I’ve mentioned many times over the years that I learned how to dissociate as a child, and how that likely saved me from childhood trauma that would have been incredibly difficult to deal with at that age.
I’ve also mentioned that lacking any other coping skill in my early adult years was a mental health disaster.
Both of those can be true. This recent article highlights the need to dissociate when things are beyond our ability to cope and manage our lives.
This Coping Behavior Is Super Common Right Now — And It Says So Much About Where We Are As A Country
In other words, dissociation protects you from the alternative, which is having no barrier or buffer zone against the “threatening, bad, scary, dangerous” thing, said Richie. If you don’t dissociate, constantly thinking about a work stressor or problem in your life is only going to drain you mentally and, potentially, keep you from doing the things you need to do.
They are correct in adding that it exists on a spectrum, and while it may serve us when things are very stressful beyond our control, it can also become debilitating in its own way. Still, I think we all dissociate from time to time, and in our current social climate, it might not be the worst thing. We need to buffer ourselves and set boundaries that allow us to continue with our lives, even as things are messy around us.
Appreciate the ways our brains can protect us, but also do the things that keep our brains safe from getting too far toward the unhealthy part of the spectrum.
Are you purposefully dissociating lately?