Last updated on April 1st, 2012 at 02:35 pm
Why is it when we most want to connect, we’re apt to feel vulnerable and withdraw by putting up an emotional wall? If you are like me and dream of dating again after being off the dating market, then we need to take a look at our emotional walls – or the REAL reason we haven’t been out on the dating scene for some time.
The truth is that we have probably put up some pretty big emotional walls to protect ourselves from being hurt. How do we open our hearts to the love again, without taking a knife to the heart in the process? The best answer is to know ourselves well and have a plan of action, so that we don’t personalize any rejection.
Know ourselves
Recognizing our emotional walls is the first step to fully knowing ourselves.
And thanks to a book by Marilyn Kagan, LCSW, and Neil Einbund, Ph.D., called Defenders of the Heart we can see what defense mechanisms we might be using to keep ourselves from love.
These defense mechanisms show up as –
1. Passive-aggressive behaviors with unassertive and indirect expressions of resentment, hostility or hurt toward others.
2. Denial behaviors where one overlooks the obvious to reduce anxiety.
3. Intellectualizing behaviors where one uses words, definitions and/or theoretical ideas to explain away emotions associated with painful, uncomfortable events or thoughts.
4. Projection behaviors where one attributes ones own unacceptable, shocking or embarrassing thoughts, feelings and impulses to someone else in order to relieve ones anxiety about them.
5. Rationalization behaviors in dealing with disappointment, fury or hurt feelings over an unbearable situation by covering them up with convoluted, self-serving and often seemingly logical excuses.
6. Humor behavior where one uses laughter or joking, especially sarcasm and irony, to get out of a jam or to soften feelings of anguish or discomfort in a given situation.
7. Displacement behaviors where one diverts alarming, humiliating or unpleasant feelings and impulses from one situation, object or person to someone or something less threatening.
8. Sublimation behaviors where one channels thoughts or feelings that are intolerable to oneself and/or to society at large into behaviors that are less objectionable.
9. Procrastination behaviors where one delays tasks or actions that need to be started or completed as a way of steering clear of uncomfortable, distressing internal angst.
10. Altruism behaviors where one gives of oneself (time, money or energy) in a way that both gratifies and wards off ones own desires and needs.
How do we grow our awareness of our own “defenders of our hearts,” so we will release them from their guard over our hearts?
Plan of Action
My plan is to find a man of substance; a man who possesses certain qualities. Knowing what the qualities I seek – someone who is open, honest, kind, humorous, flexible and giving – is the first step in a plan of action.
Keep a journal.
Weekly do what is called “free floating writing”, write whatever is going through your head, no matter if it makes sense, no matter if you can read it, just write. Write until there is nothing left to write and then write some more. Write until you are exhausted, write until you are completely empty.
Write about each person you encountered who have the qualities you want. How did you react? Did you put up an emotional wall, or were you open?
Talk about your fears with a support network.
Have a support system of friends in place to help you vent your feelings and support your moving through them.
Take action in spite of fear.
Take the photos of yourself. Write an online profile. Communicate. Go to coffee with someone of the opposite sex – hell go to dinner.
Take a chance.
Create a Progressive Timeline for your plan of action.
My Progressive Timeline looks like this –
Within A Day –
Identify with emotional walls I am still holding on to.
Finish this blog post.
Within A Week –
Review my journal entries.
Decide three ways to meet men.
Within A Month –
Have a profile written up to present to a dating site.
Have photos done.
Attend one event, either a Home Depot workshop, a lecture on something I love or a church where I might want to join.
Within Two Months –
Open a online profile and begin to communicate with men.
Have a phone conversation with a man I want to date.
Go to coffee with a man.
Within Three Months –
I am dating and meeting different men.
Evaluate where I am in the dating process , how I am feeling and what direction is needed next.
Within A Year
Be happily in a serious relationship.
Walk with me through this process of exploring the emotional walls keeping us from love. Share your experiences, so that I can help you be successful in your dating dreams too.
Now go get started!
Veronica
Veronica rotated off 8 Women Dream in December of 2010 after successfully completing 2 dreams.
Related Stories:
Enjoy this special 8WomenDream Guest Contributor story submitted by new and experienced big dreamers throughout the world, edited and published to capture a dream perspective from different points of view. Do you have a personal dream story to share with 8WomenDream readers? Click here to learn how to submit dream big articles for consideration.
Note: Articles by Guest Post Contributors may contain affiliate links and may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.
