The theme of our recent radio interviews has to with suppressing feelings.

I maintain that as many as two out of three people are now on some kind of mind altering drug…antidepressants, alcohol, illegal drugs…even overdosing caffein.
All because anxiety, fear, uncertainty and doubt has become too strong and persistent to ignore… So instead of examining the cause, it’s easier to reach for a “magic bullet”.

A “happy” pill.

What does an antidepressant really do? It lowers the intensity of what you’re feeling. It doesn’t eliminate the reason why you took the pill. That’s still there, inside you. You’re just not as aware of feeling. So you continue your day-to-day reality without much change.

Except that you’ve become a ticking time bomb.

It’s just a matter of time. The emotional energy you’ve suppressed hasn’t dissipated. The situation hasn’t changed and even more stress is continues to be created. Layer upon layer of unresolved energy.

What you’ve done is lowered your body’s natural warning system. The feelings you didn’t want to cope with was never supposed to be turned down like some kind of volume control. It’s like putting your hand on a hot stove. The pain of a burned finger is supposed to warn you away from ever repeating that activity. Suppressing your feelings is like turning off your pain receptors.

The idea is to pay attention to this natural warning system and address what is causing the feelings.

Not to bury the feeling and go on with your life…
A much shorter life.

-Bob Baran