Imagine yourself getting dressed. You wrap yourself in bubble wrap.
This is how you go through your day. You drink your coffee, drop your kids at school, say good morning to your co-workers. You go about your day securely wrapped in a protective barrier.
Now we may not look this ridiculous when we leave our house, but for so many of us, buffering is a way of life. We numb the raw edges with a little cushion.
We buffer with False Pleasure. (not actual bubble wrap 🙂
In moderation pleasure is pleasurable and harmless.
Yet, a steady stream of pleasure (food, alcohol, caffeine, electronics, tv, social media, pinterest or shopping) can begin to rule your life.
Buffering is when we use external things to make us happy.
The thing of it is, society normalizes this behavior. It is built into our culture and very acceptable. It is super easy to live life and not even know you are buffering, although you recognize something is wrong.
Don’t worry! I am not judging you! (If you feel judged you are only judging yourself.)
I am only asking you to consider how you could be buffering your own emotions and missing out on your actual life.
And it’s not your fault!
Culture tells us:
You should go eat something.
Go buy something.
Do that activity.
Have FUN!
Seek pleasure.
We get a great dopamine hit when we do these things. So it must be good for us.
So what is the big deal?
The more we get the more we want. The more we eat, the more we eat. The more we drink, the more we drink.
We become a slave to pleasure. We feel entitled to have it all the time. And in today’s world, it is immediately available. And totally acceptable.
Buffering keeps us from fully experiencing our lives. We use it to hide from reality. We buffer to procrastinate. We buffer to avoid negative emotions.
What if life could be better? What if you didn’t have a steady stream of false pleasure, and life was actually more fulfilling? What might your marriage look like if you weren’t numbing away your hurts? What if you were no longer hiding behind false pleasure? What do you think is on the other side?
Great questions if I do say so myself! You think about it, and I will share more tomorrow!