Suppression, Distraction, Avoidance

Suppressing, distracting, avoiding.

All of us do these things - some more than others.
We suppress our emotions, distract ourselves from what's important, and avoid dealing with things that truly need to be dealt with.

Why do we do that?
Well... it's uncomfortable.
Why is it uncomfortable?
Because it makes us shift our focus from 'out there' to 'in here.'

We are pros at not feeling our emotions because we don't want to be vulnerable, we don't want to connect to our bodies and hearts, because we don't want to seem as 'overly emotional.'

We are pros at distracting ourselves from the things that need to be tended to.

Our lonely hearts, exhausted souls, and unfulfilling realities.
We are pros at avoiding real intimacy, avoiding dealing with our heartbreaking self-talk, and addressing our disempowering beliefs.

We suppress, distract, avoid.

These are great short term tactics when we truly can't deal with something at hand. However, most of us don't even use these tactics for the short term. We use it for the life-long term.

I want you to think about something:
Which of these approaches do you use the most? Do you suppress? Distract? Avoid? More importantly - why do you do it? What do you not want to face?

My main tactic? Distraction.

I can distract myself with work, endless amounts of studying, and non-stop action. I've realized that I don't allow myself to simply BE, because I don't know who I am without all of these actions.

A few of the people close to me have pointed this out and have given me a challenge:
DO LESS.
Less creation, less work, less hustle.
(I can't even tell you how anxious this makes me feel. Not. Do. ANYTHING?!)

It's time to stop distracting myself with work and take a look at who I truly am.
Who am I without the titles, the certifications, the labels, studies, networks, things to do.
Who am I truly?

My wish for you is that you feel what needs to be felt, face what needs to be faced, and truly turn your focus inward.

Put away your phone, turn off the tv, stop reading the news, and stop cleaning the house. Let your energy shift inward and not outward anymore. Sit down, and just be. Be with your mind, be with your thoughts, acknowledge the things that truly need to be acknowledged.