Addiction is an innocent search for relief from uncomfortable feelings.
Welcome to this series of Reflection Tracks.
In this series I'll talk about habits and addictions in a different way to create space for insight and reflection for you so that you can see something new from within.
Believe me I understand how debilitating habits and addictions can be and I want you to know that there is a way through.
Because a quiet mind is your default state and your habits are an innocent way of helping you that you can let go of.
So make yourself a little more comfortable.
Leave everything behind.
Let go of expectations.
Let go of judgement.
There's nowhere to go.
Nowhere you need to be.
Allow yourself the gift of these few moments.
If you feel comfortable to do so,
Close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Let your breathing fall into a deep rhythmic pattern.
There's nothing to attend to,
Nothing to do,
Nowhere to be.
Listen to the quote again.
Addiction is an innocent search for relief from uncomfortable feelings.
Take a moment to let the quote sink in.
The journey to a more sustainable feeling of contentment comes from within your own well-being.
Allow those words to wash over you.
Feel their meaning and energy.
What occurs to you?
Reflect on the journey of overcoming uncomfortable feelings.
How do you interpret the idea of allowing them to be and that they will pass?
Take a moment to reflect on these questions.
How do you feel right now?
Are you relaxed,
Tense or somewhere in between?
Pay attention to your physical sensations and your emotions and notice any areas in your body that may be holding tension.
Where in your life is this quote true?
Think about moments when inner calm has just occurred without any need for behaviour.
It could be during meditation,
A quiet walk in nature or simply sitting in stillness.
Reflect on these instances and recognise their importance.
What resistance do you have to embracing the fact that you have a well of being?
Acknowledge any barriers that make it difficult for you to find calmness within.
If it pleases you,
Consider journaling about your thoughts and feelings.
It's also valid to just relax and listen to the music.
Our aim is towards a quieter mind.
Let me share a personal story that may help with this quote.
I had an addiction to relationships.
I didn't know I had an addiction.
I thought I was just looking for love and someone would only have to stroke my arm or look nicely at me or be kind to me and I would fall in love.
I craved love.
I didn't allow myself to think about was this person suitable or were we just in a moment or anything like that.
I just craved love and because I had an upbringing where I didn't have a good role model of love,
I allowed people to abuse me and to use me and it felt like I was addicted to this behaviour because I would repeat the cycle over and over and over again.
When I started to study the innate nature of our own health and the fact that we create our world through our own thoughts,
I started to realise that I was just trying to get away from being uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable about myself.
Uncomfortable about my lack of love.
Uncomfortable about my lack of lovability and that my addiction to those relationships and my behaviour was just an innocent way of making me feel better.
It was temporary but I didn't know that I was correlating the relationship with a temporary moment of relief from those uncomfortable feelings.
As I started to recognise that being uncomfortable wasn't going to kill me,
Wasn't going to harm me,
That I could sit with my insecurity and not try to feel better,
I also noticed it would pass.
That they were just fleeting moments of insecurity and they didn't mean anything about me.
Take a moment to reflect on this story.
Does it change how you view the quote?
Do you see the connection between the inner calm and the habits that you may have to try and get in?
Think about your own experiences and how finding peace within has impacted your life,
Even if it's only small pocket.
Please don't worry if you can't see anything new right now.
You've already opened your mind to new possibilities and insight or follow in time.
If you feel called to go deeper into this practice,
Consider exploring the playlist in my profile called Addictions and my course on Overcoming Habits and Addictions.
This course provides a deeper look at the nature of addiction and how you can create sustainable recovery and clarity.
Thank you for joining me on this reflection.
Remember,
Addiction is an innocent search for relief from uncomfortable feelings.
Please embrace your inner calm.
Lots of love.
