Welcome to Monday Blog Shorts – ideas to make even Monday a good day! Every Monday I share a short article with you about a strategy you can use, or new facts or info that informs you, or a new idea that inspires you . My wish is to give you something to think about in the week ahead. Let’s dig in!

It’s that time of year once again when we make resolutions and set new goals.

It’s always kind of fun to think about what we want to accomplish in the coming year, and sometimes we pull it off. But, very often we start with a bang and then the whole thing peters out around February, and sometimes before that. We have great intentions, but lose enthusiasm, fall off the horse, and never get back on again.

There’s a reason for that, and here it is:

Setting the goal is not the important step to create change. Developing and establishing a system to facilitate the goal is the key factor to success.

This system is composed of select, strategic habits that are practiced regularly and consistently. Without these, goals have no real worth.

It’s fine to set a goal, but it’s better to create the habit (or habits) necessary to get you there, and consistently practice them until they’re embedded in your daily routine, and require less energy and drive to perform.

There’s an art to this, and if you follow it, you’ll be successful. Try this:

1. Tackle only one habit at a time. It’s great to be enthusiastic, but being realistic is better. If you work at one habit until it’s instilled in your daily routine, and is easy to perform, then and only then should you consider tackling the next one.
2. Start small. This is the most important one. If you want to cultivate an exercise routine, don’t go whole hog at the outset. You’ll only fall off. For example, if you decide you need more cardio, walk 10 minutes every day for at least two weeks. Once that becomes easy and is scheduled into your daily routine, you can begin bumping up the time a little. If you decide you eventually want to run some of it and walk some of it, you can do that, but again add it in slowly in small time increments. The way you know you’re going too fast is when you begin to dread doing it and feel like you don’t have the time for it. You need to keep it under your resistance radar. Go slow and steady. The goal is to automate the habit without thinking.
3. Make it fun. Whatever the habit is that you’re working on, add any elements to it that will make it more pleasurable. Using the exercise habit example, you might add your favorite music to your routine, or walk in an area that’s interesting so you enjoy what you’re viewing as you go. If you like company, get an exercise buddy. Make it something you look forward to.
4. Schedule it. Be very specific with scheduling. Put it on your calendar or wherever it is you track your activities. You should always know well ahead of time when you’re going to perform your habit. Always schedule at least the day before, but it’s best to schedule for the whole week ahead so you don’t have to think about it, and you don’t get into the mindset of deciding whether you want to do it or not. Don’t allow that mental option. Ever.
5. Select the best time. Make sure you schedule your new habit when it’s easiest to do, and you’re most likely to do it. If you’re whipped in the evening, don’t schedule your exercise then. Schedule it in the morning or earlier in the day when you have the energy for it. Match the new habit with the best timing for success.
6. Avoid being a perfectionist. If you miss a day or a scheduled time, don’t stop. Get right back on the horse and do it the next time. This is one that brings many good resolutions to an end. You fall off and say to yourself, “Oh well, I’ve ruined the whole thing,” and then you don’t ever come back to it. This goes for any habit you’re working on.
7. Reward yourself. Creating the habit and reaping the benefits of it is a reward in and of itself, but you can also give yourself little rewards along the way. These don’t have to be rewards that cost anything. It may be some extra time to yourself, an outing of some kind, or if you want to spend money, something that inspires you to continue like a new Yoga mat, or a cookbook if you’re working on your diet, or a new journal if writing is your new habit.

Start thinking about what you might like to accomplish this year, and select the first habit you want to create and instill that will move you toward your first goal. Use the guidelines I’ve given you and get the specifics of how you’re going to do it ironed out. Schedule it, and set your start date. When you feel that the habit is thoroughly a part of your routine, and it’s easy to keep going, then pick your next habit and do it all over again.

If you could create even 6 new habits over this next year, think how much better off you’d be!

I would also highly suggest reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book was a game changer for me. He goes into detail about how to systematize your habits and reach your goals, as well as how to maintain your progress once you get to where you want to go.

Here’s to a great New Year! We certainly need one, don’t we?!!!!

All my best,

Barbara

Welcome to Monday Blog Shorts – ideas to make even Monday a good day! Every Monday I share a short article with you about a strategy you can use, or new facts or info that informs you, or a new idea that inspires you . My wish is to give you something to think about in the week ahead. Let’s dig in!

Since we’re deep into the holiday season, I thought I would veer away a little bit today from my usual content and focus on what I see are the two big messages of Christmas. If you’re of another faith, or do not participate in a particular spiritual or religious belief system, this will still apply because it’s about us. Human beings. How we behave and what our impact is. So let’s dig in.

I see the two universal messages of this season as Peace and Love. Sounds very 60s, I know, and perhaps I’m showing my age, but these ideas are ageless.

Here’s 5 ways that I think we can all work at expressing these concepts, although they’re more than just concepts. They’re ways of being.

Expressing Love

1. Be Kind. Kindness is humble and caring, and can be expressed in small gestures. Smiling at a stranger in a grocery store, empathizing with someone who’s suffering, doing something for someone, listening. Really listening. Understanding that we’re all in different stages of our development, and having some tolerance for those differences. Be kind whenever the opportunity presents itself.​
2. Show Empathy. Empathy is active. It means abandoning your own state of mind for a moment and trying your best to see something through someone else’s emotional and mental lens. It’s not easy and takes practice, but the more you do it the easier it gets. Even when someone has ideas you find distasteful, you can still get inside her head and understand how she got there, or what’s holding her there. Not with an “I’m better than you” attitude, but because you want to see. That doesn’t mean tolerating values you don’t believe in, or allowing destructive behavior. It just means seeing from the inside out.
3. Non-harm. This is a practice found in Buddhism and Hinduism called ahimsa. It means avoiding harm to any living being in thought, word and deed. It can be extended to animals, creatures, and even the environment. It’s an approach and a particular way of living, but takes regular practice. If you work at it, you’ll find you have a subtle shift in mindset characterized by inclusivity and compassion.
4. Do unto others. We all know this golden rule, but we don’t always follow it. The best way to remember it is to keep in mind that what you do to someone else, you do to yourself. When you really get this idea instilled in your mind, it will help you avoid behavior that’s hurtful. Every thought and act we put out there has an effect, and the overall effect will come back to us. If you spend a lot of energy criticizing, hating, or scorning others, you’re harming yourself as you do it. You’re keeping your mind in a negative and aggressive place, and setting yourself up for the same return treatment. That generally halts me when I go on some negative critical rant in my head about someone who’s bothering me. ​
   
5. Apply all these to yourself. Be kind to yourself even as you set limits on your behavior. Empathize with your feelings even as you figure out how best to deal with them. Don’t harm yourself emotionally, mentally, or physically. Create habits that are good for you and bring out the best in you. Do unto yourself as you would like others to do unto you.

Promoting Peace

1. Recognize our oneness. We all live on the planet Earth regardless of race, nationality, religion, or political affiliation. If aliens were to attack, watch how fast we’d all come together! Ronald Reagan said this once, and I believe he’s right. Differences are relative to the situation. What we all have in common is our humanity. I believe we also have a collective consciousness which is the conglomerate of everyone’s thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Make sure your contribution is one of peace, tolerance, and cooperation. That doesn’t mean accepting ideas and behavior that are wrong. It means performing acts of peace, even in acts of resistance.
2. Develop inner peace. This one’s the most important one because the more you accomplish this, the easier it is do all the others. My go to for this is regular, daily meditation. You may have some other method or methods, but whatever you find that works, do it regularly. If you’ve never meditated or want to know more about it, read here.
3. Attend to your relationships. Being in discord with those you love, or those with whom you have a lot of contact, robs you of peace. Even if you aren’t actively thinking about specific issues, they hang in the background of your awareness and create underlying anxiety. Give some time and attention to your most important relationships. What do you need to work on or repair in this next year? List it. Then decide how you want to go about it. If you’re not sure about the how, then seek counseling to get you started.
4. Reduce your stress. This one can be difficult, especially in light of this past year. Depending on your circumstances, make a list of the issues that are causing you the most stress. Select one at a time and work on it. Don’t do them all at one. Just one. Accomplish that, and then move on to the next. As you do this, you’ll create new habits that serve you well. If you want to know more about creating new habits, read Atomic Habits. If the problem is money, read something by Dave Ramsey. You can also consult an expert online, read books, take courses, seek counseling, or just dive in and do what you can. You’ll feel better as soon as you start.
5. Remember that nothing is permanent. All circumstances change over time. Whatever’s plaguing you right now will eventually shift. Keeping this in mind will help you deal with the present. What is permanent is your worth, your love, your spirit, your resolve, and your humanness. You can be the peace and love you wish to receive.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali (or your celebratory choice), and a new season of hope.

All my best,

Barbara

Welcome to Monday Blog Shorts – ideas to make even Monday a good day! Every Monday I share a short article with you about a strategy you can use, or new facts or info that informs you, or a new idea that inspires you . My wish is to give you something to think about in the week ahead. Let’s dig in!

Do you find yourself in charge of things most of the time? You’re the planner, the manager, the organizer, and the one who has to think about it all and make it happen. If so, no problem if you’re happy about it.

But . . . if you find yourself resenting being in this role, or angry that no one else pitches in, and if you feel taken advantage of, unappreciated, or exploited, then that’s another thing altogether isn’t it?

So what’s the solution?

Let’s look at the positives and negatives, and the solution will become obvious.

Here’s the positives.

• You’re a natural manager who can plan, organize and execute.
• You know how to prioritize.
• You’re super efficient.
• You’re a master multi-tasker. You’re used to spinning several plates in the air at the same time.
• You can see the big picture and also attend to the details.
• You’re the leader. Everyone turns to you to get it done.
• You like to help. It’s your natural tendency to solve problems and meet other people’s needs when they ask you to, and even when they don’t ask.
• You might be a “Helper” on the Enneagram.

Here’s the negatives.

• It’s hard for you delegate. You can do it faster than the time it would take to teach or supervise someone else.
• You like things done right, and it’s very hard to watch something being done differently than the way you would do it, or done less than perfectly.
• You aren’t in the habit of asking for what you need. It makes you feel guilty.
• It’s very difficult for you set boundaries. You’re not sure where those boundaries should be, and even if you are, you feel uncomfortable enforcing them.
• You don’t like to disappoint people, especially those close to you.
• You get some secondary gain (self-worth) from being the person who can do it all. It makes you feel good, even as you resent being taken advantage of.
• You operate under the belief that if you don’t do it, it won’t get done.

So back to the original question, “Why am I in charge of everything?”

The short answer is because you allow it.

That doesn’t mean you wish for it or like it, but those negatives I just listed keep you from asserting what you need, and requiring others to do their part.

You don’t feel like you should, and if you do, somehow it makes you a bad person, or a selfish person.

The key to correcting this problem is to change your view of yourself. You’re likely very talented, reliable, and probably have super managerial and planning skills.

But, you also have a right to say no when you’re exploited or taken advantage of. And, when you require everyone else to do their part, you’re actually being more helpful because you’re affirming that all of us have the responsibility and capacity to contribute, especially when we reap the benefits of the work that gets done. This is a normal expectation!

You don’t want to be the leader with no authority. That’s like being the oldest child who has a ton of adult responsibilities, but without the authority to make decisions.

This is a big subject, so I just touched on it today. If you’d like to read more about setting boundaries (which I think you should if you struggle with this problem), read my longer article which you can access here.

Have a great week and I’ll send you a new blog next Monday!

All my best,

Barbara

Welcome to Monday Blog Shorts – ideas to make even Monday a good day! Every Monday I share a short article with you about a strategy you can use, or new facts or info that informs you, or a new idea that inspires you . My wish is to give you something to think about in the week ahead. Let’s dig in!

“Your mind is your private world, and you’re the gatekeeper.”

You have within yourself a private place that belongs to you. You can invite someone in, but only if you wish to. You’re the gatekeeper of this space, and no one can trespass without permission.

That space is your mind, which includes your thoughts and feelings.

You may choose to share these with those you deem worthy of hearing them, but the point is, you can sort through them yourself and decide what you want to expose.

But what about others’ influence?

Because we’re wired to be social, we’re likely to be influenced by those around us. Other people’s thoughts, emotions, values, beliefs, opinions, and behavior can affect us and have an impact on what we think and how we feel.

We’re a tribal species, and although we see ourselves as individuals, we seek membership in our tribes. This might include our families, friends, co-workers, or community, or it might include ideas or beliefs such as our religious tribe or political tribe.

What’s crucial about remembering that we have our own minds is that we can and should use this important freedom to sift through the daily, weekly, monthly, and historical input that constantly seeks to find a home there.

You have ownership of what you choose to think, feel, believe, and internalize. No one else.

But, and this is a big but:

If you don’t use that freedom by taking charge of your mind, you lose it. You become a slave to what others in your personal sphere think and feel.

To avoid losing that freedom, you must be in the habit of evaluating what you hear, and truly deciding what you think. It might be that you need more information, or you need time to think something through.

What’s important is that your thoughts and feelings echo and reflect your real ideas and values. Don’t automatically assume or accept.

A new study reports that we have around 6,200 thoughts per day.

They come in and go out, and at such a rapid speed that you probably have no awareness of many of them, but those that are persistent or repetitive try to find a home in your mind. Those are the ones you can evaluate. Those are the ones you can question and decide if you’d like them to stay. Those are the ones you can build on or discard.

Ask yourself:

Am I parroting my tribe? Do I really agree? Is this a belief or value that I have? Is this an idea that resonates with me?

To do this, you have to allow your thoughts and feelings to come up without suppressing them. You can’t hide out. You need to see what’s there.

Here’s some things to help you with that.

1. Don’t censor, but choose how to react. You have no control over the thoughts and feelings that arise in you. What you do have control over is what you do with them, and you can decide whether they add to your life, or provide value for you. You can keep them, or discard them, or learn from them.​​
2. No one can control your mind if you don’t allow it. Just because someone says something is true doesn’t make it so, regardless of how loud they shout it or how often they say it. Remember that! You always have the ability to question, evaluate, research and decide for yourself what’s true for you. No one else can or should do that. However, keep in mind that the more you’re around someone, the more they will affect what you think, how you behave, and what you believe. So choose carefully.
3. Pursue continuous learning to help you keep your mind open. Access new information and ideas that expand your thinking and enhance your creativity. Challenge yourself. Make your mind a fertile garden for growth.

So take some time this week to commune with yourself. As you go through your week, watch the thought trains that occupy your mind. Ask yourself where they come from.

Are they your thoughts, someone else’s thoughts, or a combo? Do they have value? Are they true? Are they distorted? What can you learn from them? What do you want to keep and what do you want to discard? What do you want to modify?

As Voltaire says, “Dare to think for yourself.” It’s one of your greatest freedoms. Exercise it!

That’s it for now. Have a great week!

All my best,

Barbara

Welcome to Monday Blog Shorts – ideas to make even Monday a good day! Every Monday I share a short article with you about a strategy you can use, or new facts or info that informs you, or a new idea that inspires you . My wish is to give you something to think about in the week ahead. Let’s dig in!

Today’s blog short is something you can use to counteract criticizing and judging others, while also channeling that impulse toward improving your self-awareness.

It’s human nature to observe others and make judgments. We all do it.

The tendency naturally arises because we’re wired to scan the environment for danger, and part of that is to observe with a discriminating and discerning eye what’s out there that might harm us. In that sense, it’s a natural defense mechanism, and a necessary one.

While it’s good to be cognizant of others’ behaviors and motivations, getting focused on them with lots of criticism and judgment usually goes beyond normal observation and information gathering.

In this case, our natural impulse to observe others has morphed into a different kind of defense mechanism which is guarding our own egos by diverting our attention toward someone else’s stuff.

By focusing on someone else’s stuff with a critical eye, we can avoid working on our own stuff, and in some cases, deny our stuff altogether. That’s a bigger danger!

Here’s what you can do about it.

Try this:

The next time you find yourself having one of those mental conversations listing someone else’s negative habits or behavior or personal characteristics, stop and ask yourself these three questions:

1. Is the thing I’m criticizing something I do myself? Don’t answer quickly. Really give it some thought. More often than not, it is. Not always, but quite likely. It may be that there’s an element of it that belongs to you, if not all of it.
2. Is there something I need to do to help the person I’m criticizing? For example, if you’re ruminating about a boss or co-worker or a friend, is there something you can do about the problem to resolve it? If not, or if it’s not a problem that greatly affects you, let it go and move on.
3. Here’s the last question, and the most important one: What do I have in my own closet that I need to be working on? We all have stuff of our own to work on, and that will go on until we’re gone. You’re a work in progress. Spend more time working on your own stuff than on somebody else’s, and you’ll be better for it. Not only that, by becoming more evolved, more competent, more self-aware, and more compassionate, you’ll be helping everyone.

Make this a habit. Every time you find yourself ruminating about what’s wrong with someone else, ask yourself the three questions. Then actively work on you.

Start this today, because I’ll bet you’ve had at least one critical thought about someone today.

If you’d like to read more on this subject, I’ve written a longer article called Clean Out Your Own Closet. You can find it by clicking here.

See you next week!

Barbara

Welcome to Monday Blog Shorts – ideas to make even Monday a good day! Every Monday I share a short article with you about a strategy you can use, or new facts or info that informs you, or a new idea that inspires you . My wish is to give you something to think about in the week ahead. Let’s dig in!

Let me just start by telling you that I’m a huge procrastinator!

I’ve analyzed this problem to death, read everything I can get my hands on about it, tried this, tried that, beat myself up over it, and even after all that, it still persists!

As a sidebar, I’m impressed with all the ways I’ve figured out how to procrastinate. If you could win an award for that, I’m pretty sure I’d be right up there at the top. I’ve got that down. Yay!

So back to the problem. I’m happy to report that I’ve figured out something that works. Not every time mind you, but at least 90% of the time which is a VAST IMPROVEMENT!!!!

In a nutshell, it’s a technique to bypass the mind. What I realized is that the thinking about what you have to do is what’s in the way.

Here’s what I mean.

When you need to do something, procrastination sneaks in as soon as you allow yourself to think about whether you want to do it or not.

There’s all kinds of ways this thought process gets going. Here’s some of my favorites:

• That’s going to take too much time and I don’t have it right now.
• It’s so hard! I don’t have the energy for that.
• I’m just not in the mood and I don’t think I can drag myself to do it.
• There’s other stuff I have to get done before I tackle this.
• I can put if off a few days. No worries.
• I’d better check my email first to make sure there’s nothing I need to attend to.
• I know, I’ll give myself 15 minutes to relax and then I’ll get going.
• I’ll just put it on my list so I won’t forget to do it later.

We could keep going, but lets get to the real problem, and it’s this:

Underneath all those thoughts about why you can’t do what you need to do is the original thought which is “I don’t want to do that!” That’s the whole thing. For whatever reason you come up with, it still boils down to . . .

I DON’T WANT TO DO THAT!!

The Solution

I’ve found that the best way to get around procrastinating is to interrupt the thought process before that first thought takes hold.

Your mind is very tricky and loves to get the upper hand, but you can put a stop to that. It’s like the unruly child that tries every which way to argue his way out of something.

You have to be firm and not even entertain the arguments.

What I do instead is say this to myself:

NO THINKING! JUST DO IT NOW!

Ah, that sounds great, but that won’t work right? Well, actually it does if you keep doing it.

I started this with little things that aren’t a big deal. For example, I went to the grocery store which is close to the dry cleaners where I have clothes to pick up. I wanted to go straight home after grocery shopping because I was hungry and wanted to get a snack and relax, but instead, I just started driving to the dry cleaners without thinking about whether I wanted to do it or not, and I got there and parked and got out of my car. I got my clothes and went home.

The turning point was when I pulled into parking lot and got out of the car, because at that point I’d gotten past my resistance and I knew I was going to finish what I’d started. The hard part was driving in the direction of the dry cleaners instead of going straight home.

There was this sneaky thought trying to get through:

“You can do that tomorrow and go home right now and get something to eat.”

I drowned that voice out by just driving in the right direction even as my mind was trying to take over. I wouldn’t allow myself to entertain the thought of whether or not I wanted to do it. Of course I didn’t want to do it, but that doesn’t matter. You can’t let that be a factor.

After the dry cleaner experiment, I started to apply this technique to bigger things. I got to where I could say to myself, “In 10 minutes you’ll start writing and you’ll write for 30 minutes”. I would do it, even if what I wrote wasn’t that great, and even though I didn’t want to.

Now I’ve gotten used to following my own commands about what I’m going to do. I never allow myself to think about whether I want to do it or not. And because I’ve gotten used to this, my resistance has lowered a lot.

It’s become a habit. This is the key. I’m sure my brain is making some new neurons paths that are making things easier. Now it’s automatic and I can actually laugh at that voice that’s complaining.

Sometimes I reward myself when I’m done with whatever it was I set out to do. Isn’t that how you train your dog? Good girl!

Best of all, that voice that says “I don’t want to do that!” has weakened and is barely audible.

Practice mutes that voice and keeps it under your control.

I do best when I don’t even allow that voice to speak which means I substitute a thought that counteracts it such as “I’m doing it, it only takes 10 minutes, and then I’m free to do what I want.” Sometimes I just shout “GO!” and I start.

Try this out. It’s a lot simpler than trying to analyze why you procrastinate. That’s a side path that usually makes it worse, because that activity is a way to procrastinate in and of itself.

Don’t be fooled. Action is the only tool that works! Now it’s your turn. GO!

See you next week!

All my best,

Barbara

Welcome to Monday Blog Shorts – ideas to make even Monday a good day! Every Monday I share a short article with you about a strategy you can use, or new facts or info that informs you, or a new idea that inspires you . My wish is to give you something to think about in the week ahead. Let’s dig in!

We’re moving into the holiday season which can be lots of fun, but it can also get pretty stressful as we add more things to our to-do lists.

A great way to reduce that stress is to practice focusing on one thing at a time.

I know it’s not always possible, but based on the way the brain actually works, we can’t focus on two things at once. We simply shift our attention back and forth from one thing to the other, and that shifting action takes both energy and time as we disengage and then reengage. This dilutes our focus and extends the time it takes to get something done.

Multi-tasking also reduces our effectiveness so that we don’t do things as well as we could if we focused on just one thing.

Do This

Practice making a conscious effort to focus your attention on everything you do during the day in a single-minded way. If you’re making coffee, just focus on that. If you have a list of things to do in the morning before leaving the house, focus on each one individually while you’re doing it. Get deliberate about it.

The tendency is to run your list through your head at the same time you’re doing something on that list. This creates mental static.

When your mind is stirred up by multiple things at the same time, you create overload.

Your body tenses, blood pressure rises, breathing can quicken, muscles tighten, and emotionally you feel overwhelmed.

Try instead to keep your mind focused only on the task you’re doing, and then go to the next one with the same focus. You won’t get less done, you’ll get more done and be less stressed doing it.

It is helpful to write out your list so you can be assured you won’t forget anything. Write it and then forget it until you need to look again.

About Noise

It’s also helpful to reduce noise. If you like the TV on in the background, fine, but if you have it very loud and you’re listening to it while doing other things, you’re actually dividing your attention and upping your stress.

You can do simple things like fold laundry and watch TV at the same time without problems, but with more complex activities, the noise can be taxing.

Music may be easier and some people do really enjoy having music on in the background, or use music for certain tasks such as housecleaning which actually makes it more fun!

That’s fine, but the idea is to carefully assess whether the noise you have going on while you’re doing things is a distraction that creates stress or not. If it is, ditch it.

I’ve found that classical music in the background makes my cooking enjoyable, but if the volume is just a little too loud, it becomes a stressor instead of an enhancer. There’s a sweet spot. You have to find that.

At the same time, any music or TV on while I’m writing is a no-no. Brain work does not go well with background noise.

Try today to consciously focus on what you’re doing all day long, one thing at a time, and see for yourself whether you feel less stressed. True focus is calming, and you’ll be more efficient and effective which is a bonus!

If you want to read more on this subject, I’d suggest The One Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan. It’s a wonderful book!

See you next week!

All my best,

Barbara

Welcome to Monday Blog Shorts – ideas to make even Monday a good day! Every Monday I share a short article with you about a strategy you can use, or new facts or info that informs you, or a new idea that inspires you . My wish is to give you something to think about in the week ahead. Let’s dig in!

Today’s subject is something called manic defense. It was originally spelled as manic “defence” when first written about by Melanie Klein, but for our purposes I’ll stick with the newer spelling as the meaning is the same.

Manic defense is “the tendency, when presented with uncomfortable thoughts or feelings, to distract the conscious mind either with a flurry of activity or with the opposite thoughts and feelings.” 

This definition comes from Neel Burton, a psychiatrist who wrote the book Hide and Seek.

I like this definition because it describes two components that I think lie at the heart of manic defense which are:

1. Continuous compulsive activity, and
2. Thought manipulation

Both are used as a means to avoid unwanted thoughts and feelings. They can occur separately or concurrently.

An example is the woman who works all the time, ticking things off her list, and making more lists to keep going. She doesn’t do it because it makes her happy, but rather because it keeps her from feeling uncomfortable. It’s used as a means of warding off feelings of helplessness, depression, sadness, emptiness, or despair.

How about the person who has events scheduled for every day and night of the week. Again, activity is a cover for being alone with oneself and avoiding uncomfortable feelings.

I’ve sometimes seen parents encourage their children to participate in this sort of manic activity. These are the kids that are playing sports, going to dance lessons, participating in social events, attending birthday parties every weekend, and trying to handle school and homework at the same time. These parents are projecting their need for manic defense onto their kids and teaching them to do the same.

The bottom line is that a person who pursues manic defenses is not happy.

He’s not able to be reflective or self-aware because that brings on feelings that he wishes to avoid. There’s an underlying fear that if the activity stops, depression or emptiness may take up residence and possibly plunge him into despair.

The truth is that the fear is greater than the feelings feared. 

Once someone stops the manic treadmill and allows herself to feel the discomfort, she can begin to work on making peace with herself by examining who she is, what’s happening in her life that needs change, and giving her mind some free rein to be reflective.

By turning toward the problem instead of away from it, long-term issues can be worked on and resolved, and she can step back into herself and feel good about who and where she is, or know where she needs to go. Sometimes therapy is helpful and even necessary during this process.

How do I know if I have manic defenses?

Let’s make a distinction between manic defenses and activity that needs to be done. Some of us have an ongoing list of things that must be done. If you wear many hats such as spouse, parent, worker, friend, etc., your life probably does feel like a list much of the time.

The difference between needing to get things done and manic defenses has to do with the purpose behind the activity.

With manic defenses there’s an avoidance of communing with oneself, and often an avoidance of intimacy with others.

On the other hand, when the activity is required and maybe even engaged in with pleasure (not always of course), we may still feel good about ticking things off our list.

The difference is we also enjoy relaxation, self-reflection, and quiet time with ourselves. The activity is useful, necessary and enjoyable, but not defensive.

When we aren’t using manic defenses, we make choices that keep a balance as much as possible between activity and self-reflection. We check in with ourselves daily to see where we’re at and how we’re feeling. We enjoy intimacy with those we love.

Try this:

So here’s a little test to try if you think you might be engaged in manic defenses. It’s not a definitive test, but it will at least give you an idea about whether or not you use activity to avoid your thoughts and emotions.

Set aside an hour, or if not an hour, at least 30 minutes during the next week when you can be alone. Sit quietly without any kind of external stimulation.That means no media, list-making, tech devices, phone calls, or activity of any kind. Just sit for that 30 minutes – or you can lie down if you like – and let your mind wander.

Can you do it?

What kinds of feelings come up?

Are you anxious?

Do you enjoy thinking and communing with yourself or do you find it quite uncomfortable?

When I was a kid, a favorite thing to do was to lie down in the summer grass and watch the clouds move across the sky. I could do that for hours, and enjoy the sounds of nature, the smells of the grass and flowers, and just let my mind drift and my imagination run free.

We lose that as we become adults, but we need more of it as adults than we did when we were kids, because we have so much more responsibility and greater awareness of our emotional states.

Try it out, even if you think you don’t have manic defenses. If it’s uncomfortable and you have thoughts and feelings that are of concern to you, or disturbing, consider therapy to work out what’s bothering you, or talk over your thoughts with someone you trust and are close to.

Ultimately, the goal is to enjoy being in touch with yourself and engaging in self-reflection.

Happy Monday! See you next week!

All my best,

Barbara