The tools that we have at our disposal greatly influence our ability to deconstruct and then rebuild our individual psyche into more favorable versions of ourselves. ~Ghost
(This one is for the toolbox)
(Opinion)
I have talked quite a bit about one of the most effective tools to develop when rebuilding our thought processes and then by default our psyche as a whole.
'Compartmentalization' is our way of organizing our minds into a more manageable environment. It is necessary for everything to function smoothly down to our very cells.
Our minds are in no way excluded.
It allows us to stay focused on one 'problem' or group of problems at a time instead of being overwhelmed by all of our problems at once.
As I have said before, we all do this already in our daily lives, so we already know how to do it.
Too many of us however don't ever turn that inward and apply it to our own psyche.
Those that do? Well, they turn into people like me who pay attention to all of the things other people are not because it is a biproduct of two processes, compartmentalization being one of them.
Now, it is time to move backwards to another highly effective process that helps us decide what belongs where, as we go about compartmentalizing our thoughts, feelings, beliefs etc.
It is all psychology after all, so it all has the same root.
That process along with compartmentalization is what Sigmund Freud classified a "defense mechanism" and I can vouch for that because I have been using them and many of the others most of my life.
However, in later years not necessarily in the same context as Freud and later his daughter Anna viewed it because I figured out that this process could also be used in a different context as well.
I have found in my time stomping around on this rock that almost anything that can harm us in some way can also be used to help us.
Instead of using it to escape/hide from painful or difficult emotions, why can I not figure out how to control it?
Like micro-dosing. Figure out the right amount and control its delivery instead of simply letting it have its way with me so to speak. I mean they are my chemicals in my brain after all.
It is nothing new really, just look at our medications we take today, taken incorrectly they are toxic or poisonous causing serious injury or death. But taken in just the right amounts...
Now, before moving on we must understand that in this scribble concepts such as 'good' versus 'evil' are irrelevant because this defense mechanism is based on logic.
This means we can set any and all emotional distractions such as G-v-E influences aside for now. This does not diminish or eliminate their importance in any way. They have their place and time to be involved but this is not it.
For our purposes they are a distraction.
Disclaimer
As always, my scribbles are for educational/entertainment purposes only. They are my own opinions and beliefs based on my own research.
It's just something to think about folk's, agreeing with me is not a requirement to simply listen. ~Ghost
Let's begin with making sure we all understand what 'Intellectualization' is and we do not confuse it with 'Rationalization'.
I used this defense mechanism for years before I ever understood what it was and once I did me being me, I figured out a way to use it to my advantage.
This is the theory I push to people all of the time. Many, many things in psychology that impacts us negatively can also be used to impact us positively.
We simply have to take control of it instead of it letting it control us.
This is all happening in our own head's folks so the only person who CAN take control of it is us and if we are not in control someone else is, and that is a fact.
Other people can help but we have to make the decision to either stick with the status quo or create a new and more positive one for our lives.
It all begins and ends with you.
I figured out, after much trial and error meaning a whole lot of failure before success, I learned to regulate that defense mechanism of intellectualization and most of the others as well.
This was so that instead of dismissing (hiding from) those emotions that I found difficult, I could compartmentalize them instead.
It is the same process after all. The only difference being that I am in control of it, not the other way around turning it into a valuable tool instead of simply a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety.
I could deal with each separately and once I have both figured out as individual entities, I could merge them together. If need be.
As with everything in this universe it comes down to keeping a balance, or as we humans say, "Everything in Moderation".
I used to respond emotionally to things I found disagreeable, and this can be very problematic for someone such as myself who also suffers from issues with anger. Later, after I calmed down, I analyzed it all.
Relying on hindsight to analyze a situation was something I finally realized wasn't working. Also in hindsight, it was not very smart.
I mean, what was I thinking? And that was the first thing I had to realize and accept, I wasn't thinking, I was simply reacting.
I wanted to turn that scenario around and begin by setting the emotions aside right off the bat and analyzing the facts first by actually thinking.
Then deal with the emotions, if any, those facts may cause me.
However, I have to be honest when I say that a lot of the time (not all of course) after I analyze the facts, I do not have any emotional reaction to them at all anymore because through that process I also realize that those emotional reactions do not accomplish anything anyway.
They are a waste of time and energy that is better used elsewhere.
The facts do not change just because we don't like them. And I like that!
I was at a loss for a long time as to just how I could make that change though. Until I started seriously researching psychology to understand my own pathology (PTSD) and never stopped researching it.
Learning about and understanding what these defense mechanisms I was already using to avoid both the 'problem' and my responsibility for it was my pathway to learning how to turn them into tools.
Now, for 'Me 2.0', the first step in my thought processes thanks to these updated 'tools' is to remove the emotional reactions immediately before they have a chance to distract me then find and analyze ALL of the facts.
This is my 'intellectualizing' process that organizes what is where within my compartmentalization process, emotional or logic. This makes it very easy for me to prioritize and focus my attention on what needs it the most. This is without every other problem in my life also vying for my attention.
This seriously cuts down on distractions that lead to more confusion and ultimately, more stress and anxiety that cripples our ability to think rationally, logically because it is common knowledge that a high emotional state is incompatible with logical thinking.
It is quite the vicious cycle if we get caught up in it but not as hard to escape as we might believe it to be. Just make your way to the edge by removing the chaos of emotions for a while and it will spit you out on its own like a watermelon seed.
There is an age old saying that goes; "Never make decisions when you are angry" or any other state of high emotion.
We as a modern species have known what I am saying here forever, many of us have simply forgotten or have yet to find that part of ourselves due to our own ignorance or outside manipulation of the information we ingest on a daily basis.
That is why it is so important for us to learn as much as possible about ourselves and take control over every single aspect of our self-image, thought processes and psyche that we possibly can.
I truly wish I could give you a step-by-step process to achieve this without going through all of the emotional turmoil etc. that I did but that just is not possible.
Every single one of us must make every single decision that gets us there because the whole idea is to come out the other side a better version of who we are right now, and only we know who that is.
Sounds daunting does it not? But there is good news, you, her, him all of us already know how to do this.
Really think about what I say in this scribble (and others) and you will realize that I am simply telling you things that you already know how to do, we do them every day.
Now is a good time to point out that I am in no way unique in this. There are millions of people like me. This makes my voice only one among a multitude of voices all saying the same thing in our own ways.
We represent knowledge, not intelligence because to a large degree we humans intelligence is determined through genetics, whereas knowledge is acquired through our own efforts.
Intelligence also has limits for the same reason whereas the only limit to our knowledge is determined by our own willingness to continue gathering and understanding it.
I never stop gathering it because speaking only for myself, I can't.
I have a pathological need to accumulate knowledge/information much like a hoarder would accumulate files, stacks of old newspapers, books etc. around them with the exception that I keep it all inside my head.
I am convinced it is most likely connected to OCD, but it is who I am so instead of fighting it, I embraced it and learned how to use it to my advantage.
The process as I use it goes as follows and I must stress again this is not a quick fix, it takes time, dedication, and we must work at it every day, or we start slipping backwards faster than you can imagine which takes twice as long to make up.
As an example of this we can look at the past which is one of our worst enemies and best friends.
The enemy part is when it suddenly pops up in our minds causing us some form of mental distress, you know what I am talking about, we all experience it.
As simple as it sounds every time that happens take a minute and analyze the thought or experience etc. and if it is a negative tell yourself every single time, "none of that matters anymore!" Move it to the trash folder.
At some point of doing this religiously you start to find that those intrusive thoughts from the past become less and less intrusive and lose the stress and anxiety that they may cause.
It works, but only if we do the work it requires to be successful. People who TRULY want to change or find the truth are going to get off of their asses and find it or do it, nothing is going to stop them.
Those who don't truly want it will spend their lives talking about it but never doing it. It really is that simple.
It all begins and ends with you.
So, I will use the example of a speech.
First and foremost, I watch the speech for myself before subjecting myself to the onslaught of talking heads all screaming for me to believe their version of what was said in the speech.
If it is someone, I can't stand listening to which is most of them I will wait a few hours and read the transcript. This cuts down on my emotional distractions as well which is why I actually prefer it; they are just words after all that I can fact check as I go.
Secondly, I verify what the facts are by using the process of intellectualization to remove the emotional distractions.
Thirdly I 'compartmentalize' the emotional distractions in their place and the facts in theirs.
This is the core of objectivity is it not, separating fact from feeling and analyzing only the facts as they stand?
Here again I must stress that, this is not a quick process, we have to train ourselves to do this and unfortunately, not everyone is going to be stable enough emotionally and mentally to do it.
Meaning their inability is caused by some form of pathology that needs to be resolved first.
The point where we are focused is before the 'problem' becomes pathological.
It takes repetition and dedication to stay the course, or we lose control devolving into mental illness.
Take a minute and think about how you have structured your own life to make it more manageable.
We do not deal with all of life's problems at once do we, it would be impossible and likely drive us insane?
No, we compartmentalize our lives into workable chunks so that we can fit everything we need to do throughout the time we have.
Kids are here, finances are here, work here, errands here etc. etc. When we write out our monthly budget, we are compartmentalizing our costs in order to prioritize where our money goes.
We compartmentalize our work duties for the same reason, to achieve our goals within the time we have to complete them.
When we do this everyday compartmentalization, we are not putting things in their place because of how we feel about them, we do it based on logic as in what is going to result in the best outcome for us.
That is accomplished using the same process used in 'intellectualization'. Remove the feeling and focus on the facts. The only difference is that as a defense mechanism it is in control, as a tool, we are in control of it.
Intellectualization as I use it in this context could be described as the process of reaching objectivity.
We already know how to do this stuff; we do it every day of our lives.
We just have to take that knowledge and apply it to ourselves, our own minds and thought processes to make them more efficient and valid which improves our overall psyche.
We have nothing to lose but negativity and everything positive to gain which in the end balances us out, stabilizes us so that we can see the world around us as it truly is no matter how terrifying we find it.
So, the only question left for all of us is why are we not doing it?
Something to think about y'all, till next time. ~Ghost
Connective Tissue
Some simple do's and don'ts to think about. Personally, I found this video to be spot on as far as my own past experiences go. You can decide for yourself whether or not it makes sense or not.
We simply apply these principles to every aspect of our lives, and it is amazing how fast things can change from chaos to clarity.
This of course brings with it a whole new set of logistical yarn balls that we must untangle but, that is another scribble.
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