A lot of us like to armchair diagnose ourselves - "I'm so OCD." "I think I have generalized anxiety disorder." "Depression runs in my family and I have the gene."
And if you look at, listen to, read our popular media, much of it plays into our inkling that we are deficient, flawed, or less than. I've had many clients want affirmation from me when they says things like, "Aren't I sick?" or "I'm really f'ed up, aren't I?"
I want to say, no, no, no. Don't say that to yourself. This lens of sickness and diagnosis, these words that put you in a definition, are most often self-created prisons that prevent us from experiencing the reality of our lives.
What would be like if we all would take time to imagine that we might already be whole and healthy. That there is a healthy "you" just waiting to be discovered and allowed to interact with the world. I really believe that mostly, the whole person, the whole spirit, the healthy version of us already exists within us. We do possess the inner wisdom of who that person is - that's why it feels so uncomfortable when that version of ourselves isn't able to engage in life. What we most need is courage to let that healthy version of ourselves emerge. Our healthy selves can make others around us feel judged or threatened, because they aren't ready to be healthy yet. We must overcome our need to sacrifice ourselves to make other people feel comfortable. We can be our healthy selves in loving ways in the world and it can give other people courage to do the same.
Yep. That's the Buddhist's way, as well.
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