Yes, just a rock I picked up somewhere. I often give it to clients I see in person, and I ask online clients to bring one they like to our session. The assignment is to carry it with them everywhere they go and in everything they do for the next week.
Initially, they agree — Warily.
Then I tell them they can put it in a bag for hygiene and such, but they cannot put it down. At all. It has to be in one of your hands at all times.
Want to play my game?
What? No?
Yeah, no one seems to like this exercise. They need their hands available all day, apparently. They complain that it’s heavy and cumbersome and would get in the way.
Yes, of course, it would.
Yet, we don’t seem to mind dragging our doubts, insecurities, and other “stuff” with us for decades. How heavy does that get?
I did it, too. It took me years to unpack some of my “stuff.” Still working on a few things, yet at the time, we hardly notice that we’re lugging it along. Until it gets us stuck somewhere – like when it downshifts into anxiety, depression, excess weight, and other things we don’t really want.
If you’re an emotional eater, you know this song and dance, don’t you? We get upset, mad, frustrated, sad, etc., and we go for food as a quick way to soothe ourselves. We hold onto that rock rather than facing the “stuff.”
Facing it, resolving the issues isn’t an easy task, and sometimes having a friend or coach can be very helpful to provide objectivity, perspective, and some hard truth. It can be painful to address these rocks, and it’s never easy, but there’s no courage in easy, is there?
However, unpacking the rocks is the way to freedom. Wouldn’t that be lovely?
