Numbing

Numbing ourselves prevents us from confronting our issues and keeps us from ever finding resolution or peace.

We are born equipped to experience an array of diverse emotions. Some are more positive than others like happiness, thankfulness, or delight compared with negative emotions like anger, frustration or boredom.  All emotions are important for us to explore and allow.  The more we allow both positive and negative emotions to be present, the richer our lives become and the greater ability we have to attain our dreams. 

Many of us, however, are uncomfortable confronting our most powerful emotions, whether positive or negative, and in doing so deny ourselves the beauty of a full human experience. It's easier to suppress our emotions than to deal with them, so we may momentarily turn to pleasures such as alcohol, food, sugar, shopping, pornography or Netflix binging. We may even numb our hearts, not allowing love to come in for fear of possibly being rejected.  When we are numb, we may temporarily ease pain or power, but we also delay finding true joy and healing. 

The activities that numb us may seem harmless or pleasurable, but using them to numb ourselves diminishes the quality of our life. Numbing so that we don't have to feel intense emotions can often satisfy a surface need while blocking our awareness of a deeper need. Blocking this never lets us experience the feeling which we are trying to avoid and keeps us from discovering what is really wrong so that we can begin working on it to heal.  Wondering what feeling you are denying? Stop doing whatever that thing is that you are doing to numb yourself. 

The less we allow ourselves to experience emotions, the less alive we feel. Our feelings add vividness to our experiences and serve to connect us to the world around us. It is possible to disavow ourselves of numbing behaviors a little at a time and once again taste life's rich flavors. When you sense that you are engaging in a particular behavior simply to deaden your emotions, stop and ask yourself why. Examining the feelings that drive you to numb yourself can help you understand what is triggering your desire to emotionally fade out.  

With each numbing activity we cut out of our life, we find ourselves being more aware and experiencing a greater emotional acuity. Senses that were once shrouded by the fog of numbness become sharp and acute. Some of these emotions are uncomfortable but by allowing them to be there, to truly drop into our bodies and experience the feeling, we emerge to the forefront of our consciousness and reveal ourselves so that we can heal. You'll discover a deeper you -- a self that is comfortable experiencing and working through intense emotions with courage and grace.