The Value of Addressing Tedium, Dullness, Disappointments, and Discouragement
by Marian K. Volkman
Have you noticed that tedium and dullness can creep into life and seem to suck out the joy? Do discouragements and disappointments sometimes get you down? We may think those things to be too small and not worth our attention. Worse yet, we may have bought into the idea that “life is just like that”. As if life were meant to be flat, gray, and dull.
Sometimes a big loss or shocking event will color our world and drive down our enthusiasm for life and our engagement in it. Other times, the sheer accumulation of small daily upsets, frustrations, and disappointments lead to disengagement from life. Life becomes tedious – something to be endured.
What is the secret? How do we get up out of dullness and discouragement into a happier place?
The biggest trick is to be able to *notice* when we are feeling less than our best! When we are “used to” the dullness, it seems normal. It seems like real life. In fact, it amounts to trying to live a happy and productive life while carrying around a heavy wet blanket on top of us.
Even small upsets and disappointments can drag us down eventually. As too many frustrations pile up we may begin to feel buried under the weight of them.
While we know that Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR), is excellent for successfully addressing big traumas, what about the pesky “little stuff”? Is it really worth addressing?
Many of the Life Stress Reduction Techniques (taught in the two second-level workshops: TIR – Expanded Applications and Life Stress Reduction) provide the means to quickly and efficiently address the many things that – short of a full-blown trauma – can sap the fun and joy from life.
Little daily upsets and frustrations? Yes.
Discouragements and disappointments? Yes.
Sometimes in addressing these things we encounter a surprisingly significant end point. Other times, we just feel the tension, tedium, and annoyance drain out of these small things, leaving us lighter and brighter, more energetic and optimistic.
Is it worth doing this work? Only you can tell. Is life a fun and engaging adventure? Do you look forward to your daily activities with pleasure? If not, try some Life Stress Reduction for a new lease on life.
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