Naturally...
We resist challenges.
We resist pain.
We resist feedback.
We resist our faults, reality, and weaknesses.
We resist showing our weaknesses to others.
We resist work that is difficult and hard.
We resist things we're not good at.
We resist failure.
We resist stillness.
Until...
We choose that we want to grow.
What does it mean when you’re triggered? Does it really mean the same thing every time?
Being “triggered," or compulsive, or tempted do something relieving that you know will harm you negatively in the long run is an undeniable sign that you’re under some form of distress and discomfort.
When we’re triggered, tempted, and compulsive, it’s always because our brain wants to escape or find relief from something.
So the immediate question to always ask is...
What from?
Imagine...
You arrive at your house, notice a new package on your doorstep, see that it's from Amazon, and then...
you never open it.
Your curiosity would kill you trying this.
But it's what we do to our hearts, minds, and emotions every day when we encounter an emotion but never slow down enough to try to unpackage or understand it.
Sadness. Anger. Anxiety. Pain. Shame... They're all "packages" waiting to be opened with wonder and curiosity.
And they're opened with one small, curious question:
Why?
Why... am I sad?
Why... am I upset?
Why... am I mad?
Why... do I feel the way I do?
Compulsive
or contemplative.
Mindless
or mindful.
Blind
or self-aware.
Escaping
or attentive to your mind and emotions.
Busy
or still.
Distracted
or present.
Self-condemning
or self-compassionate.
Distant
or connected.
Isolated
or pursing friends.
The choice is, as it is every day, yours.
Who will you be today?
From the outside looking in, when you're bored, nothing is happening, but because silence and stillness gives space for our insecurities and pains to magnify, we often interpret our boredom in a negative way by interpreting our stillness as...
“I’m insignificant.”
"I'm alone."
“I’m wasting time.”
"I'm unwanted."
“I should be doing...”
“I would rather be somewhere else...”
“I wish I was doing...”
"I'm a boring person."
"I'm missing out."
"I'm not doing I enough."
These internal messages are created not by our situation, but by us. And when these perceptions form our reality, we call it "boredom." Therefore, boredom is a form of self-inflicted pain, and such is the reason people resist being bored.
And whenever boredom becomes a problem, it's typically because we've given these voices permission to shape the way we perceive ourselves (as worthless, insignificant, boring, slow, vain, etc.).
So we're never uncomfortable because of our boring situation, we're uncomfortable because of what we believe boredom says about who we are.