Today let’s talk about hypervigilance.
What the heck is that?
In my world, it meant always being in what I call “on patrol” mentality. Like I was in a war zone and the bad guys were out in the bushes. Growing up in an alcoholic family, the slightest misstep could make me the target of my Dad’s anger. I would walk home from school happy and joyful, and as soon as I opened the door and walked into my house, I had to be alert to any danger signs. In my adult life, I was mentally doing the same thing, even when I was in safe situations, and it was totally exhausting. It took a lot of work to see it, and begin to overcome that behavior, but it allowed me to relax and be at ease in everyday living, in a way I never learned as a child.
Have you ever felt like you were living on “high alert?”
Photo Credit
“Wide-Eyed” by orijinal @ flickr.com – Creative Commons – Some rights reserved
Dan L. Hays offers encouragement for adult children of alcoholics.
The podcasts of these episodes can be found at: Minute to Freedom
Recent Dan L. Hays Articles:
- Healing The Writer - A Personal Account of Overcoming PTSD - A Book By Dan Hays
- What Cell Phones Have Taken From Me
- We Just Don’t Talk About It - (Sponsored Video)
- Faith Comes Through Doubting
- Exploring The Artist's Way
Please Share Your Thoughts - Leave A Comment!