Seeking Attention

Any illness we experience is there to add weight and substance to our journey through life. We experience illness for one of two reasons. The first is that is allows us time to reflect, time to rest, and time to discover the epicentre within which is giving rise to our experience.

You see, illness is a message. The message is that something deep inside is shouting and screaming at you for attention and that something has been suppressed so far down that it has become part of you, part of your structure and part of your personality. It was never meant to be part of you but has become so because you made extraordinary efforts to hide it away from view and discovery.

The message is that this part of you needs a voice, needs expression, needs to be heard. You have the choice to remain ignorant of the cause and continue with the experience of an illness as it becomes chronic and debilitating and greatly affects your quality of life. The other choice is to uncover the epicentre and find the willingness to view that which scares you and eventually let it go. The illness will not be far behind.

The second reason is that the illness continues because it adds value to your circumstance. Your choice here is to maintain it simply because it brings you attention. Having attention from others is a very powerful motivator and one I have experienced myself. The epicentre may be the same but we choose to use the pain in a different way. We choose to grasp the illness, constantly waving it in people’s faces hoping to command their sympathy. Eventually, people will see through the deception and decide to vacate your presence because your cloak persistently billows with negativity and pessimism.

The only solution for the second reason is to be willing to realise that you are the problem. The problem is not between you and your family, or you and your friends, or you and your neighbours. The problem is between you and you. It is your perception that needs shifting, shifting away from other people and onto yourself. Look hard within and sift through the hidden snippets of your life and open up.