If I were totally honest I'd tell people to quit laying on ME the responsibility for how THEY are feeling, on those occasions when I can clearly see them screwing themselves into the ground all by themselves. It's the dumbest way I know, to get at one's own unresolved issues, to do that-- and I've done it myself-- but I am no good at telling people to knock it the hell off when they run it at me. (I have appreciated it when it's been said to me, BTW.)

And it's too bad, too, because it's no help to them when I allow it to continue and then, later, repeat itself.

~S~