Survival mode seems to be the default way of being in our productivity-obsessed capitalist society. It serves a purpose, yes. It allows us to maintain our current way of life. But if that way of life is just more survival mode, is that what we really want?
How do we change our circumstances so that nourishing our souls is the default?
No change can occur without reflection. We need to take inventory of what depletes us.
Then we need to move our feet. Action is the only assured step that will take us closer to realizing our wishes. Even the smallest step does something.
In more than twenty years as a psychiatrist listening to tens of thousands of patient stories, I have become convinced that the way we tell our personal stories is a marker and predictor of mental health. Patients who tell stories in which they are frequently the victim, seldom bearing responsibility for bad outcomes, are often unwell and remain unwell. They are too busy blaming others to get down to the business of their own recovery. By contrast, when my patients start telling stories that accurately portray their responsibility, I know they’re getting better. The victim narrative reflects a wider societal trend in which we’re all prone to seeing ourselves as the victims of circumstance and deserving of compensation or reward for our suffering. Even when people have been victimized, if the narrative never moves beyond victimhood, it’s difficult for healing to occur. Anna Lembke, Dopamine Nation
I found some points from Isabel’s essay how good will you let it get? compelling:
- Sometimes we cling desperately to a good thing that we already have, perhaps out of fear of losing it.
- What would it feel like to loosen our grip (not let go in a forever sort of way), like a child swinging wildly on the monkey bars who has the security and confidence to return to any bar, in pursuit of more growth, joy, and beauty?