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Welcome to the June 2005 issue of the Inner Brat Newsletter. Welcome, new readers. If you enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. All they need to do is to send a blank email message to mailto:innerbrat--@topica.com. If you have comments or questions, feel free to email me at mailto:drwallin@drwallin.com. IN THIS ISSUE Take a vacation from your inner brat Inner brats in the news Inner brat tip of the month: Travel woes as souvenirs? Distribution information This newsletter is hosted by Topica.com. Topica may include advertisements for unrelated products. I have no control over these ads, but they do help pay for the expenses of distribution, which keeps the newsletter free of cost to you. ************************************** Take a vacation from your inner brat ************************************** Looking for some fiction to read this summer? Try a travel brochure. Those beautiful glossy pamphlets promise you the time of your life, with nonstop fun. To illustrate their promises, they show pictures of perfect people with perfect bodies and perfect teeth, frolicking and smiling. No one has sunburn, sore feet or indigestion. The children always look squeaky clean, and they never have tantrums. There are no mosquitoes, no flat tires, no thunderstorms . . . and no inner brats! Meanwhile, back on earth, your actual vacation may look something like this: 1. You've been driving for several hours, when you notice that the "check engine" light on your dashboard is illuminated. You get off the highway at the next exit and find a garage that can fix the car, but it won't be finished till the next day. And it's going to cost a small fortune. 2. You're on a camping trip. It's been raining for 2 days straight. The campground is one big mud puddle. And your matches are wet. 3. You splurge for a resort hotel, but when you get there they can't find your reservation, and the hotel is fully booked. You produce your travel agent's confirmation, but the reservations clerk merely says, "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do." 4. Everything is crowded. You have to wait in line for food, for transportation, even for the bathroom. Other people are loud, pushy and rude. You'll never see situations like these in a travel brochure. But I'll bet you've experienced at least one of them on your own trips. I know I have. And in retrospect I realize that my inner brat made things seem a lot worse than they were. It blamed and complained, making not only me miserable, but my family as well. No vacation is perfect. Inevitably something will go wrong. Aside from real tragedies (which, fortunately, are rare) most vacation hassles are about inconvenience, bad weather and minor mishaps -- all temporary, none life-changing. Predicaments such as delayed flights, sold-out attractions, small injuries and unexpected downpours can ruin your vacation if you allow your inner brat to gripe and grumble over every annoyance. On the other hand, if you just deal with frustrations as they arise -- treating them as problems to be solved -- you will soon forget them. You'll find that even other people's bratty behavior won't bother you for long. As you make vacation preparations (packing, etc.) don't forget to prepare your mind and attitude. Plan to be flexible. That way, if something unexpected does come up, your inner brat won't have much say in how you cope. In fact, think of it this way: Will you take a vacation WITH your inner brat? or will it be a vacation FROM your inner brat? For a suggestion on one way to do this, see the Inner Brat Tip at the end of this newsletter. NOTE: If you have a vacation story to tell about your inner brat, email me at mailto:drwallin@drwallin.com. I'd love to hear from you. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Need a speaker for your next conference, luncheon meeting, or event? Send an email to: drwallin@drwallin.com or call me at 717-761-1814 for more information. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ############################################ In my book, "Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide to Transforming Self-defeating Behavior," There are 3 ways to buy this book: ~Visit your local bookstore ~Order online from my web site, http://www.innerbrat.com ~click here to go to Amazon.com: http://shorterlink.com/?I5P5U1 ############################################# ***************************** Inner Brats in the News ***************************** A UK man who claimed he was "virtually unable to walk" and unable to work was arrested for fraud. Investigators found evidence that while collecting disability benefits he wrestled alligators, rode camels and advanced to a black belt in martial arts. ========================================================= A dentist performing a procedure on one of his employees decided to play a practical joke on her. While she was under anesthesia, he inserted boar tusks in her mouth and took pictures. She was horrified, and sued him. The dentist's malpractice insurance company refused to defend him, since they did not deem his actions as dental services. He sued the insurance company for not defending him, and won $750,000 plus attorney costs. The award was overturned after the insurance company appealed. ========================================================= Russell Crowe was arrested after an altercation with a hotel desk clerk. He was angry because the phone in his room was not working. He brought the phone downstairs to the desk, had words with the clerk, and threw the phone against the wall. This is not the first time Crowe's public display of anger got him into trouble. He has been involved in several fights in bars, restaurants and on the set. On the other side of this story, the hotel clerk who was the target of Russell Crowe's wrath is suing the actor for a million dollars for emotional distress. The man was not physically injured. ========================================================= For more stories about brats in the news visit my website http://www.drwallin.com/news.shtml ********************************************************* Inner Brat Tip of the Month: Travel woes as souvenirs? ********************************************************* When you take pictures on vacation, don't forget to capture the mishaps. These may turn out to be your most precious and amusing memories. I recall a sweltering summer day many years ago, when we ran out of gas on the highway because my husband was sure we had enough to bypass one rest stop and get to the next. He was right - almost. We made it just past the sign that said, "Fuel, Food: 2 miles." Instead of yelling at him with a thousand I-told-you-sos, I wish I had taken a picture of him standing in front of that sign, apologetically holding an empty gas can. It would have been the perfect souvenir from our trip. Think back to an exasperating incident from one of your own vacations. If you're like most people, you'll recall the facts quite clearly, but you won't experience nearly as much emotional intensity as you did back then. As the emotional intensity wanes with the passage of time, you gain a new perspective on what originally seemed to be a crisis. You may even laugh about it later. But why wait till later? If you encounter frustrations on your upcoming trip, fast-forward in your mind to a time in the future. Is this something you might eventually laugh about? If so, start chuckling now. Laughter and humor helps you cope more creatively and with less suffering. . . . And don't forget to take a picture. Until next month, Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. http://www.innerbrat.com Copyright 2005 |
