The Overwhelmed Brain

Emotional Intelligence for Critical Thinkers

Guilt stops growth – Dad’s new girlfriend – Enabling the freeloader

Leave a Comment

Guilt stops growth – Dad’s new girlfriend – Enabling the freeloader
Guilt stops growth – Dad’s new girlfriend – Enabling the freeloader
Episode play icon
Guilt stops growth – Dad’s new girlfriend – Enabling the freeloader
October 8, 2017

When you feel guilty for wanting to leave your partner because of their bad behavior, it’s time to transform that guilt into something more productive. Some partner’s set you up to feel guilty so you’ll never leave. This is called emotional abuse and it’s time to put a stop to it.

In segment two, I read a message from a woman who lost her mom. A few months later her dad wanted to be with someone new. His daughter didn’t like that at all and cannot get past that he could possibly do that so soon.

What happens when you lose a parent and the one left behind wants to date again? Can you support them or are you vehemently against it?

[Read more…]

Those “think positively” people – Little problems that lead to explosive reactions – What is a toxic person?

Leave a Comment

Those “think positively” people – Little problems that lead to explosive reactions – What is a toxic person?
Those “think positively” people – Little problems that lead to explosive reactions – What is a toxic person?
Episode play icon
Those “think positively” people – Little problems that lead to explosive reactions – What is a toxic person?
October 1, 2017

If you’re one of those people who repress negativity and put on a smile to hide your upset, you are likely creating negative emotions in your body that will eventually lead to depression. If you aren’t sure what I mean, listen to segment one of today’s episode.

In segment two, I talk about how the little spats in relationships that lead to massive blowups have an origin. The unspoken words are what cause those big explosions. It’s time to connect emotionally rather than logically to diffuse the emotional bombs before they explode.

For segment three, I answer the question: What is toxic? Do we call people toxic just to avoid our own personal growth? A listener challenges me on the topic.

The no-win conversation – Lashing out at others – Blame the cheater not yourself

Leave a Comment

The no-win conversation – Lashing out at others – Blame the cheater not yourself
The no-win conversation – Lashing out at others – Blame the cheater not yourself
Episode play icon
The no-win conversation – Lashing out at others – Blame the cheater not yourself
September 10, 2017

Does your partner corner you into a no-win situation? Do they ask you questions that make you wrong no matter what you say?

In the first segment, I talk about double binds in relationships and a couple of ways to get out of the no-win questioning that often happens in both non-abusive and abusive relationships.

For segment 2, I discuss lashing out and where it comes from. Are they new emotions that seem to originate in the moment or are they old, stored emotions that derived from a single point in time?

[Read more…]

Blaming Others for Everything – Does time heal? – The overworking ADD partner – Hanging up on family

Leave a Comment

Blaming Others for Everything – Does time heal? – The overworking ADD partner – Hanging up on family
Blaming Others for Everything – Does time heal? – The overworking ADD partner – Hanging up on family
Episode play icon
Blaming Others for Everything – Does time heal? – The overworking ADD partner – Hanging up on family
August 6, 2017

Do you blame everyone else for what happens to you in your life?

In segment one, I argue that even when everything that goes wrong in your life is someone else’s fault, you can still get the results you want by doing one thing: Accepting responsibility for your role in what happens to you.

It’s a new way to create and measure your success so that you can come up with a game plan that’s right for you. [Read more…]

Reconnecting With Family As The New You

Leave a Comment

One of the hardest steps to take after any level of personal growth and development is introducing the new you to those who know you best:

Family

I stayed out of touch with my father for 10 years(!) until I heard that he was dying. 10 years previous to that, I made the choice to stay away from him because our conversations never really seemed to be about how much he missed me and wanted to spend time with me, they’d almost always end with him asking me for money.

[Read more…]