How We Create One Problem To Avoid Another - The Emotions Diary #36
"Pain Bait": This week I get a lesson in how my insomnia is a tactic to avoid a problem that feels harder to face.
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Boy the Emotions Diary hit hard this week!
So, my insomnia is back. But the Emotions Diary really called me out on it. No sympathy, just tough love. And good advice.
But the real breakthrough came when I was dwelling on the lesson this week. And that’s where you might see yourself in the same dynamic. My insomnia is worst when the news about my knees is bad.
T.E.D. called me out on:
Inventing one problem because another feels too heavy to look at.
Watch the video to see everything The Emotions Diary had to say this week:
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE EMOTIONS DIARY
Whatever you can’t figure out in your life, you can figure it out in here. The Emotions Diary is the tool for undividing yourself - understanding why you do, think, and feel the things you do.
You’ll need 4 things:
A notebook
A pen
An open heart
An open mind
And the practice is in 4 steps:
What - Write down what’s going on in your life that you want an answer to; a persistent feeling, a bad habit, not knowing why you did something, general confusion etc.
Ask - Let this formulate into a question. Sometimes the question itself surprises you, as in, oh yeah, that is what I want to ask. Also, you can go straight to the question if you already know what you want to ask.
Wait - Relax. Let the universe do its work. Generally an answer starts coming within seconds for me.
Answer - Write down what it “says.” Don’t overthink, edit it, or interpret it while comes. Receive it like you’re taking dictation. Capture the tone.
And a final note is to dwell with the answer. Feel the layers of it land in you.
I love how you captured the realness of avoidance, how sometimes we unconsciously trade one pain for another we think we can handle. That line—"inventing one problem because another feels too heavy"—stopped me in my tracks.