Spirituality Classroom Blog
Search for the Creative Way Through Adversity
Today I continue to write about Brené Brown’s 3rd Guidepost, which is “Cultivating a Resilient Spirit: Letting Go of Numbing and Powerlessness." Last week I wrote about Resilience, so this week I’m writing about Numbing and Powerlessness. The book I'm referencing is listed at the bottom of this blog.1
When adversity hits, it’s hard for most anyone to be resilient in the middle of the pain, vulnerability, or struggle. What happens for many of us is that we want to find something to take the edge off of the pain and discomfort. Many of us run quickly to whatever would make it all more tolerable. Some take refuge in addictive behaviors, which only make it worse.
The problem is that when we take the edge off of the pain, vulnerability, anxiety, or struggle, we rob ourselves of the power to do anything that would really help. What we don’t realize is that when we numb a negative emotion, we also numb the positive...