Pretending, Avoidance & Addiction – 5 Questions to Navigate Change

It’s 2005.  I’m sitting in circle with 15 women and the discussion is being led my long term mentor, Cheryl Richardson, who asks the question, “What are you pretending?”  Each woman answers in turn.  When it comes to me, my answer surprises me.   I respond with, “I’m pretending that my life is OK when it isn’t.”     Thirteen years and a 12-year old daughter later, my answer is similar.  This time though, there’s a slight but significant variation with my response.  This time, I’m not hiding in my discontent.  This time I’m not hoping things around me will change.   This time, I’m changing me.

Getting Unstuck…

How many times do you stay stuck in situations you don’t love?   You tolerate them; you pray; you wish for the people or the situation to change; you hope someone will see your perspective; or you hope the other person will “step-up” to communicate with you in a way that fills your need for connection and attention.  Then, when none of this happens, you stay in the same spiral of disconnect within yourself, ruminating over details and data, living in the same circumstances, wearing a façade of acceptance.  Pretending.

When we choose to stay, in anything that’s less than what we desire or require, we must ask ourselves what we’re getting by not making the changes we know we need to make.  We must acknowledge that we’re getting something or we wouldn’t do it.  Some need is being met, some benefit is coming from our action or we wouldn’t continue with the same pattern or behavior.

So what are you getting by not changing what you know you need to change?

Do you get to avoid discomfort?  Do you avoid exposure of a truth that’s too embarrassing for you, or that you think is too upsetting for others to hear?   Or maybe you get to tell yourself, it’s for “the kids?”  Let me clue you in.  The kids know what’s going on anyway. You’re not sparing them any pain by staying in a situation you’d rather not be in.   They see the upset, the disconnection, the hugs that aren’t happening, the conversations being avoided, the looks not being exchanged.  Even if they’re little, they sense it energetically.

Perhaps you get to stay on auto-pilot.  You get to do what’s familiar. You get to stay in your routines and habits which feels safer and more secure than changing.   You get to avoid feeling pain.  You get to numb out.   You get to say you “have to” do whatever it is, and you continue to not think, not feel, not process what’s really happening around you.   Maybe you get to not have to do the work in your relationships.  Or maybe you get to hide in your addictions.

Addictions

Addictions show up in all of us, not just in those drawn to alcohol or drugs.   We are addicted to alcohol, books, clutter, computer games, drugs, education, exercise, food, learning, Netflix, people, porn, sex, shopping, strategies, work, or even the recovery process.  Our addictions allow us to numb out and avoid the pain we don’t want to feel.

The strategy is avoidance.  The payoff is we get temporary relief by avoiding the pain of change.

What’s the cost of avoiding making the changes you need to make?

Costs of our Avoidance

Maybe it’s disconnection to those you really care about, drama, emotional pain and turmoil, physical pain in your body like arthritis, auto-immune disorders, colds, migraines, cancer or any multitude of other manifestations.   Whether it’s ruminating negative thoughts that dominate your choices and behaviors, one thing is certain.   We can be sure that our bodies will detox pain however they can.  They’ll take us out when we need to reset – I’ve learned this first hand more than once.  In physical form, unprocessed pain might come out as disease.  Emotionally, unprocessed pain is likely to come out sideways through our toxic behaviors and patterns having the potential to destroy relationships.  The question becomes, what are you willing to do about it?

Pain…

Here’s the deal.   We all feel pain.  We all feel sadness and despair at some point in our lives.   No one is spared from pain or change..  Change is the one constant we can depend on.

Change can feel hard and scary and messy.

Change brings up anger, discomfort, discord, fear, resentment, and vulnerability.   Even if you like change, it’s still awkward, especially when we don’t know what’s on the other side.

While I love ritual and routine, I also love freedom and spontaneity, so at times I feel in conflict with my own needs.  In the past I’ve seen myself pass by opportunities out of fear, and I’ve jumped impulsively into a heartfelt YES without knowing where it was taking me.  I’ve experienced situations where anything was better than were I was, so I jumped into the unknown trusting I’d be held in the uncertainty.

Life can be feel hard and impossible sometimes.  These past few months, I’ve learned when I show up as vulnerable and real, unseen doors open that allow more growth and more healing.  I’m learning to trust myself and speak my truths, even if it means people might leave, or not like me, and even if my words might land in someone else in a way I didn’t intend.  How my words land isn’t my responsibility, how I deliver them is.  I can only control my presence in which I offer myself.

You might be surprised at how others show up FOR you when you show up AS YOU.

My invitation to you is this:    Stop pretending your life is ok if it isn’t.  Speak your truth.  Say what you feel.   Ask for what you need.  Take off your mask.

Action Challenge:

This week, take 5 minutes to close your eyes and ask yourself these five (5) questions.

  1. Where are you hiding?
  2. What are you pretending?
  3. What’s one change you’d like to have made 3 months from now?
  4. What’s one doable, small, achievable and realistic thing you can do this week, to take a step toward that change?
  5. Are you willing to make this commitment to yourself? If so, when?

Did you like this article and challenge?   Let me know what shifted as a result of this challenge or even just from reading this article.  I love hearing from you.  Email me here, or leave a message in the comments below.

Sending you so much love…

xo

Chris

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Want to stay connected?   Join my community of change makers here.

By |2018-12-15T22:55:03-05:00December 15th, 2018|Uncategorized|3 Comments
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Retrogrades, Relationships & Resetting Priorities

Are the retrogrades messing with your relationships? Do you feel like you and your partner might actually be on different planets?

Considering six, yes, SIX planets are in retrograde right now, it’s a good time to press pause on the panic button.

So what exactly is happening?

Right now, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn & Pluto are in retrograde.  In a retrograde, things come up for review, processing, digesting and completing.  It’s a time for tying up loose ends and details, and not necessarily a time to start a slew of new projects.   You’re invited to complete those incompletions once and for all.  When one planet is in retrograde, we can feel off, rushed, like things are more out of control than we’d like, but when six are in retrograde, it’s even more important to pause.

Even if you don’t believe in astrology, it may be hard for you to ignore some of the events that have been transpiring for the past few months. Things might feel more amped up or intensified than usual.

Personally, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to feel productive, clear, to stay on task with projects, or to have any type of communication with my partner that doesn’t end with us walking away frustrated and frazzled, and feeling unheard.

Here’s a little scoop on each of the planets and how they might be affecting you:

  • Mercury Retrograde – (6/26 to 8/19/18)  Since Mercury is the ruler of communication, it’s definitely a great time to double check details.  Have a spare key in your wallet, fill your gas tank, check your oil and fluids in your car, make sure you have a few bucks cash on you, etc.   Just the other day, I walked out of the house without my keys, left the house with $1 in my wallet, and got to a show without tickets I already purchased, and it was “cash only” at the door.  (Thankfully, I had a spare key in my wallet, and the girl at the desk knew and trusted me when I told her I purchased tickets, and she let me in.)
  • Mars Retrograde (6/26 to 8/27/18)   When Mars is direct, we typically can communicate more clearly, take direct decisive action and more fully trust ourselves.  But when in retrograde, we can doubt, not trust our instincts, and internalize emotions and events, feeling more pressure.  Be gentle with yourself if you need more rest than usual, if you need more time to think about things and process what’s happening around you.   Good self-care is critical right now.    Here’s a little more on the Mars Retrograde.
  • Jupiter Retrograde – (3/9  to 7/10/18)  Consider this to be the Yin/Yang for change.   Change can be scary, especially when we don’t see it coming, yet, change is often the very thing we need to get us to our next level.  Since everything is energy, and energy is always changing, it makes sense to surrender a bit and go with the flow.  With Jupiter in intense Scorpio, you may experience your own upleveling so just observe what’s here for you, change what you can, and let go of what you cannot.  There’s no rule that says change has to be painful.
  • Pluto Retrograde – (4/22 to 9/30/18)  Pluto is all about looking at what needs to be healed, what’s lurking beneath what’s really going on, and what needs to be transformed.   Pluto is the peeling back of our subconscious layers.   Since retrogrades are a review of the past events, when Pluto is in retrograde, we’re invited to look at all those subconscious behaviors, shadow beliefs, choices, and patterns that are calling us to change.  You may feel challenged beyond your comfort zone.  That’s ok.  It’s a time of review.  So, Review, Re-Evaluate and if needed, Re-direct your energy and focus.
  • Saturn Retrograde – (4/18  to  9/6/18) As a Cappy (Capricorn), this is my ruling planet.  Saturn is all about perseverance, tenacity and growth, and setting things right on the karmic path.  What we put out is what we get back, so this lesson is amplified during a retrograde.  We’re given the opportunity to really set things right if we’ve been off course.
  • Neptune Retrograde (6/19 to 9/26/18)  Emotions may seem to be too intense for you right now.  Neptune is one of the rulers of Pisces, a water sign that can be emotionally charged.  During a retrograde, and especially if this happens to be your ruling planet or your rising sign, you may feel a bit more pressure to dive into the uncomfortable waters of the unknown.  Trust.  Stay with it. There’s growth here.  If you feel the urge to run from this intensity, understand what’s here for you is an invitation to go a little deeper to resolve what’s been hidden.  It’s also an excellent time to call on your creativity and intuition which may feel heightened.   Trust your gut by going within and making the changes you need to make.

Action Challenge:

Two steps to prepare yourself physically and emotionally during the retrograde

  1. Take 20 minute power naps to reset yourself as you need to. I can hear you saying, “But I don’t have 20 minutes….”, so I challenge you…Instead of surfing social media for 20 minutes, or eating when you’re not hungry, or starting a “conversation” with your partner when you’re already tired or spent, excuse yourself.  Set your phone timer for 20 minutes and nap. I guarantee you’ll feel a new perspective when you re-engage.   Just notice if you start to spiral, if you’re not breathing, or if you feel particularly uneasy with the changes happening around you.  If so, nap, nap, nap.  Every day.  20 minutes.  And let me know what shifts you notice.
  2. Take Action with any or all of these. Put an extra spare key in your wallet.  Allow plenty of time for travel. Double and triple check details before clicking “send”.  Have back up directions printed before going on the road to a new destination.  Make sure you have at least $5 to $10 in your wallet of cash before leaving your house.  Charge your phone or devices before leaving the house.  Purchase a charger for your car and keep it there.    Press the mental pause button before replying to a heated conversation.  Let go of something you’ve been holding onto (a grudge, a personal belonging, an issue that’s causing you anguish, a belief that’s not serving).

Leave a comment below or email me telling me what you did, and what happened as a result.  🙂

Like this article, and want more like it?  Follow me here. 

Until next time, Press Pause on the panic button.   Breathe.  And trust.  You’re right where you need to be.

x’s and o’s

Chris

Sharing is caring!   If you know someone that would like to read this, please share it out.

Want to learn more about this particular retrograde cycle?    You can do that here and here.

By |2018-07-01T21:53:59-04:00July 1st, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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[Cut the Cord to your CLUTTER] in these EASY steps! (+ Keep it from returning!)

You might be fed up, ready to toss your excess stuff (clutter), because you know how good it will feel to get it OUT of your house.  The instant gratification game is seductive.    Yes, you’ll feel lighter from the releasing.  AND, there’s an excellent chance the clutter will come back if you’re not intentional and deliberate when you’re letting go.

Before you start decluttering, ask yourself, “What is it I want to create space for?” Why is this important?    Because knowing what you do want offers clarity and insight around what to let go of.  Sometimes we learn the hard way.  Sometimes we keep things we don’t love, or keep things that drain us. We may do it unconsciously, unaware that what we keep around us will hold the actual circumstances of our lives in place.   I know someone who keeps Christmas ornaments and photos of all their ex’s, yet longs to be in a new relationship.  Every Christmas they put those same ornaments on their tree, then wonder why they’re depressed, and not in a new relationship.   They haven’t asked this question about what they do want.  They don’t see the connection between what they keep, and how that locks in what shows up in their life.

I’m not saying letting go is simple.  There’s nothing simple about emotional attachment.

I am saying if you can be discerning about what comes into your home or office, you’ll create a space and life that is in complete alignment with what matters most to you.  Does that make sense?

Once you’re clear on what you’re creating space for, as you start the de-clutter process, ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Do I love it?
  2. Do I need it?
  3. Do I use it?
  4. Does it add value to my life? If so, how?
  5. Does it reflect who I am now, or who I want to be?

If any of these answers aren’t absolute yes, why are you keeping it?  You really want to be clear here.  If it doesn’t say who you are or who you want to be, it’s going to keep you stuck in a past you don’t want to be in.

What’s next?     Think about one area of your home, or one section of a room that’s most bothersome to you.  What most needs your attention?  A drawer, closet, garage, basement, junk drawer in the bedroom?   Pick one small area.   Choose the amount of time you want to spend de-cluttering.  If you’re doing an hour, set your timer for 30 minutes and when the timer goes off, use the remaining 30 minutes to clean up what you started so you feel complete.  There’s more to letting go, but this is one simple place to start.

After you do this, hop over to my Facebook page or email me to tell me what worked, or what didn’t.

Finally, my next few posts will be a continuation of this letting go process.  Follow my blog to continue the journey of letting go, while living deliberately aligned to what matters most to you. You can Join my community here.

For the love of letting go,

Chris

♥

 

 

By |2018-01-21T18:12:23-05:00January 11th, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments
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