Letting go of numbing and powerlessness

I am on my fourth week of The Gifts of Imperfection course with Brene Brown and Oprah.  This week is all about cultivating a resilient spirit and letting go of numbing and powerlessness.  No biggie. Not!

"You would think that doing all this research and writing these books would be enough to set me straight on the numbing. Clearly, that isn't the case. I recently realized that when I'm totally overwhelmed, afraid or feeling super vulnerable, I can slip into a very dark place. As I was working on my collage for this lesson, I recognized a dangerous pattern:

1. I don't like how I feel so I numb.
2. Numbing the pain numbs the joy.
3. I feel like I have no joy in my life so I numb some more.
4. Only when I let myself feel the struggle do I open myself up to feeling the joy. And feeling both of these gives me the courage and strength to make changes and feel whole.
5. Feeling the struggle gives me the courage to change what's happening and practice gratitude for what's going well (even if I have to look hard for it).
6. Feeling the joy gives me the strength and perspective to move forward, out of the dark." - Brene Brown

So the intention for the week is:

"I will stay mindful of numbing.  I will remember that when I 'take the edge off' pain or stress, I take away my own joy.  We can't selectively numb emotion, and I want more joy, meaning and purpose."

Thanks, Brene.