The Penalty Box

In hockey, you can get put into the penalty box. You are held in contempt for a certain time period. If you break the rules, you have to pay. Yet, it’s just a game.

In real life, some people put their loved ones in the penalty box. When they feel crossed, they hold others in contempt. The problem is that they often make up their own rules that are unreasonable and unpredictable. The person in the box has no idea how long they are going to be in it and often doesn’t know how to get out. Other times they know how to get out but the expectations to be released are unhealthy and irrational.

Do you do this? Relating to someone like this is exhausting. It is like a nightmare in which one minute you are just having fun like a game, and the next minute the referee is throwing you in time out without warning and notice of how long. When this disdain is a pattern, you find yourself not saying or doing things that are absolutely normal just to keep the peace. It is bondage. It is miserable.

Don’t be the keeper of the penalty box! Let go. Get help. Ask yourself why you do this and if you don’t know the answer go to someone who should know. If you would like help with this problem because you realize you are driving everyone up the wall and the unhealthiness is apparent, let us know what we can do. Remember, the one who holds others in contempt has to stay guard. That is not an acceptable way to live life.