The last time I used chocolate/alcohol/TV/drugs to feel better; I enjoyed long-lasting satisfaction.
Said no-one, EVER. Despite this, the majority of us are in some way guilty of relying on some external pacifier to numb our emotions. When we find ourselves experiencing a particularly uncomfortable emotion. It could be feelings of inadequacy, anger, anxiety or heartbreak; we have a tendency to reach for the nearest distraction.
For the majority of us, these distractions can come in the form of mindless eating, heavy drinking, television, sex or even drugs. We ply ourselves with any number of these things, in the hope that it’ll be enough to take the edge off of our feelings. We become comfortably numb.
However, the biggest problem with handling our emotions in this way is that it just isn’t possible to numb only one emotion. We can’t pick and choose. When we set out to sedate ourselves against one thing, we unintentionally succeed in sedating ourselves against all of them. We lose the bad, but we also lose the good.
Feelings of guilt, shame, inadequacy, fear… what are you trying to run from?
There is no doubt that from time to time we all experience and go through emotions we’d much rather see the back of. That is a part of our earthly experience. However, what you have to remember is this; when you anesthetize yourself to one emotion, you’re actually robbing yourself of the wonderful emotion and excitement you could be experiencing in all other areas of your life.
Try to turn the lights off in one area and you’ll find yourself in complete darkness.
Contrary to popular belief, vulnerability can be a beautiful thing. It helps to keep our hearts open in relationships, keep us authentic and most importantly of all; our vulnerabilities can help push us to achieve bolder, more brilliant things.
Because of this it is important that we all come to embrace our vulnerable sides… and rather than run from our emotions, learn to really feel them.
It doesn’t matter what emotions you might be going through; try to simply ‘sit’ with them for 10 minutes. The next time you want to avoid the way you’re feeling, take a moment to simply be. Let go of any resistance, simply relax and accept what you’re experiencing, free from any blame or judgment
There is nothing wrong with you for feeling the way you feel. Just let it be.
By staying with your emotions even for just those 10-15 minutes, you’re going to be sending your body the message that everything is ok. The strength of your emotions should lesson and you’ll find you can let it go.
Take a moment to consider how you handle difficult emotions. Ask yourself; what am I numbing?
