Crazy for 8s

Ripped Reminder Jan 17, 2017

“My life didn’t please me, so I created my life.” ― Coco Chanel

Chris’ Commentary

Life gets (is) crazy. Sometimes we perceive a/our situation as out of control which then leads us to feeling trapped, powerless and often fearful of the unknown, AND fearful of the idea that the situation will never change and we’ll be stuck forever.  Pay attention to what you do next.  From what I understand, most people (me included!) enter a “Crazy 8” where they cycle back-and-forth between sadness/bitterness/depression, and anger/rage/frustration (and all related feelings) – see the image below.  For example, you might experience this as alternating between self-pity and wanting to kick someone’s a$$.

Also know that when one enters the Crazy 8, they’ll typically start on one side or the other and then cycle back-and-forth; I start on the anger side of the 8.

So yes, you could try to avoid the Crazy 8 altogether forever and yes, we are trying to create a civilization on Mars too…or, you could learn how to recognize and exit it…in healthy ways.

1. Unhealthy ways: berating someone for having “done something to you,” drugs or alcohol to dampen the feeling, gamble, anything else that provides you with temporary distraction.
2. Healthy options:
   • Change your model of the world and/or your rules of the game
   • Get better at recognizing the triggers that make you feel out of control and find different “go to” solutions to either side of the 8 (e.g., finding love and lessons in the situation, etc., etc., etc.)
   • Stop thinking the situation is happening TO you and realize that (1) YOU are causing the situation and/or (2) YOU are causing your perception of being out of control and/or (3) life is happening FOR you and not TO you
   • Be your creative human self and write down at least 3 possible ideas to either regain the control you think you’ve lost, or to enjoy and profit from the situation as it is

Which side of the Crazy 8 do you enter?

The last time you got yourself out of a tailspin in a healthy way, what did you do? How did you do it? Learn from that experience for the next time you find yourself feeling powerless.

One Law,

 –          Chris