These days, more and more people seem to be feeling anxious and depressed in a society that says we have so much opportunity. So, if society is right, then why is there a rise in domestic violence, mental illness, disease and suicide?
Society makes up rules, regulations and control measures that although might be necessary to keep people safe, can also create a lot more stress.
A fear based society
We live in a fear based society. As children we get punished if we step out of line, at school we fail if we don't excel on our tests. Read Article Literal Vs. Lateral minds. As adults we are privy to the countless communication that tells us we're not enough, constantly suggesting we need to better ourselves, to get paid more, to be successful, not to mention the fear mongering about not having enough money to retire. Read Article Success: Societies Illusion. So much fear is instilled in our lives by society it is almost impossible to rise above it.
Just in insurances alone we try and add control measures for every scenario. This is a major contributing factor in the modern day fight or flight response that drives suppression, anxiety and depression.
For Example:
Car Insurance
- What if my car gets stolen?
- What if I run over somebody?
- What if I get injured?
- What if someone damages my car?
- What if I damage my car?
House & Contents
- What if I get flooded?
- What if the roof is ripped off in a storm?
- What if my house gets broken into?
- What if someone comes to our house and breaks their leg?
Business
- What if I make a mistake, I need to indemnify myself?
- What if I run out of work?
- What if there is a down turn in the market?
- What if a worker hurts themselves?
- What if a worker doesn't like the decision to let them go?
- What if a client hurts themselves in our workplace?
Then we have Medical insurance, Income protection, Life insurance, Trauma insurance, the list is endless. All these concepts play out a fear of the future, which in turn creates anxiety and we haven't even started looking at the possible costs of this scenario.
You are suppressed
In the example above we identify how layers are introduced into our lives; we try and control every aspect of our future, but by doing so it actually limits our ability to be present, because there is a considerable cost to trying to make uncertainty, certain. As we add more complexity and layers into our lives, the more we need to work to pay off the associated costs. We work harder and the costs grow, slowly leading us into the societal cycle of suppression.
Living on a schedule
We are also always planning and scheduling our next moves, our next business meeting, scheduling children's schooling events, organising our bills, household, finances, birthdays and social events etc. In Eastern culture they teach the importance and beauty about being present, but in today's western culture it is almost impossible; if we are not dwelling on the past then we are pushed into the future.
Technology stress
Then there is the technology explosion that has added many layers of complexity, some of the most simplest and fundamental tasks like paying a bill has now become an extensive arduous chore. Technology has created niches for every market and now in many situations to complete a single task, you need multiple technologies, there are even technologies that manage technologies.
If you don't resolve your stress, your body will excrete it violently
As children we are taught on many levels how to suppress our emotions. Statements like "Stop crying and get over it", or "toughen up" are just a couple of examples of words we hear quite often growing up. We often repeat the exact same words to our kids too. This communication teaches us how to be tough and closed off to our feelings. It does not teach us that it is natural to cry when we are overcome with emotion. As a result, so many of us try and avoid negative experiences at all cost. But when you think about it, without knowing what sadness is, how would you ever appreciate joy or happiness? For example if we only had light without darkness or shadows, we would be blinded, unable to distinguish the depth of things. So in duality its natural to feel down 50% of the time, it's only that we have been taught and expect something different.
Are you at capacity?
All of these micro issues create stress in our body which accumulates overtime until our body is in a suppressed state, ready to explode like a 'Mentos in a Coke bottle'. In western culture we haven't been taught how to deal with our emotions, regulate stress or set aside time for ourselves away from others and our busy lives.
When we become aware of our body and what it's trying to communicate to us, we can heal from heavy energy, undo the lid of suppression and deescalate the heavy energy that consumes us.
Stress is a major factor that compromises our immune system and when we are immune deficient we are more susceptible to disease. Our emotions are a key driver to how we feel holistically and if we suppress our stress to the point we are at capacity, ready to explode, this heavy energy can excrete from our body quite voilently. The most obvious is in physical violence, but it also creates mental health issues, allergies, severe illness, even chronic disease.
When we are at capacity we don't have the space for new experiences. We can misjudge positive experiences as negative ones and in turn miss the joy of the moment.
When we awaken from our suppression and become aware of how we feel by paying special attention to our emotions, we can then heal from heavy energy to feel lighter, allowing the ability to create space for new emotions.
