“Story is a helluva drug”

“Story is a helluva drug”

I laughed at his text and then felt the deeper layer of impact from this unsettling comment.  I’d never thought of it this way, but damn did I feel how “under the influence” I’d been from self-punishing stories.

On days that I get a hit of these powerful lines, I literally have to climb my way out of the hole I’ve slipped into.

In these intoxicated states, vision is clouded. It can be hard to see clearly, speak confidently, and understand what’s actually true beyond limiting narratives.

Taking action may feel wildly challenging.

Attempting to progress thru a lack of clarity can feel futile.

Swimming against the current of these narratives…

Drug : a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.

The physiological effect of this drug?

Tension. Sunken. Heaviness. Tightness. Contraction.  Fatigue. Fuzzy. 

Sensation feeding thoughts. Thoughts feeding sensation. 

It’s a vicious cycle. 

So now what?

First, call it like it is.  There is a part of you that is addicted to these stories. You get high off of them. To some part of you, the hit feels SO good.

Take responsibility, the ability to respond, for what is happening. 

Start to inquiry about the fix you’re receiving.  

Cultivate awareness over the force that seems to grip you.

What is getting satiated by this experience?

How are you benefiting from this feeling?

What stories are you attaching to what you feel?

Energy is energy.  The thoughts you have about what you feel are what you get to notice and choose.

What are the thoughts you’re thinking?  

Are they true? Really? Who said? 

Is there evidence that debunks your diminishing theories?

What is the reality you’re currently experiencing?  Whose lens are you looking through?

Notice your stories. 

If your pattern is to get sucked into your thoughts, disrupt the pattern.  

Beyond your stories, what are you committed to?

Keep reminding yourself of this commitment.

Sobriety from destructive thinking is a choice.  

Every. Single. Day.