Suffering That Is Familiar
August 4th, 2006 by Laura Moncur in MotivationWhat suffering have you clung to because it’s familiar? Think about it and I’m sure the answer, however unwanted, will pop into your mind.
For me, it is bingeing. I overeat when I don’t want to deal with my feelings. I have clung to this suffering by telling myself that I’m stressed and I need to eat just to calm down. It has become such a habit in my life that I rarely consciously think about it anymore.
Ironically, the bingeing causes just as many problems as I think it solves. Whenever I turn to food when I’m having a problem, I make matters worse. Not only do I have a problem, but now my eating is out of control. I suddenly have two problems instead of one.
Each of us deals with life differently. What suffering have you clung to because it’s familiar? Give yourself permission to let it go. Curb that instinct and you will find that you suddenly have one problem instead of two.
August 4th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
I agree. Unchartered territory scares me. There are some aspects where I can say this is particulary true. And what’s worse is the longer I leave it to solve the suffering the worse the suffering gets and the more scared I feel to do anything about it. It’s a vicious circle.