I’ve been drawing a ton of inspiration from Instagram lately. The right post can just hit me right in the gut and make me think “wow, so many people need to hear this.” Today’s wake-up call was this: Create a life you don't need to numb out from.
Damn. What a simple statement that says so much. It makes me wonder if people realize the things they do in their everyday patterns that are numbing mechanisms. You see, we numb out to mask other feelings inside us that we aren’t equipped to manage in a healthy way. And sometimes, we don’t even realize those feelings are there because no one has taught us about dealing with shame and other tough emotions like anger and fear. Numbing is a coping mechanism that is triggered to avoid the mind from having to deal with feelings that we feel we can’t identify or control.
So let’s see what numbing can look like:
Drinking/drugs
Eating
Shopping
Scrolling social media for hours
Sleeping
Medicating
Overbooking your calendar
Cleaning
Working overtime
A few of the above seem pretty harmless, right? When used to cover emotions that need to be dealt with, these behaviors can be more harm than good. What people don’t realize is that numbing our fears and problems also numbs our joy. You don’t just numb out the shit, you numb out all the awesome too. With no highs and lows, you relegate yourself to the middle (and that probably makes you feel even worse and even more like numbing.) It’s a bit of a cycle that we get stuck in when we numb out. A temporary, perceived high is followed by a serious low triggering the numbing action and then completing the circle.
After reading a bit on emotional numbing, it’s easy for me to recognize in other people, but still not so easy to notice when I do it. I wonder what numbing behaviors others see in me. I believe everyone is on a journey of personal development. What I think is important is for people to be aware of this issue and to call themselves out on it. Recognizing a problem is the first key to improving it. And maybe further down the line, your recognition of your own numbing can help you to be able to empathize with someone you see numbing out. I think we all numb out in one way or another. Building understanding and being in touch with the vulnerable parts of ourselves leads to better understanding of our loved ones. Ultimately, feeling like we have a safe space to express our emotions will help us to create that world that we don’t need to numb out from.
Comments