Control, Chaos & Crazymakers

And not necessarily in that order!

Crazymakers appear to be a fact of life. They are the people and/or the situations that march into your life and demand your attention. Crazymaker’s problems always come first, chaos swirls around them, and although they may offer to help you out, every now and again, it is always on their terms, or there are serious strings attached. They rarely take responsibility for any of their own actions, blaming others regularly for what ever problems exist. They tend to be chronically ill, needy, and victims. They have trouble meeting their commitments because of these situations, but they are never willing to do anything to change them. They thrive on control and have no problem creating chaos to be in command. Any of these personalities or situations sound familiar?

How do we interact with crazymakers without letting them impact our own lives and creativity? The first and easy choice is to eliminate them, but often crazymakers are family members and dear friends, so that option is not always open. However, we do have the ability to limit their influence by politely creating our own boundaries. The next time a crazymaker invites you into the chaos, stop and think for a moment. You decide how much time and emotional involvement you are willing to dedicate to the current crisis. You can do this without hurting feelings, simply by acknowledging your crazymakers problem, and offering up exactly what and how you are willing to help.
Example.
I am so sorry you (insert crisis here), I can help you for (how much time you are willing to spend) on (date).

You can honor them by acknowledging the problem, but by setting boundaries you also honor your time and creative energy.