I’m constantly searching for new sources of protection against predators’ attacks. In today’s post, I recommend a Mayo Clinic webpage, “Strengthening Your Mental Fitness.” It proposes a mental fitness routine that integrates physical exertion, the use of mentors, persistence in the face of adversity, and seeking purpose through activities. The Mayo Clinic page begins:
“Have you ever driven the same route and, upon arrival, felt like you got there almost on autopilot? That is similar to how thoughts and actions travel along neural pathways in our brains. When we repeat a certain thought or action many times, that neural pathway is reinforced, and the thinking can become automatic. When it comes to thought or action patterns that are causing us trouble (anger, aggression, sadness, hopelessness), we can learn what our routes are and what pathways we’re inadvertently reinforcing. Too often, we act, speak, and think automatically when troubling decisions or stressful events come our way. However, trying out a new mental fitness routine can help reroute these pathways to better serve us and our mental health” (emp. added).
If the Mayo Clinic’s one-page mental fitness routine isn’t enough for you, at the end of their page is a four-minute YouTube clip featuring Mayo psychiatrist Monica Taylor-Desir. She briefly explains post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, what it is, what causes it, and how to manage it. For those interested, the page offers more links for symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD. And at the very bottom of the page is Mayo Clinic Connect, where you can “Connect with others like you for support, practical information, and answers to your questions about mental health issues or caring for someone with mental health concerns. Ask questions and get answers.”
The Mayo Clinic material referenced above is not specific to social predators’ victims, but social predators are specifically bad for their victims’ mental health. Those I refer to as ‘social predators’ are somehow nourished by their victims’ torment.
Back in the day, when I was robbing people at gunpoint and leaving others bloodied on the side of the highway, or when I was screaming and yelling at my subordinate co-workers, the only sustenance I derived was practical (getting money, surviving a fight, getting a construction job done on time, and so on). So, not to sweep my disgrace under the rug, but I must have been a half-assed psychopath (mental health professionals prefer the terms ‘secondary,’ ‘developmental,’ or ‘near-psychopath’). I didn’t feed off others’ suffering; it was just that I was too callous to care or even realize what I was putting them through. If you’re wondering how I’ve come to advocate against the kind of person I used to be, see my book on Amazon, Memoir of a Repentant Psychopath. I’ve fictionalized my life in the book. Still, it amply demonstrates how even a near-psychopath like me can be devastated by a pure psychopath—to the point of either killing himself or growing a set…of morals. Finally, after much suffering, I chose conscience.
Last week I suggested basic survival strategies (Recovering from a Predator’s Attack). Next week I want to expand on those with more do’s and don’ts—advice that I hope you never need but never forget. Until then, if you’re having a hard time dealing with a social predator, take another look at the Mayo Clinic’s one-page mental fitness routine, and use as much of it as you can. Send me your story if you wish; it might help you to be heard.
I hope to see you here again next week. Stay tough and continue to combat disrespect and indignity wherever you find it, but especially in your own life; you’re worth the effort.
Robert Red Act