would help anyone in any situation?"   The therapist answers:  "That's a great question.  Yes, I would say... figure out what you want and learn how to ask for it.

Lisa was quiet for a moment then said "Those are both really hard."  And it's true.  Self awareness and agency are both really hard.  If that is your experience too, try posing these 31 questions to yourself over the next month and then see if you have come closer to figuring out what you want and how to get it.  If you are still struggling or want to go deeper, then call me.  I can help

Eight Tips for Making Stuff Happen

1.    Break goals into bite size tasks. Putting “get a new job" at the top of your to-do list is a good way to make sure you never get it done. Break down the work into smaller and smaller chunks until you have specific tasks that can be accomplished in a few hours or less.  Search employment possibilities on line, write a resume, make a phone call, etc.  Then you can actually succeed in crossing them off your list.

2.    Stop multi-tasking. No, seriously—stop. Switching from task to task quickly does not work.  In fact, changing tasks more than 10 times in a day apparently makes your IQ drop by an average of 10 points.

3.    Be radical about eliminating distractions. Lock your door, put a sign up, turn off your phone.  Go to a quiet area and focus on completing one task.

4.    Control your email. Pick two or three times during the day when you’re going to use your email. Checking your email constantly throughout the day falls in the multi-tasking category and wastes time, reduces IQ and kills productivity.

5.    Use the phone.  Try not to reply more than twice to an email. Pick up the phone instead and get the dates/details/issues settled in that call.  

6.    Work your own agenda. Don’t let something else set your day. For example, many people go right to their emails and get sucked into time/energy consuming responses.  They end up at inbox-zero, but with little accomplished. After you wake up, drink water so you rehydrate, eat a good breakfast to replenish your energy, then set prioritized goals for the rest of your day.  Make certain that it is you taking charge of your time.

7.    Take Breaks.  Research indicates that our brain uses up twice as much glucose as other cells in our body.  If your day involves a lot of 'thinking,' then get up, go for a walk, stretch, do push ups, have a snack, do something completely different to recharge.  (Research also indicates that those who exercised for 30 minutes prior to an exam did better than those who read quietly for 30 minutes.)

8.  Six Things.  Pick 6 things that need to be done each day.  Choose them carefully to ensure that all six are doable and necessary.  Then start at number one and work your way through the list and make certain you do them all each day.  You will feel a huge sense of accomplishment.  "Six Things" was the answer to the question "what made you successful?" when asked of a CEO in a multi-million dollar business

And... as always.... if you try and try and you just can't seem to do this on your own... then call me.  There may be some meaningful barriers and blocks that are sabotaging your goals.  I can help.

I Did Say That

Back in the days when I had pre-schoolers, I was outside chatting with some moms, all of us happy to be free from our winter weary homes on a beautiful spring day.  My eyes did a routine scan for the two boys who belonged to me on the kid crowded field.  I couldn’t believe what I saw.

A group had gathered around my two year old, and were taking turns kicking him.  He would fall over and then get up, only to find himself sprawled on the grass again.  And what was most horrifying to me was that his brother, (who was four), was in the circle of older boys.  I raced to the aid of my little son and grabbed his brother's hand and hurried inside.  My two year old seemed okay.  I think I stopped the activity before he realized he was a victim.  His brother needed a time out and so did I, so I sent him to the stairs and then collapsed on a chair.  I had worked very hard to nurture sibling alliance over the past year and had so hoped that my two sons would love and care for each other.  I felt angry, hurt and betrayed.  But I had seen, in the past, how important it was to access the child’s perspective and so I summoned my self-control and went to the stairs.  I asked calmly, looking into his anxious eyes, “what were you doing out there?”

          “We were playing a game where we took turns kicking my little brother.”

          “Did you think that was a good game?” I asked, carefully postponing my fury until I’d finished my inquiry.

          “No” he said, “I didn’t want to play that game at all.  I wanted to dig tunnels in the sandbox.  But you said that if I wanted to have friends I had to do what they wanted sometimes, and not always what I wanted, and that’s what they wanted to do.”  He burst into tears.

          Ah, it was true.  I did say that.  We were new in the neighborhood and I was giving my son advice on how to make friends.  But I’d forgotten that he did not know all the caveats and contexts that are assumed with such counsel.  In his little four year old mind, he was just doing what mommy said.  He was sad and confused.  I wrapped him in my arms and began to explain.

          It all worked out happily that day but it easily could have gone awry.  I could easily have not noticed the 'game' in time and my little son could have been hurt physically and probably more importantly, hurt emotionally.  It would have been very easy to assume that there was no possible explanation valid enough for what I had just witnessed with my own eyes.  It would have been easy to punish my oldest son with no questions asked.  I mean... really!  What's there to ask when you see your oldest son and his friends kicking your 2 year old son?

          But there was an explanation.  A good one.  An explanation where something I had said was part of the problem.  When we unravel problems, we often find, quite unexpectedly, that some of the threads have their origin in our hands.  When we are calm and open to this, the problem can usually be corrected.  That day I was reminded again how important it is to listen carefully in order to untangle the ancient what-you-heard-is-not-what-I-meant communication knot

          We had a long conversation about brothers and kindness and loyalty.  We talked about how confusing it can be to feel one thing and be told another.  My oldest son told me about other times when he had felt like that and we all hugged.  “Friends will come and friends will go but brothers are forever” we marched around the room and chanted loudly.

 So my counsel to parents (or anyone in any kind of relationship) is this.  Even when things look incontestably, irrefutably, undeniably crystal clear from where you're standing, if the other person is behaving in a way that hurts, confuses or angers you, give them a chance to explain.  Inquire in a way that does not put them on the defensive.  Take a time out before talking if necessary.  But give the relationship the gift of intentionally opening yourself to their perspective.  I have never ceased to be surprised at what is going on in other people's minds on occasions when I had simply assumed what I thought was perfectly obvious from the circumstances.

 If you can't do this, call me.  Seriously.  It's totally worth it.