Day 38
2/7/17
Yesterday’s blog on pain just barely scratched the surface on the concept of emotional pain and tolerance. Just like we try to cover up physical pain with drugs, we do the same thing to numb our less-than desirable emotions. When the going gets tough, and life seems too much to bear, we turn to illicit or legal prescription medications to melt our woes away.
The problem with this approach is two-fold:
- It doesn’t address the root cause of the issue, and without finding out the cause an organic solution to the problem is not possible. You can’t fix a problem until you identify it. Masking the symptoms prevents any chance of true recovery.
- Tolerance/dependence. Not only do people get physically tolerant of a dose (need higher and higher doses for the same effect, due to body’s negative feedback mechanisms), people get psychologically addicted to the ‘uplifting boost’ drugs artificially provide them. The real problem with addressing internal issues with exogenous additives is that it’s only a temporary band aid, that needs to be frequently changed and increased in size to still stop the bleeding threatening to erupt from the poorly sealed wound.
Alcohol, cigarettes, illicit drugs, antidepressants, food, internet, gym…and all the other distractions we can think of – only temporarily stop the cycle of emotional pain. When we experience trauma, whether physical or emotional, it needs to be dealt with in a positive and constructive way. We need to face our pain without judgement, but with peace, acceptance, and understanding. The more we allow ourselves time and patience to work on accepting the burden of the trauma, the less heavy that burden becomes. We are stronger than we think, and we can heal from our traumas once we acknowledge the lessons that they bring us.
Feeling negative emotions doesn’t necessarily mean we have a chemical imbalance in our brain. We don’t always have to jump to the conclusion that something is wrong with us, and must immediately be fixed lest someone else judge us for our ‘flaws’ or we appear imperfect to society. Feeling emotional pain is a signal from our brain and body intelligence, telling us something is wrong. It’s asking us to look deeper within ourselves and question our choices, our reality. We are often unbalanced, unhappy, and in pain when we fail to live authentically, in congruity to our true, higher self. We are here for a reason, we have one life, and we are called to a purpose. That pain is signaling that perhaps we strayed from the path of purpose, and need to be guided back. Seeking that guidance with love for yourself, and aligning yourself to your true purpose, will allow you to heal and be whole.
