Frequently checking social media, chronic shopping, procrastinating, digging into drama, over-working, unconsciously watching TV, overindulging, compulsively cleaning or organizing, people-pleasing, & hustling on the achievement treadmill…
…doe any of this strike a chord?
I want to make sure I’m being crystal clear here: there’s absolutely NOTHING wrong with any of these behaviors in and of themselves… but they can become a problem when we do them on autopilot and they make our lives more limited.
It’s totally possible and actually healthy to partake in these things with conscious enjoyment and pleasure — but we have to be careful that this enjoyment is intentional.
You know when you’re using Emotional Novocaine when… you’ve gone unconscious, or when you feel you’re doing something almost against your own will. A part of you wants to stop, but another part of you feels like it can’t.
Another reason we engage in emotional novocaine is that we’re bored or unsatisfied with our lives. And instead of boldly changing our lives… we choose to disconnect and numb.
Here’s the deal…
Changing yourself and your life requires letting go of what’s not working anymore.
It requires blowing up your old identity. It requires pulling off the duct tape that’s been holding your current life together.
And it’s going to kick up a lot of difficult feelings.
You may feel sad to lose some relationships, long-held fantasies, or a comforting little routine.
You may feel vulnerable and open to criticism.
You may feel disappointed if you fail.
Emotional novocaine will give you relief in the moment, but it will always move you away from the life you truly want in the long run.
Just remember: on the other side of those difficult feelings is the LIFE OF YOUR DREAMS.
