A Personal Perspective: Why do we love wallowing in our misery? This post unpacks why suffering might be our greatest (and grouchiest) teacher.
Rejecting the “tyranny of positivity” allows us to accept life’s imperfections and live more authentically.Symptoms like procrastination are signals from our subconscious, offering insights if we choose to listen.. Now, let’s pause for a moment to appreciate that Arlo reads Dostoevsky for fun.
“The challenge of life,” Rollins told us, “is not to get what you desire, but to figure out what you truly desire.” Often, he explained, we sabotage ourselves not out of laziness or incompetence, but because—on someof publishing a novel but spends hours binge-watching episodes of"The Real Housewives of the Renaissance.” Rollins suggests this isn’t just; it’s a desire to avoid the vulnerability of trying and failing.
I’ve started thinking in what ways I unconsciously cozy up to suffering, how I snuggle into my grievances and hurts. There’s a strange clarity in misery—it simplifies the narrative. You’re the tragic hero, the world’s against you, and there’s a perverse satisfaction in that role. But when we unconsciously revel in our pain, we miss out on opportunities for connection and growth.
So, what’s the takeaway here? How do we live with suffering without turning into full-time martyrs or, worse, people who won’t stop talking about their “journey” at dinner parties?Lately, I’ve been trying to make friends with my suffering instead of avoiding it. The next time I catch myself wallowing , I plan to sit with it for a moment and ask, “What am I really getting out of this?” Maybe it’s a distraction, maybe it’s a bolstering of pride, or maybe it’s just the comfort of familiarity.
Instead, it’s a tangle of thorny vines, unexpected clearings, and moments of strange beauty. I’m hoping to navigate the suffering I will inevitably encounter on the path, not perfectly, but with more grace, more honesty, and—dare I say it?—maybe even a little joy.When we fall prey to perfectionism, we think we’re honorably aspiring to be our very best, but often we’re really just setting ourselves up for failure, as perfection is impossible and its pursuit inevitably backfires.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Personal Perspective: Measuring the pros and cons of each produces a clear winner.Personal Perspective: There are pros and cons to online therapy, but in-person therapy is the gold standard.
Read more »
Personal Perspective: Navigating Life and Finding Value Beyond ParenthoodPersonal Perspective: Feeling invisible in a parenting-focused world is isolating. This story explores finding identity in a child-free life.
Read more »
Personal Perspective: The death of a client is a soul-searching moment for therapists.Personal Perspective: Dealing with a client’s death and dying affects our personal, private lives. So what do we do with the grief we’re feeling?
Read more »
A Personal Perspective: When everyone in your family is more attractive than you.A Personal Perspective: I grew up in a family where everyone else was a knockout. Here's how I coped and what I learned. You can too.
Read more »
Personal Perspective: Embracing grief to discover deeper understanding.Personal Perspective: Embracing anger and grief after a loss can deepen faith, spark healing, and guide us to a place of profound understanding.
Read more »
Personal Perspective: My Parkinson's must have a calendar.Personal Perspective: My continuing 5-year battle with Parkinson's Disease
Read more »