ARE YOU IN A LOW-GRADE CRISIS?
Only some of us have had a major life crisis. But most of us experience frustration or dissatisfaction in life. Disatisfaction is a crisis in slow motion. This is a low-grade form of suffering that builds over time! But do we recognize this buildup happening in our lives? Are we missing this early opportunity to change?
Only a small percentage of people view their life as being ‘predominantly unsatisfactory’. Instead, they experience constant low-grade stress or inner turmoil. This can feel like a low-grade chronic crisis. It's like a crisis, in slow motion!
A bigger subgroup of people just lacks contentment and inner peace in their lives. They can’t find fulfillment & serenity. They just don’t understand the real meaning of life or their purpose in it.
CHRONIC SUFFERING IS AN UNRECOGNIZED CRISIS!
This chronic unease in our lives is an unrecognized crisis. This discontent is an underestimated problem in our personal lives. On a global scale this is potentially an epidemic! And yet this problem is not well recognized!
Another characteristic of this chronic state is that we feel empty inside. It’s like having a deep hole within that can’t be filled! There is no lasting happiness, or joy. Nothing adequately satisfies or fulfills us. We progressively get more dissatisfied, frustrated, and disillusioned. So many people live like this!
Chronic low-grade suffering can paradoxically also result in an over-sensitization. We then become hyper-sensitive to further small frustrations. Our exterior life situation might not even appear problematic to others.
IGNORING OUR SUFFERING COMES AT A COST.
This low-grade suffering also comes with another big cost! By holding back our deepest needs and desires, we waste precious time and energy. We surrender our life’s true mission or purpose in life! We miss critical opportunities to express ourselves and to blossom. And we don’t fulfill our true inner potential.
Our human lifetime is finite. Our health is unpredictable, and our energy is limited. Therefore, our productive time is short and should not be squandered. So, it’s important to recognize our chronic low-grade suffering and to apply the correct antidote.
…Can you see the long-term costs of ignoring your suffering?
CHRONIC DISTRESS IS AN INVISIBLE EPIDEMIC!
Chronic dissatisfaction is a low-grade epidemic that's spreading across our world. It has become endemic in modern society. But this is barely discernible in our busy lives unless we really focus our attention. All we might recognize is a low-grade feeling of discontent & futility. Or we might feel an inner emptiness or incompleteness in our lives.
As this continues, we become more frustrated and disillusioned. All this will build slowly and inevitably if we don’t change our ways. So many people live like this, and don't even realize!
In summary, living with low-grade constant stress & dissatisfaction is like a crisis ‘in slow motion’. This dissatisfaction produces a low-grade form of suffering, which gradually accumulates. This leads to more un-ease and eventually to disease or disorder in some form. At a personal level we might try to ignore this issue. But on the global scale, it’s a potential pandemic.
WE EASE OUR SUFFERING IN TEMPORARY WAYS.
We search for ways to compensate for our chronic dissatisfaction. We start with ways that are socially acceptable. But these do not help long term, because they don't address the core issue. We might, for example, promise ourselves a reward, such as taking a holiday. Or we might try other smaller treats. We might start a new personal relationship. But our physical pleasures only produce a temporary distraction. These strategies only temporarily ease our suffering.
…Are you relying on temporary distractions to get through the day?
WE GET ADDICTED TO INSTANT PLEASURE.
Certain behaviors and chemicals can provide an intense burst of instant pleasure. These can become addictive! There is a sharp spike and a transient ‘high’. But the peak of this sensation comes down very quickly. This leads us to crave even more of the same. This instant reward scenario is potentially addictive and tends to self-perpetuate. We can become stuck in a cycle of using temporary pleasure for comfort. Instead, we could be building long-lasting happiness!