The people with “perfect” lives on social media are too.
Every single one of us has a habit that despite its negative consequences in our lives, we just can’t stop doing it.
In a twist of irony, we introduce these self-destructive forces into our lives in an attempt at self-preservation, dulling the angst of life, labor, and love.
In the addiction cycle however, these chemicals, behaviors, and beliefs soon lose their effectiveness and become a source of angst vs. a shield from it.
We become enslaved by a need to quench the demands of our addictions.
I’m not talking about daily routines or passionate pursuits.
I’ve worked with thousands of “successful” people whose addictions have caused them to forgo EVERYTHING else they hold sacred.
Their personal and/or professional life, relationships, and health lie in ruins.
Society is quick to up-turn their nose at those who succumb to the widely recognized addictive vices of drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc.
How much despair is introduced into people’s lives however, from an addiction to accolades, affirmation, and agitation?
What have addictions to conflict, comparison, and comfort done for people’s health and happiness?
You can’t buy a dime bag of these vices on a street corner, but they rewire your brain’s reward system, resulting in a misalignment between actions and values.
Have you ever suspended your values to quench an addiction?
We all have.
When this is a daily habit however, it becomes a significant barrier to health and happiness.
Where does addiction show up in your life?
How will these addictive thoughts, actions, and beliefs impact your health, happiness, and personal values in the next year? 5 Years? 20 years?
When assessing your own behavior, look for data, not indictment.
Indictment requires a defense.
Data merely provides information.
Being honest and aware about your addictions and their consequences is the first step in overcoming them.
They don’t extinguish easily.
These powerful, compelling forces in your life may be hard-wired from intense life experiences, traumas, or other deep-seated sources.
You may need to seek professional help to regain your power and personal autonomy over them.
Consider the lifelong cost of service to that which doesn’t feed your soul, however.
You’re not alone in your struggle to overcome self-destructive addictions of your brain, body, or belief system.
Breaking the shackles of self-destructive addictions can clear the path for you to have the health and energy to live on purpose.
