Hi there!
Ever heard the saying “Ignore an itch long enough and it will go away?”
I used to only think about it in the literal sense. Like trying not to scratch an insect bite so there wouldn’t be a scar.
But now I’m sure the person who came up with the saying had to be some kind of spiritual guru or something because the discipline it takes to not scratch an itch, literally and figuratively, takes practice and discipline.
So what’s the itch you need to ignore?
Is it the candy bowl at your office?
The desire to sleep through the alarm and not get up to exercise?
The buttered popcorn at the movies?
Or is your itch more emotional in nature?
Do you want to stay calm when a coworker pushes your hot button?
Want to resist the desire to talk about your issues and instead just listen to your friend?
Want to avoid getting defensive when a loved one is unhappy with you?
It can take a tremendous amount of focus, self-awareness and honesty to learn how to stay through the discomfort of these everyday, very human and habitual responses to unpleasant situations and temptations.
Trust me, I’m no therapist, but when I started journaling about the things I do that aren’t helpful or positive or cute at all – it was an eye opener.
Maybe writing could help you as well.
I invite you to make a list of the little or big things that snag you up every time. But this list is NOT to beat yourself up with negative self talk. It’s just to get you thinking about how and when something is triggered for you. Then hopefully you can recognize the next time one of them pops up. And then maybe the next time you might be able to recognize AND ignore. And then again and again.
It’s not that Learning How to Stay will stop the challenges from coming along, but they should no longer stop your progress. You’ll know how to ignore the itch.
Not easy at all, but worth it. Because on the other side of learning how to stay is the freedom and breakthrough we are all craving in our lives, relationships, and health.
We’re talking about detoxing the body and the mind on another level.
So Happy Detoxing