To focus on something that we do not like about ourselves is deeply human, as if we were not good enough just the way we are. We miss out on precious life concentrating on something that needs to be fixed and changed before we can really live.
There are things that everybody knows are bad like alcohol, cigarettes, fattening food – the list is endless. But there are many other things that are regarded as good even though they are just a form of comfort. Things that you need to do, or things that you focus on, be it TV shows, frequent naps, meditation and yoga, or needing 20 supplements a day and only organic vegetables otherwise you freak out, or checking you mobile every two seconds to see if your partner has sent you a text. We are all more or less attached to something to soothe ourselves, and if not an addiction most people are at least a little obsessed about one thing or another.
It can be your partner, your hobby, your children, your colleagues, the way you feed yourself, your clothes, your appearance, learning, cleaning, your dating app – just about anything. We are not that different from one another when we scratch beneath the surface; everybody is obsessed about something. So, just relax, it is all going to be fine in the end. We are human. We are not supposed to be perfect.
The small things that we focus on are not addictions. To be addicted is a completely different story. When you are addicted, your life suffers because you need something outside of yourself, something that is slowly destroying you, and probably people around you as well. Maybe you are stuck and have not even acknowledged to yourself that you have a problem. Then its time for a serious detox, and you need outside help. First to accept you have a problem, then to acknowledge the truth. As in the AA, acknowledging that your are powerless in the face of alcohol. Or like with bulimia, that you are powerless in the face of food. Or like with anorexia, that you are powerless in the face of not wanting to feed your physical body. Or with sex addictions, that you are powerless in the face of sex. Or with workaholics, powerless in the face of having to perform, or as a shopping addict powerless in the face of spending too much. Anything that is present in your head at all times is an addiction. Anyone who has been addicted, and recovered, has a lot of wisdom to bring to this world. In the powerlessness of an addiction, we are certainly less than we could be.
When we lose our power, we lose ourselves.
Let us regain our power by accepting our small perfect imperfections, and let us show the way for the people who need us to help them detox.
Let us all detox our bodies, our minds and our hearts. Together.
