Confronting the Icebergs - Part II

In last week's discussion, we talked about the dilemma of feeling dissatisfied in our lives, even when we're doing everything we know how to do, to have lives as full of happiness and joy as possible. We broke out our journals and wrote down what we could identify about the uneasiness we were feeling.

Let's examine now some of the impediments to fully dealing with our "dis-ease."

I may have written in my journal that someone else's actions, or even some of my own activities, have been bugging me. At first I might not know the whole depth of the discomfort or hurt. But it's likely that once I've written down the initial observations, I'll discover that these occurrences remind me of some long forgotten anger or pain, emotional disturbance, or resentment. At this point I might not want to deal with these past emotions because of the possible fallout over an event that has already happened. I may also be fearful of the consequences of dealing with these issues now, or in the near future. What if I have to confront someone? What if I have to make amends to another for something I did? And what if I have to make changes in my actions or lifestyle because of what I discover about myself or my circumstances?

Frequently, it happens that the older the pain, the more difficult it is to heal. I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking, "I've dealt with that already! I'm not putting myself through it again!" When I hear that reaction from my mouth or from my brain, I know there is some emotional or spiritual work yet to be done.

Many traumas leave behind un-healed wounds, pent up resentments, and holes in our self esteem. These sometimes keep us from moving forward into the more pleasant, peaceful and productive beings that we're trying to become. It's not that we haven't dealt with old sorrows; we resolved what we could with what we had at the time. Now, in our restless, uneasy state, we can see more of the emotional iceberg rising up. As frustrating as that can be, sidestepping the lingering pain that comes with it will only continue to affect our present and future goals for our personal and spiritual development.

Next week, we'll take a look at a few ways to resolve present and past emotional discomforts so that we can move forward into more satisfying roles as spiritual beings having human experiences.

Affirmation: Wanting to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, I now make the choice to resolve uncomfortable feelings with Love, compassion, and forgiveness as my guides.

I now allow, acknowledge, accept, and affirm that this is so.