An indulgent emotion is one that’s comfortable for you to escape into when you’re coping with life’s challenges.
You’ll know you’re steeped in an indulgent emotion when you feel like your spinning wheels are spiraling you downward. You’re unable to make decisions and choices.
You can’t get traction on the challenge you’re facing. You feel confused and frustrated.
They keep us stuck in the cave, protecting us from more intense negative emotions such as shame, embarrassment or fear of failure.
It’s often much easier to wallow in indulgent emotions than be afraid.
Making hard decisions and doing hard things leads to growth.
Doing what’s hard makes us stronger and more capable.It’s self-reinforcing and raises the bar on what we think is possible.
But your brain does not particularly like to expend energy on new, unfamiliar activities or challenges. It prefers the well-worn path, the easy way out or to do nothing at all.
Plus, there’s a subtle pay-off when you spin in inaction and hunker down within your comfort zone. Your brain avoids learning new skills, thinking new thoughts and trying new things. It expends less energy. Your comfort level goes unchallenged.
Within inaction lies a false sense of security. Maintaining the status quo may bring some monetary sense of relief, but in reality, you’re only making things worse because you’re not doing anything toward actually resolving for the challenge. You’re just postponing the inevitable need to make decisions and choices.
Common indulgent emotions that can trap our brains in the quicksand of inaction.
- Overwhelm
- Self-pity
- Doubt
- Worry
- Confusion
- Procrastination
- Regret
- Busyness
- Blame
Ask these powerful questions when indulgent emotions threaten to hijack your day.
It’s time to have a really important conversation with yourself, break the indulgent emotion gridlock and establish traction so you can tackle your challenge:
- Why am I feeling this emotion right now?
- What are the facts about this situation?
- What story am I making up about this?
- What am I making this mean?
- How do I need to feel to get all of this done, without this indulgent emotion?
- What if I believed I knew exactly what to do next?
What indulgent emotions are you feeling that may be holding you back from the life you want to live?
What challenge are you facing today that you want to handle?
If stepfamily or marriage challenges are causing you to spin and not make progress, let’s untangle the issues so you can move forward.
Contact me right here.
