There is more than unwanted heaviness in life. Life can be beautiful. And it can be challenging. It can be downright unpleasant. But what is life without its lessons?
A good reminder lies in the grounding of one's way of seeing things. What are things one cannot control? What are things one can influence? What are things within one's control?
The past has already happened. Does self-loathing change what happened or how one acted? This is not to say that mourning and holding oneself accountable are invalid. But self-loathing without tools to widen one's perception is just taking another ride on a feedback loop. It's a cage and therefore a killer of freedom.
"While evil seeks to destroy or hide a person's worth, freedom shows humans their full potential and their full value. With freedom, people have loved, cured disease, removed hunger, eased labor and lived in peace. With freedom, happiness is possible. Freedom is the exact opposite of evil." - Jeremy Locke, The End of All Evil
Beating oneself up is useless. But can the feelings that surface be useful? A popular idea is to feel the feelings. Can one feel the feelings and stay stuck? A lot of times people avoid the discomfort of certain emotions. Therefore feeling one's feelings has a sort of learning curve. It is a practice.
Solutions and a shift in perceptions help knock one out of a labyrinth of dead ends and catastrophe. The ability to shift out of dead end thinking in times of deep emotional distress can be strengthened. The good thing is that one is never completely alone. And it is good to use all resources available to shift one's focus and therefore change one's perception into one of acceptance and allowing solutions to surface.
How can catharsis come into play? Is it a result of self-loathing or another type of perception surfacing? Releasing emotions can be a positive experience during or after it happens. But how can one use catharsis to stay aligned with freedom and therefore correct action?
This renewal would realign a person. But only practice makes perfect. And we are not talking about an obsessive need for perfection. The solution is in integrating insights aligned with freedom and voluntary actions into the mundane day-to-day of one's life.
Never give up. Remember right action. Resources are available. Tools are there to be used when needed. In the end every moment passes. And every day and moment can be taken as a new start. Always remember freedom is love. And love is freedom, truth, courage, and right action.
"Stop treating yourself like shit... life just passes by you... and guess what... no one cares... because they are doing the same... they are beating themselves silly and if you let them, they will beat you silly... it is a bad habit, a common habit, a bad habit... let go of it now!!! Being mean to yourself is the habit of slaves... so just drop it... when you catch yourself doing it... Stop..." - Christopher S. Hyatt & Friends, The Big Black Book