22 July

Sometimes old expressions have a lot of wisdom. Like 'keeping a sense of perspective'. How many of our problems are due to us focusing really narrowly on things and ignoring the full context? If we stop obsessing about the content of what we see as 'our' problems, and allow some awareness of the context of what's happening, suddenly they stop being about us and more about a situation that involves others too, and probably just needs a simple fix. Looking at the context usually solves any problem, all by itself. Les Fehmi talks about how narrowing creates uncomfortable feelings and emotions, whether it's muscle tension, fear, anxiety, depression. Then we make it all worse by further narrowing into these feelings and emotions, to try to get rid of them, as if they were the problem. "Diversionary strategies are often overused to the point of addiction; compulsive use of television, food, sex, gambling, travel, video games, loud music, alcohol, drugs, and especially work can all serve as strategic distractions to keep us away from - or help us manage - our pain." They're a symptom of our narrowing, we can get lost in the details of what we see as our problems, when in fact we may just have the focus on our life set much too narrowly. David Gorman uses similar insights in teaching people how to overcome sometimes chronic lifelong issues.