A Case of Guanopsychosis

I was talking to a friend who I have known since high school (so we're talking DECADES) who is having a problem with a toxic relative.  Besides being besties for eons, we both have had the (dis)pleasure of having to deal with people whose version of reality vastly differs from ours.  People who are so delusional they are on a different plane.  Or as my friend succinctly put it:  Bat Shit Crazy.


But we both thought that the phrase didn't quite cover it.  It went beyond that.  We needed a better term.  And when you need a better term, you go to the internet and find something.  Hopefully something better.  And something better is what I found with "Guanopsychosis."

What a perfect term!  Something you could use in polite conversation.  It certainly makes you sound intellectual.  My sister-in-law is guanopsychotic certainly sounds clinical and lacks insult.  And yet...

The beauty of the word is that most people won't even know what guano is.  Do you? Or did you before you started reading this?  If you DO know what guano is, my bet is that sometime in your life you were forced to read Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim. (I say forced because no one in their right mind would actually read the novel for pleasure.)  Since both my friend and I had to read Lord Jim in high school and often giggled in class over the island of guano mentioned in the book, the term is perfectly perfect. (I also freely admit that it was the ONLY book I DID not read in my entire scholastic career because I couldn't stand it.  I read Crime and Punishment cover to cover as dictated by the course in English, but Lord Jim I could barely get past the first few chapters!  Joseph Conrad just never did it for me.  Take that Heart of Darkness!)

I WISH I could say I came up with the term.  I'd LOVE to take credit for it, but all I can take credit for is using it and encouraging YOU to use it and more importantly AVOID it.

In everyone's life there will fall some guanopsychosis.  It's your job NOT to get caught up in it.  When you are faced with someone who is guanopsychotic, you need to realize it and approach that person carefully and NOT let their toxicity seep into your life.  Remember, YOU need to take care of your needs.  You may want to help someone who is guanopsychotic and that's admirable, but you need to take care of yourself first and foremost.  Perhaps you can help, but most likely you can't.  The best thing you can do is be as sane and objective as you can be.  (A nearly impossible task, I know!)  If possible get the guanopsychotic some professional help; or at least recommend it.  DO NOT let guanopsychosis invade your life.  You are important; your sanity is important!

That is worth saying again:  YOUR SANITY IS IMPORTANT!

Though it may not be a real clinical diagnosis, guanopsychosis is REAL.  Avoid it at all costs.  Because the last thing you need is for the guano to hit the apparatus with rotating blades that creates a current of air for cooling or ventilation.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Have Taken America Back

Image
Back to a time when all men (and women) are not created equal.  Where women's healthcare is determined by men's laws and not by medical professionals. Where education tells only the "winning" side of the story and truth does not matter.  Where banning and burning books is a social event.  Where people who are "different" than those in power can be mocked, shunned and hurt with no real consequences. Where lies are acceptable and integrity is  just a word on a page We have moved into a time where rage is the rage.  Where hate is not just normal, but accepted and even cheered. Where leaders can ask to have their "enemies" killed and no one will bat an eye.  Where it's "funny" to see someone struggle.  Where felony is applauded. Where compassion is not shown and caring for others is looked down upon. We have taken America back to a time of pain and suffering for many.  Back to when the "haves" can have and the have nots don'...
Read more

It's Not About Starbucks (or is it)?

Image
  About a block and a half from my home in a major intersection.  At the southeast corner (which is nearest to me), is an empty building.  Back in 1995 it was a Bank of NY (I remember this because they didn't shovel/de-ice their parking lot well and my husband fell and broke his ankle one Monday morning.  I recall this clearly because we were not yet married and it was the first day of a new job for me.  I had gotten on the bus to work and he was catching a later one; only he never got there.  Instead he ended up laying on the ground until an employee came to open up the bank.  Then he had them call an ambulance AND my mother who took control of the situation until I arrived home that night blissfully unaware of what had happened that day.)  It eventually became a Chase Bank; the second one in my small little town.  It eventually closed.  I'm not sure when but it's been empty for quite a long time.  (I do know that it was open in 20...
Read more

As Is

Image
  Today I want to discuss what I think it is a relatively simple concept, but may be difficult for some, even an attorney who might have once, over a decade ago won a  prestigious award  for young lawyers .  That term is "AS IS." As you may know, I volunteer in a thrift shop.  Everything we sell, from all the donations we receive, is "as is."  The items are not brand new.  They are not perfect.  That doesn't mean they aren't any good or worth something. They are sold "as is."  Buyers should go in knowing that. (After all you are shopping in a thrift shop!)  In some cases, particularly when we are offering higher end products, we will actually write on the price tag, "as is." Such is the case of two designer purses that I purchased from there this summer.  (I'm a purse-aholic!  Don't look in my closet.)  They were reasonably priced (especially when you consider the name brand), but each had an "as is" clearly marked o...
Read more