Ego has always fascinated me. I used to listen to my parents talk about their day and one of them would always have to trump the other on how bad things were or something wonderful that had happened. I thought that was normal but it unsettled me. As I matured, I discovered things about myself and my past that were in the way of where I wanted to be or attaining goals I set for myself.
Recently I read that a healthy ego is the ability to regulate painful emotions rooted in anger and fear.
This really makes sense to me.
Having a weak or unhealthy ego, according to the article I read said that the person with this undeveloped ego tends to live life and acts in defensive ways. They waste a lot of time fighting reality and have unrealistic expectations of what "should" happen in order for them to feel valued. They often believe relationships are merely absence of emotional pain, fear and anger.
People who have a strong, healthy ego are optimistic and have a strong sense of being capable. They have the ability to regulate their emotions and to increase their chances of finding new ways of coping with challenges. They do not personalize what others say or do. They understand the difference between wants and needs and also see challenges as things that can and cannot be changed and adjust accordingly.
A healthy ego is essential to personal happiness and allows a person to adapt, to be flexible and to take on challenges and end with positive results.
The more I read on this, the more I see areas in my own life where I have unhealthy or weak ego issues. Each area can be challenging to work on but it is great to celebrate even the successes as they come along. I found this visual quite helpful and even found good word choices to use in difficult situations. We are all works in progress. Pardon me, please while I am under construction!
No comments:
Post a Comment