麻豆社

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Guvna B

Good Morning

I鈥檝e been doing some work on my relationship with feeling pain. In my experience, it鈥檚 inevitable in life, and I always thought I handled it quite well. I grew up in the East End of London where the mentality was stiff upper lip, get through it by any means necessary.

What I鈥檝e realised is that instead of facing pain head on, going through the tunnel and coming out the other side with a scar of victory, I often avoided the tunnel altogether. I became numb.

Dr Gabor Mat茅 says when we鈥檙e under threat there are three natural responses. First is to ask for help. If there鈥檚 no help, the second is to fight. If you can鈥檛 fight, the third is to run away. But what if there鈥檚 no help, you鈥檙e can鈥檛 fight back, and you can鈥檛 run? Well, then you go numb. That鈥檚 your body鈥檚 way of protecting you from the pain.

I lived my whole life numbing and I sometimes feel like I have a heart of stone. Like there鈥檚 not much that really moves me. But deep down I鈥檇 love to feel things again.

I鈥檝e started trying different ways of approaching that, and while I鈥檓 still figuring it out, it鈥檚 making a difference. The other day I was having a coffee in a coffee shop and after a couple of sips, I thought, I can actually taste this coffee. My numbness made things like that part of my routine, rather than something to enjoy. Maybe next time I鈥檒l have more answers, but for now my prayer is that I simply learn that being numb isn鈥檛 the same thing as being strong. Real strength comes when you鈥檙e able to feel in a healthy way.

Amen