Image: “Sidelined,” adapted from Image by Alexander Fox | PlaNet Fox from Pixabay – Pixabay License

To turn off the background music that runs when this page starts, click once or twice on the arrow on the audio bar at the bottom of the page …

• INTRODUCTION
• WHAT DOES SIDELINING MEAN?
• HOW ARE PEOPLE SIDELINED?
• WHAT TO DO IF I AM SIDELINED IN MY PERSONAL LIFE OR IN MY CAREER?
• CONCLUSION
• PSYCHIC IMPRESSIONS EMBEDDED IN MUSIC

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INTRODUCTION

Dear Ones,

I heard about a new word today: Sidelining.

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WHAT DOES SIDELINING MEAN?

I asked Google AI: What does sidelining mean?

Google AI said: “Sidelining means to exclude someone or something from an important activity, making them feel unimportant or preventing them from participating, like a sidelined athlete who can’t play or a worker whose key tasks are removed. It can also refer to a secondary job (a ‘sideline’) or, in film, musicians appearing on camera. Essentially, it’s about putting something/someone to the side, away from the main action or importance.

In general/social contexts:

• Exclusion: To push someone out of a group, decision-making, or activity.
• Marginalization: Making someone feel less significant or relevant in a project or situation.
• Example: A manager sidelining an employee after a disagreement, giving them less important work.

In sports:

• Benched: A player kept from playing due to injury, poor performance, or team decision, often watching from the sidelines.

In business/jobs:

• Secondary income: A job or business done in addition to one’s main occupation (e.g., photography on weekends).
• Film/Music: ‘Sideline musicians’ are hired to appear on camera (miming) in movies, distinct from recording.

Other meanings:

• Physical: A line marking the side of a playing field.
• Railways: A short track alongside a main one (a siding).

In most modern usage, `sidelining` implies a deliberate act of removal from the central action or importance, often negatively.”

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HOW ARE PEOPLE SIDELINED?

I asked Google AI: How are people sidelined?

Google AI said: “People are sidelined through subtle exclusion, like being left out of meetings/emails, having roles reduced, or input ignored, often masked as ‘normal’ workplace dynamics, leading to less influence, fewer opportunities, and feelings of invisibility or being demoted, affecting careers and mental well-being, with underlying biases often playing a role in marginalizing diverse perspectives.

Workplace Sidelining (Common Methods)

• Exclusion: Not invited to key meetings/emails, left out of informal chats, or group activities.
• Reduced Influence: Your ideas are dismissed, credit is stolen, or you’re micromanaged; input isn’t sought.
• Stagnant Growth: Consistently passed over for promotions, training, or challenging tasks; moved to less vital projects/teams.
• Communication Breakdown: Less frequent or direct communication; withheld information.
• Undermining: Receiving excessive negative feedback, being held to different standards, or having your ‘style’ criticized.
• Invisible Labor: Being expected to do menial tasks (like making coffee) while others discuss projects. 

Beyond Work (Social/Systemic)

• Social Exclusion: Being ignored, ostracized, or made to feel like an ‘other’ due to cultural differences or `otherness`.
• Systemic Barriers: Lack of access to resources, opportunities, or basic services due to socio-economic, cultural, or political factors.
• Bias & Stereotypes: Being sidelined because of your background, gender, or perceived personality (e.g., ‘too direct’).

What it Feels Like/Results

• Demoralization, lack of motivation, and low confidence.
• Anxiety, depression, or emotional distress (especially in sports/career shifts).
• Feeling unheard, untrusted, or that your contributions don’t matter.

What to Do (General Advice)

• Document: Keep track of instances.
• Communicate: Have direct, respectful conversations.
• Advocate: Speak up for yourself and your inclusion.
• Seek Allies: Build relationships with supportive colleagues.
• Evaluate: If things don’t improve, consider moving roles or organizations where you’ll be valued.”

Alice’s Analysis: I see from this that I have been sidelines about a zillion times in my life without actually grokking in its entirety what was happening to me. If I had known I might have said, ‘Say, I feel I’m being sidelined. Can we talk about it?’ … or something like that.

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WHAT TO DO IF I AM SIDELINED IN MY PERSONAL LIFE OR IN MY CAREER?

I asked Google AI: What to do if I am sidelined in my personal life or in my career?

Google AI said: “When sidelined in life or career, focus on self-compassion, regain control by setting small goals, and proactively communicate to understand why (career) or reconnect with others (personal); then, either strategize for growth within the current situation (upskilling, networking) or plan an exit if the environment is toxic, using this time for healing and discovering new interests.

In Your Career

1. Seek Clarity: Talk to your manager to understand why you’re being sidelined (visibility, performance, politics) and what’s needed for inclusion or promotion.
2. Increase Visibility: Ask for specific responsibilities, volunteer for key projects, and ensure your contributions are known.
3. Develop Skills: Use downtime to learn new things, aligning with future goals, and create a plan with your manager for advancement.
4. Network & Explore: Connect with your professional network and explore new opportunities, maybe even finding roles valuing your strengths more.
5. Manage Emotions: Keep resentment in check, focus on your strengths, and consider if the organization is right long-term if things don’t improve.

In Your Personal Life

1. Practice Self-Compassion: Acknowledge the pain, allow yourself to grieve the situation, and don’t blame yourself for feeling unproductive.
2. Take Ownership: Recognize the choices you do have in how you react and shape your future story, rather than dwelling on what you can’t control.
3. Reconnect & Rebuild: Invest time in family and supportive friends, as they often get pushed aside during busy times.
4. Find New Purpose: Use extra time to meditate, focus on nutrition, try new hobbies, or pursue things you’ve always wanted to do.
5. Seek Support: Talk to a therapist or counselor to process feelings and learn coping mechanisms for emotional turmoil.

General Strategies for Both

• Set Small Goals: Break down large objectives into tiny, achievable steps to build momentum and positivity.
• Focus on Health: Prioritize your mind-body-soul well-being, as it’s foundational for resilience and recovery.
• Create a Routine: Establish a daily structure with productive, positive activities to feel in control and motivated.
• Follow Your Intuition: Don’t jump to the next trend; instead, tap into your inner guidance to find truly aligned paths forward.”

Alice’s Analysis: Google’s advice sounds quite reasonable to me. What do you think about it?

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CONCLUSION

I see from the above that the word ‘sidelining’ has a game-playing connotation. If a player is kept from playing during a game (if he is ‘benched’) he is said to be sidelined.

I asked Google if sidelining is a form of Bullying; Google averred that it is. Thus I added Sidelinging to my Bullying category under the subcategory ‘Game playing’. Here is the revised Bullying subcategory …

• Bullying
  • Character assassination – defamation – libel – slander – mudslinging
  • Game playing
    • Evil Clown Game (see also ‘Pedophilia – child sexual abuse – child molestation‘)
    • Fatal Dungeons and Dragons Game
    • Guy Fawkes Vendetta Game
    • Knights Templar Stalking Game
    • Life Is But a Stage Game – see “Mimicry – actor impersonators – simulacra“
    • Sidelining (see also ‘Competition‘ and ‘Dominance – submission‘ and its subcategories and ‘Lock down – lockdown‘ and `Pariah – outcast – shunning`)
    • Tag – You’re It! Prison Rape Game
    • Two for One Woman Game (see also ‘Dark love triangle‘ and ‘Cull – victim to be slaughtered‘)
    • Trans Are Better Women Game
  • Harassment
  • Hate groups
  • Hazing
  • Mobbing – ganging up (see also ‘Glom effect‘ and ‘Gang bang‘)
  • Stalking
  • Torture – torturing
  • See also ‘Power over – powerlessness‘

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PSYCHIC IMPRESSIONS EMBEDDED IN MUSIC

I channeled these words as I heard the great music by Daniel Massa that is in this post. I think they are psychic impressions embedded by the musician in the music. I wonder if you can hear these words too? …

“Rain is falling down.
I’m walking in the rain, and I’m wet.
I’m walking in the rain, and I got wet.
Without the rain, I would not be wet.
On the other hand,
Without the rain,

The people would be dead.
I don’t mind
Walking in the rain.

And then at the end of the music I heard:
On the other hand,
I don’t mind
If the rain would stop.”

There was another time when I heard psychic impressions embedded in music. That was in the 1990s. As I recall the album was “Woolunda: Ten Solos for Didgeridoo” (1993) by David Hudson. IN the Australian Aboriginal culture, ‘Woolunda’ is the place of life after death. Here are highlights from the “Woolunda” album …

Video: “David Hudson – Woolunda (Ten Solos For Didgeridoo),” by BLISS, 28 April 2023 … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q9KC-B4JGY ..

I was playing the music loudly, and sitting right on the floor of my apartment right in front of the speaker. What I heard was the whispered words ‘My People … My People … My People.” I heard these words over and over again.

I had never heard of psychic impressions overlaid on or embedded in music before. I was so amazed by what I had heard that I phoned the artist and asked if I had heard right. He laughed and said, “Well, MAY-be.” I was amazed he would speak with me at all; he was quite famous even way back then.

And then on the other hand, I feel it is good to steer clear of very famous people. That’s a sure path to a personal inferiority complex … and surely is no way to escape being sidelined. Don’t you feel it to be so?

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

Compiled and published on 31 December 2025 revised on 17 February 2026

NOTE: In this post, quotes from Google AI are in light blue font.

Image: “In the Game,” adapted from Image by Alexander Fox | PlaNet Fox from Pixabay – Pixabay License

Image: “In the Game,” adapted from Image by Alexander Fox | PlaNet Fox from Pixabay – Pixabay License

 

Music by Daniel Massa from Pixabay – La Lluvia – Pixabay License

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
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psychology, bullying, game-playing, sidelining, competition, domination, lockdown, lock down, submission, one-upmanship, pariah, outcast, shunning, psychic impressions, music, shamanism, primitive man,