When you feel stressed, and you desperately want a cappuccino to make you feel better, is pressing the button on the Nespresso machine the right treatment of a valid symptom? Or is it all just a story you’re telling yourself?
Pain is a signal, and one we should not ignore. The question is what do we find when we pull back the curtain? Personally, I must admit: More often than not, my pain, especially the emotional kind, is nothing but resistance. I don’t like the status quo, and so my mind rebels. It wants a little treat to feel better—but that treat is neither rational nor required.
The human body never “needs” beer. Or ice cream. Or an espresso. Nor does your brain require Netflix, doomscrolling, or porn to function. They’re all little lollipops for the emotionally uneasy. It’s hard to sit with the resistance. To face the pain until you discover what it really is, and then to endure that unpleasant reality while moving on in the right direction. That’s why we’ve invented so many treats for ourselves in the first place.
The next time you find yourself with a caramel latte you totally didn’t plan on drinking, ask yourself: “Am I dulling an emotion here?” When you let a feeling wash over you, you get wet. But it’s also the only way to find out what the water is actually made of. Usually, it’s nothing more than a bit of H2O—and when has that ever tried to stop us instead of showing us the way?