Do you know people who are more committed to sorrow than joy? Do you encounter individuals so afraid to know themselves in the absence of sorrow that they’ve made suffering a part of their identity? Are there friends in your life who, no matter how many rainbows the Divine presents them, can only see the storm that created them?
Are You an Emotional Hoarder?
Behold the emotional hoarder, stricken by an epidemic in our reality that is costing them more than just their joy; it’s robbing them of fulfillment.
Are you an emotional hoarder? Do these examples ring true in your life? If you are still upset about something that happened 5, 10, 20 or even 30 years ago then you, my friend, may be an emotional hoarder.
Ducking From Pain
Most people do not enjoy pain be it physical or psychological. We are instinctively adverse to it. The brain’s natural inclination is to shield us from memories and thoughts that it believes are too painful to face, as demonstrated by individuals who cannot remember abuse or severe trauma. While this mechanism serves to protect us it also keeps us from the completion we seek.
Just Because You Can’t See It Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Taking a Toll
Emotional hoarding, for the most part, is unconscious but its impact can take a devastating toll on our lives. It can have adverse affects on our relationships, our family, and our health. When we are mentally stuck on the hamster wheel of past turmoil, the heartache we are suppressing conjures potent negative emotions. These emotions, in turn, emit neurological stimuli not unlike those of addiction. We can be addicted to our pain. As long as the anguish remains unresolved, we unwittingly set the stage for those energies to cycle and recycle, creating an environment rife with unhappiness and victimhood.
What It Takes To Move Forward
Our unwillingness to move forward in life stems from a deep fear of change. It takes strength and courage to break our chronic addiction to pain and the panic that surrounds our unknown future. It takes real mettle to consciously face our well-worn sorrow, make peace with it, and release ourselves to the infinite possibilities of the Divine. All it takes is resolve on your part to feel. The willingness to feel is to live and to fully live is the greatest blessing of all.
Written by Panache Desai
Panache Desai is Best Selling Author, Speaker and Visionary named a contemporary thought leader by Oprah Winfrey. His message of love and self-acceptance has drawn thousands of people from around the world to his seminars and workshops. He is on the faculty of the Omega Institute and the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.
