Our Negative Shit Won’t Go Away Just Because We Look Away
Spiritual bypassing isn’t going to save your ass. Facing your demons will.
I get called “negative” and a “downer” quite frequently, which to be honest is a bit of a headscratcher for me because I don’t see myself as negative. I’m actually quite positive, an optimist by nature. But also a problem solver, which means looking at what’s not working FIRST, so that plans can be made to tackle that. Everyone wants to get to the good stuff before dealing with the hard shit.
I don’t bypass the hard shit, unlike a significant portion of the new age/spirituality/self-development/coaching teachings would have you do.
“What you focus on expands,” is something that New Agers love to say, quickly followed by, “So don’t focus on negative things, only on the positive.”
Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit.
What you ignore festers. What you refuse to confront because it’s in the dark scary places of your soul rots and mutates until you no longer recognize it as part of yourself, even though it is, always was, and always will be.
Let that shit go long enough, and you’ll start to wonder if you’re cursed or maybe even plagued by demons.
You are, but not in the way you might think.
Demons aren’t something external, sent by some supposed demigod of evil. Demons are a part of us. And they aren’t necessarily bad, though they are often destructive because they’ve been neglected for so long.
How would you feel if you were left in a dark corner for years on end, and every time you ventured out with a warning about something you’d noticed, you were told to shut up and go back to your corner?
This is what happens when you push away “negativity” in the name of keeping everything happy and light. When you refuse to face challenges and instead pretend that everything is hunky dory for everyone and anyone that doesn’t agree is just negative.
Making a realistic evaluation of the situation, including factors that are for and against the desired result is not being negative. When done joyfully, it’s quite exhilarating.
Do you face challenges with joy? Ready to tackle any and all problems? Or do you immediately shake off the “negative” the moment you feel it?
When I was stuck in that “always positive” phase for a few years, it didn’t really work out too well for me. I could put a positive spin on ANYTHING. But then those pesky demons would pop up and fuck things up.
It wasn’t until I started to face them, and see myself in them, that I was able to befriend them, and learn to work WITH myself instead of always falling flat on my face.
