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	Comments on: How to Drive Yourself Sane	</title>
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		By: Jenny		</title>
		<link>https://twx.atlantacounseling.com/blog/how-to-drive-yourself-sane/#comment-20653</link>

		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jenny]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Dec 2013 04:28:55 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[I totally agree that this is an awesome approach if you are indeed functioning on the irrational, reactive side of the scale.  One of the first principles of mindfulness, as I learned it, was to accept that an emotion is happening, and evaluate how its magnitude and nature are or aren&#039;t appropriate to the thing that happened.  After practicing this for many years, I&#039;ve come to believe that if you can avoid taking action driven by those emotions until you have a grasp on that, they can be very informative -- and even fuel productive, rational actions instead.

EXAMPLE:  &quot;My parents make me feel guilty...&quot; vs. &quot;I made myself guilty over my parent’s criticism...&quot;
Your approach would be so accept that it&#039;s guilt, assume it&#039;s something you should feel less of, tell yourself you (not your parents) are responsible for feeling that way, and find a way to not feel guilty when your parents say such things.  Mine would be to first decide whether that&#039;s really guilt you&#039;re feeling (or maybe you&#039;re angry at them for bringing up humbling topics, at some particularly uncomfortable moment?), ask yourself if you think they intended to trigger you (hey, parents will try to make you feel lots of ways if they think it will get you on the right track), thus whether you should even take it at face value or not, and if you do actually feel guilty and they do actually mean for you to, what can you do that makes the most of that unpleasant interaction that just happened.

Likewise, when someone ruins something of mine or makes a problem for others out of laziness or incompetence, I generally let myself go ahead and be angry.  Yelling, name-calling, temper-tantrums?  Of course not - not very productive - and I recently lectured someone on how those behaviors are never justified by &quot;needing to draw a line somewhere!!&quot; because the target is rarely learning anything about any line when there&#039;s a batsh*t crazy angry person screaming in their face.  However, recognizing that I am angry and letting it help me identify a cause outside myself allows me to make logistical decisions to insulate myself or a process from an unjustly weak point (like a lazy co-worker).  I think women especially are predisposed/pressured to internalize, diffuse, or discredit their anger even in the most clear-cut circumstances -- e.g. &quot;well, I guess I could have stayed late to compensate,&quot; &quot;I guess this always happens,&quot; &quot;who am I to talk, I have screwed up once or twice myself&quot; -- the LAST thing we need is to add on, &quot;If I&#039;m angry it&#039;s because I&#039;m irrational.&quot;  Self-gaslighting is hardly the path to sanity!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I totally agree that this is an awesome approach if you are indeed functioning on the irrational, reactive side of the scale.  One of the first principles of mindfulness, as I learned it, was to accept that an emotion is happening, and evaluate how its magnitude and nature are or aren&#8217;t appropriate to the thing that happened.  After practicing this for many years, I&#8217;ve come to believe that if you can avoid taking action driven by those emotions until you have a grasp on that, they can be very informative &#8212; and even fuel productive, rational actions instead.</p>
<p>EXAMPLE:  &#8220;My parents make me feel guilty&#8230;&#8221; vs. &#8220;I made myself guilty over my parent’s criticism&#8230;&#8221;<br />
Your approach would be so accept that it&#8217;s guilt, assume it&#8217;s something you should feel less of, tell yourself you (not your parents) are responsible for feeling that way, and find a way to not feel guilty when your parents say such things.  Mine would be to first decide whether that&#8217;s really guilt you&#8217;re feeling (or maybe you&#8217;re angry at them for bringing up humbling topics, at some particularly uncomfortable moment?), ask yourself if you think they intended to trigger you (hey, parents will try to make you feel lots of ways if they think it will get you on the right track), thus whether you should even take it at face value or not, and if you do actually feel guilty and they do actually mean for you to, what can you do that makes the most of that unpleasant interaction that just happened.</p>
<p>Likewise, when someone ruins something of mine or makes a problem for others out of laziness or incompetence, I generally let myself go ahead and be angry.  Yelling, name-calling, temper-tantrums?  Of course not &#8211; not very productive &#8211; and I recently lectured someone on how those behaviors are never justified by &#8220;needing to draw a line somewhere!!&#8221; because the target is rarely learning anything about any line when there&#8217;s a batsh*t crazy angry person screaming in their face.  However, recognizing that I am angry and letting it help me identify a cause outside myself allows me to make logistical decisions to insulate myself or a process from an unjustly weak point (like a lazy co-worker).  I think women especially are predisposed/pressured to internalize, diffuse, or discredit their anger even in the most clear-cut circumstances &#8212; e.g. &#8220;well, I guess I could have stayed late to compensate,&#8221; &#8220;I guess this always happens,&#8221; &#8220;who am I to talk, I have screwed up once or twice myself&#8221; &#8212; the LAST thing we need is to add on, &#8220;If I&#8217;m angry it&#8217;s because I&#8217;m irrational.&#8221;  Self-gaslighting is hardly the path to sanity!</p>
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