Zaid Ismail
@zaidie@zaidismail.com
Author, life coach, and mental health activist. We need to change the narrative from disorders, illnesses, and survival to accountability, understanding, and thriving.
1,858 posts
0 followers
- Homepage
-
The victim bully
The common trait between the blatant bully and the passive aggressive victim is that they both share a victim mindset. The one demands significance through invoking fear in others, while the other tests for their significance by shaming or guilt-tripping others. The victim mindset sets in when we allow ourselves to be defined by the…
-
Own your dream
When you find yourself putting your dreams on hold because you’re waiting for others to confirm that it’s a feasible project, or that you’re capable of achieving it, know that it’s not a dream. It’s simply a wish. Dreams can either be an indulgence of escapism, or it can be a seed of passion. Most…
-
The enemy of mindfulness
We find ourselves in a state of duress, or stress, when we lose sight of what we can influence, whi fee helpless in the face of everything that we think is out of our control. Whenever we’re faced with a problem, we either focus on mitigating the impact of the problem on us, or we…
-
Success at what cost?
The core of being human is the need to be significant to others, especially with significant others. Our efforts to be successful feel empty and unfulfilling if we have no reason to believe that it positively impacts the lives of those around us. So, we set out to be successful so that we can be…
-
Generational assumptions
One of the most common incorrect assumptions we make in life is assuming that others treat us badly because of who we are, and not because of their own demons. This is especially true about how we feel about our relationship with one, or both of our parents. Without realising it, two critical outcomes result…
-
Escaping addiction
It’s not drugs that steal our children from us. Like us, they also need to feel significant. Taking drugs is not just a bad habit. It’s a means to escape what we don’t want to deal with in the world around us. Is it a bad decision? Absolutely. Because escaping something never resolves it, it…
-
Cyclical abuse
At first, we remain in a bad relationship because we truly believe in the sincerity of the claims of our partner to want to improve, or to overcome what they’re struggling with. After some time, if we’re not careful, our inability to get them to follow through will convince us that we’re not a good…
-
Allow them to learn
Sometimes, out of concern, we try to protect those we care about from mistakes that they are inclined to make. We become the buffer between their bad decisions and the consequences thereof, so that they don’t find themselves in harm’s way. This show of concern or compassion is good, as long as it doesn’t become…