coping

[traveler]

i am the champion of coping mechanisms:

i am the epitome of denial
"Nothing happened. I am fine!"

i am a paradigm of dissociation
"I wasn't even there. That wasn't me."

i am adept at amnesia
"Abuse? What abuse?"

i am a master of minimizing
"It wasn't really that bad."

i am a virtuoso at justification
"Well, they couldn't really help it because..."

i am an expert at excuses
"I can't deal with it now because I'm too busy."

i am the ace of avoidance
"That reminds me, have you heard about...?"

i am foremost at fantasy
"Let's do another roleplaying game."

i am head honcho of hiding
"If i say and do nothing, then no one will notice."

i am a star at distraction
"I have to see, hear, try the latest everything!"

i am a wizard of repression
"It was a long time ago. Let sleeping dogs lie."

i am nonpareil at numbing
"Give me another one. There's no such thing as too much."

i am king of isolation
"I am a rock. I am an island. And a rock feels no pain."

i am the paragon of overcompensation
"Look: all A's! I got a raise! Another promotion!"

i am a pro at perfectionism
"I just have to get this right before i can rest."

i am a failure at all of the above.
"Eventually, they all stop working."

lee
04/18/14

 

[newground]

hey my friend
you got it all just right except for one thing ... you are not alone.
Good writing man keep it up

 

[I Thrive]

hey my friend
you got it all just right except for one thing ... you are not alone.
Good writing man keep it up

What ^he^ said. I may be new but, we are all here...

 

[traveler]

thanks, guys.

i wrote this recently while working through a 12-step program and taking a moral inventory, in an attempt to take responsibility for my own actions and reactions.

i guess i should add that most of the tactics i have abandoned as ineffective for an adult, though they helped me survive as a child and until i was ready to grow up emotionally.

but i still revert to minimizing, rationalizing and isolating, if i am not careful.

thanks for the reminder that i am not alone. that is one of the best things about being here at MS.

lee