Lesson 65: Many times, people try to numb themselves...
There would have come a time in your life where we’ve numbed ourselves to pain. This is usually done via distractions and addictions such as sex, drugs, alcohol, media, exercise, eating, shopping etc. These measures we take upon ourselves are very much to forget the pain, push it aside or just simple to ignore. Whatever the circumstances, we all have our own reasons for our actions. I don’t really judge because I feel we’ve all been there one way or another.
Today is all about recognising addictions/distractions and if I think I have solved any problems with it. In addition to this, have these addictions/distractions actually numbed you to these types of problems. The point of the exercise is that by having these addictions/distractions, it doesn’t allow our heart to be open.
There was a past me very much addicted to TV but it’s not the first thing I think of when I want to do something now. I think TV is very much a form of escapism for many people but I don’t use it to escape anymore. I think I use TV now more for enjoyment of the story, for those times when I have a very heavy day and am mentally drained, it’s good to just have something simple to follow to relax. I think TV was a distraction because I didn’t want to do things to improve my life. I used to be addicted to shopping because I always felt like I had to impress people with what I had. With my own spiritual development and wanting to have less environmental impact, I’ve stopped being a consumerist in this way. It’s very much a setback thinking you have to look good because some famous person uses and endorses a product. I guess I’m just waking up to the world we live in.
I am willing to admit that when I first moved from Perth to Melbourne I was in a bad state after my break up. I was very much consuming alcohol because I wasn’t really dealing with my feelings. I used alcohol to just numb my pain. Some days I would go out every night drinking. That’s as bad as it got until it started impacting work and that was my wake up call. It actually didn’t solve any problems and distracted me from dealing with my feelings. I wouldn’t say that’s it has completely numbed me. I think I just needed numbing at the time.
And I recognise that I am a bit addicted to my phone. I can’t go an hour without checking it – what’s on Facebook? Did anyone like my posts on Instagram? What’s going on through Snapchat? I am very much aware of this addiction to social media or using our phones in general, and I am actively trying each day to spend less time on it. I think, like everyone else, it’s very much part of our lives in this day and age, and it’s about stepping back. I can’t say it’s to overcome a problem though. I just have this urge to know what’s going on with useless news really. I’m trying to overcome it slowly.
When I was reading this lesson, I thought wouldn’t exercise be a good thing to do for overall positive health? But then I realised sometimes people use exercise as a cover-up for something else. I mean, maybe people don’t even realise that it can be a distraction also? If there is one thing I need more of in my life, it’s exercise, though definitely want to do it for the right reasons.
Anyway, this has been a revealing post and I don’t mind sharing my life. Think about your addictions and think about what good it can be to allow your heart to be open. Even just saying your addictions and distractions out loud may be all you need to be aware and set yourself up for release.
