Want to reduce your inner struggle and stress? Reorient yourself to recognize your negative emotional reactions as red flags alerting you to something that needs your attention. Resist the old standby of emotional reactivity often characterized by anger, blame, victimhood, defensiveness, withdrawal, or emotional numbing. Its time to create a new autopilot.
It may seem easier to avoid your pain and discomfort, but it isn’t. The only thing avoidance does it to put you in line for the same bumpy ride again sometime in the future.
Instead, lean in. Courageously and curiously pursue what surfaces. Consider it like a small child pining for your attention. Attend to it, it needs you. When you do this you are actively choosing the path of growth over the path of suffering.
Choose to pursue what presents itself – open the door, give it the light it asks for, ask it questions.
Consider your angst as a signal – a road sign directing you towards something you need to deal with, learn from, or repair. And give thanks for the rocks that, once overturned and examined, become the stepping stones of your life.