We generally understand that if a warning light flashes up on our car dashboard then there is probably a real problem of some kind that needs to be fixed and simply removing the light bulb from the warning light is not going to achieve anything - plus might result in the car being damaged or us being killed. There is a direct comparison to be made between the warning lights in a car and the way that our feelings guide us towards taking action to improve our health and wellbeing...
Most have not yet fully learned the value of their internal, magnetic, emotional compass and, in truth, are fully engaged in removing their emotional warning light bulbs on a daily basis. This has become so epidemic that the regular result has been that death and ill health are now 'normalised' so that many people don't even accept that alternatives to such suffering are possible and yet they are.
Examples of our own emotional, feeling based warning lights are pain (physical/emotional/psychological), anxiety, depression and constant confusion. All of these are commonly blocked out by use of drugs, alcohol and other activities that can be involved with addictive patterns such as shopping, watching TV or even shouting at other people! The moment that we bypass the feeling and it's trigger in favor of repeating an ingrained habit pattern, we have missed our chance for freedom, happiness and a brighter future - we wouldn't do this with our car because the warning light is well understood and we have a driver's manual (or at least other people to point out that the lights are important)... Yet with emotions, the collective awareness within humanity is sadly lacking and many of us never really even think about this side of who we are at all.
You might think that the drugs and alcohol give us a boost that is desirable and in some ways that might appear to be true - but here's another description that I think is true in many ways and simply by understanding it we might all be taking steps towards a collective AHA moment - Ureka!
Many of Us Were BORN With our Warning Lights Flashing!
Yes, most/many of us carry trauma with us from the moment we are born - whether from the birth process itself or from experiences in the womb or, in fact, from past life experiences too. Whether you accept past lives as being real for you or not, the reality of what I am describing here can be felt none the less. What does it mean then when we use drugs/alcohol in a state where we have always been out of balance and don't really know what real balance even is?
It is well known that the 'boost' that drugs/alcohol can give us usually comes with a price attached - which might be feeling lethargic in the following days or other forms of illness. It is my experience that if the body and mind are healthy, balanced and strong then there may be little to no obvious 'price' to pay, but at the same time the 'high' will also be less significant because to some extent we were already 'high on life' to begin with. In fact, in some cases the drugs will bring us down since their 'price' outweighs their 'high'/'boost' effect for fully balanced and healthy people. The endorphin rush that some drugs trigger can also be triggered just through exercise and deep breathing (movement) - yet how many people think about that when visiting a bar to drink alcohol? Not so many in my experience.
Disconnecting The Lights Without Even Noticing
Given that we already have warning lights flashing (emotionally) that we aren't really paying any attention to, it is easy to understand why we might use drugs/alcohol to unconsciously disconnect the bulb of our warning lights, to disconnect from real feelings and to instead try to create an alternate reality where we temporarily feel better. However, if this approach really worked, the changes would be longer lived, yet they are not because all we are doing is being distracted from the source of our suffering for a while in a way that is chemical and which over-rides our subtle senses so that from our point of perception the problems appear to go away.
Those with enough experience will know some of this already, yet it is helpful to think about how many opportunities we regularly miss for improving our wellbeing that will truly resolve our problems permanently, while we judgmentally rule out such possibilities as 'too hard', 'impossible' or other judgements that hold us away from real change and healing.
In truth, every belief which states that we cannot be changed deeply so that our problems truly end is its own hindrance for us and can be just as dangerous as disconnecting a warning light in a car in favor of diagnosing and fixing the fault. So too can the use of drugs/alcohol and other addiction forming behaviors also be equivalent to disconnecting those pesky warning lights... But being aware that this is the case is an essential first step towards real and lasting balance.
Meeting real needs
We all have our own needs that we must meet in order to be healthy and balanced and it is for each of us to dive into who we are to find what they are for ourselves. Just realising that our own mind is heavily skewed towards self destructive thinking and beliefs about who we are and what is possible for us is itself a needed step towards success. Once this is understood fully we can draw our awareness more inward and look for the causes of and solutions to our problems in life inside of us, rather than 'out there' with 'things' and chemicals. It is true that we often need to make changes in our 'outer' life too in order to find balance, but without starting inside of us, the outer changes will be wide of the mark.
My whole hearted suggestion is to learn to start to value your own energy and essence more and view your body and all aspects of self as being sacred - meaning that they are of the absolute highest value. In doing this you might then start to use your conscious awareness to pay more attention to your own self/energy than you do to all the distractions 'out there' - many of which are only there to try to extract cash from your wallet. Once you change some key patterns to claim more of your own energy away from the things you have been giving it to and then redirect that energy towards increasing your own balance and awareness of self - you will have taken significant steps towards healing your heart, soul, mind, emotions, body, relationships and the Earth too!
Every avalanche begins with a single snowflake!
Wishing you well,
Ura Soul
View My Witness Application Here
This is an excellent post! I've been down that road of masking and temporarily relieving stress / anxiety / depression with drugs and alcohol many times and all it does is make things worse in the long run.
There are plenty of healthy ways to deal with these problems that provide long term relief from the pain that comes throughout one's life. I picked up running and yoga about 8 years ago and they've both helped me out tremendously. I'm not always consistent with them though as I still let work and other things get in the way and yes I still turn to those guilty pleasures that end in even more misery from time to time. And I regret it each and every time I do that.
Thanks for the reminder to stay focused on what's really important and what is truly going to provide relief from the unpleasant things that life throws at us.
Excellent, yes - anything that gets the blood moving and energies flowing will help. When this is combined with allowing the more subtle energies to flow by way of increasing awareness of emotional health and blockages - then clearing them, we have the foundation for sustained balance. :)
In April 2012 I got eczema all over my entire body. My face was swollen and I didn't leave my house for two weeks. I did some research and went on an extremely strict diet. Which changed my life. I was shocked. SHOCKED at how clear I felt. SHOCKED to see how much natural energy I had and to feel my own essence. SHOCKED to see that I had never experienced health until then. There's no feeling like it. The high of life truly is better than any substance. Most substances only dull you. Which some people want. Some people's pain is so intense that they need anything to help them to feel better. But for some of us like me, I grew up on alcohol. I drank heavily. I could drink one of those big bottles of wine by myself. You know, not the regular size, but the next size up? I would be really buzzed, but not falling on my face! Alcohol was what I knew! I never got to experience clarity until then. And I think most people are like that. We are a substance society. Excited to take a look at more of what you post!
I see, ok - I have had a lot of hard times with eczema too, that's part of what keeps me on my toes with clearing up my health and energy.. If I do some of the things that many people do daily there is a chance my skin will reflect that and it can be torturous. I learned quickly to use eczema as a warning light!
Intermittent fasting is a very good way to keep the balance needed in the body and the skin will glow quite quickly as a result. I am about to start doing that and may continue it indefinitely if I'm not too distracted by cookies! :)
Interesting. I've fasted several times for up to 36 hours. I recently started eating dairy and grains like rice again and nightshades after the autoimmune protocol because it's best for my balance in life.
Thank you for posting this loving, helpful insight. You have a very clear effective voice which communicates deep Truth that we can all benefit from remembering and tuning into this daily. It is so true that our suffering is created by our own beliefs and thought patterns. It is a blessing that we can awaken to this truth and shift our perspectives to see life continuously in new ways. One thing that is always true is that life keeps on changing, may we all be willing to flow with change gracefully!
Please check out my shares if you are interested in Earth Healing, Divine celebration and Prayer.
Glad to find you here,
Many Blessings
Thankyou - yes, 'change is a constant' :)
I have followed you - welcome to steemit!
Excellent! A lot of people don't understand how far back we have to go to find where the original wounds that created our at times toxic habits came from. Sadly, our world isn't very oriented to actual healing and instead busies itself with endless treatment that doesn't necessarily improve matters but gives us the illusion we are doing something worthwhile. Thank you for writing this!
You are welcome! Oh yes, our original wounds are very ancient indeed - but there's a gap that needs to be filled with loving understanding and compassion before we can connect to those in useful ways.
I think both of you would love Donny Epstein's work.
that avalanche applies to all areas of our lives
yes, even emergency rescue from avalanches :)
Awesome writing .so i'm resteemd
And upvote already done
Thankyou!
great work nice post i like it amazing work
ureka thats updated post ureka is so good