Home Truths

I feel scared when I think someone is angry at me and will fight back by getting angry myself.

I feel anxious when others express uncomfortable emotions, particularly if I am involved in some way.

I find empathizing with others difficult and frightening.

I hate fights. Fights (I am convinced) mean something is going to end, and so I panic and try to run away first. If I can't run away, I cry and/or try to puff myself up, like a dog raising her hackles or a bullfrog threatening to explode.

I believe that if I were really a grown-up, I would never get angry or lose my temper. That I do proves that I am still a child.

I like to think that I am particularly sensitive to others’ emotions, but in fact I’m not very good at reading other people because I tend to assume that they don’t like me or wouldn’t if they really knew how childish I am.

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