"You can't numb selectively"

Some feelings are just so uncomfortable we doing anything to try avoid/numb them...

Some feelings are so uncomfortable. It's difficult to sit with them and allow them to be. I can be tempted to distract myself or numb myself - through food, work, exercise, shopping, alcohol, gaming, television, whatever works. However, when I do this I also deny myself the pleasurable emotions. It's more difficult to feel happy, excited, joyful or fulfilled. 

There have been times when I have felt overwhelmed by emotional pain, so it made sense to numb - it allowed me to cope. I did not know how to manage those emotions. What I didn't know then, but have subsequently found out, is that managing emotions is a skill - and can be taught. Once I learned I was able to tolerate difficult emotions like grief, loss, or rejection. 

This resulted in feeling more intense joy and delight. I think now that our feelings are like sweet and sour; the one refreshes the palate for the other. I know this is not big news, but it can be tough to live it. To tolerate emotional discomfort. 

When I am tempted to numb I try to remember that diminishment is across the board. When I choose to avoid feeling I am choosing a sort of death. For me the point of being alive is to feel.