She was dying to tell her husband the good news about her piece of writing that had received rave reviews and was waiting for him to come home from office, trying to distract herself by playing with the TV remote. The bell rang just then and she almost ran to open the door; but before she could open her mouth and he could even step in, they started talking, all three of them – her in-laws and her son. All clamoring for his attention, all talking at the same time. Her son, she could handle, he was still little, but what about them? They were grown-ups after all and they could wait right? Sigh!
Once again she gave up and walked into the kitchen to make some tea for all. She had to wait her turn, which probably would never come; and if it did, the news would not hold any of the charm or the newsworthiness any more.
This was not the first time this was happening in her life. Her friends would tell her to accept it, that was life with the in laws, they would say, but she always had a tough time accepting it; more so maybe because they would be here off and on, a ritual that was not conducive for her to form a habit of accepting.
She had to get a grip on this and do something to end her suffering, she thought. Let me work on it the next time they are here, she thought.
That time came very soon – in the next two months. The moment she heard the ‘news’ that they were coming, she did not cringe. She let it bounce off her ears. She did not let it reach her. When she got some free time for herself, she went to her favorite bean bag and plonked on that, closed her eyes, pulled out that big fat needle and gave herself a mental anesthesia that would last for a couple of months till they were here.
The next time they were here, Shuchita went about her life like she would normally. No internal fights, no stress, no anxiety, and no frustration.
She had discovered a tool to end her mental and emotional suffering. She called it mental anesthesia.
Long ago, she had found out that she did not have a thick skin and would get worked up at the slightest hint. Much later she found out something worse, that she did not have any control over what the world said or how people behaved. And even later she discovered that when she let ‘what someone said or did’ bother her, she was the only one who suffered, not anyone else.
She had enough examples and incidents in her life to prove that she indeed was not blessed with a thick skin – her bosses in her life, her friends who sidelined her for no rhyme or reason (seemingly), her colleagues, that wretched neighbor and of course her in-laws.
But so what! Forget thick skin; she had Mental Anesthesia. It was a tool of her own making. She injected herself (mentally) with this syringe in her head and that stopped her from mental suffering. This tool comes with an expiry date and has to be used again on expiry. The best part is that Shuchita does not hold a patent to this and is open to lending it to anyone who is in dire need.
How to use Mental Anesthesia?
Just close your eyes, visualize a situation that may have the potential to get you worked up, and inject this syringe into your head, all mentally, not physically. It is all about the power of visualizing that many books talk about. And it works. In any situation, you’d want to work it in. Anyone can use it; again, it is not a physical or real thing, but a mental thing.
We can’t choose our family, we can choose friends and jobs (but not bosses); neither can we choose to possess thick skin. In such cases, try and use this tool and see the difference.
The power of the mind is amazing; it is up to you to use it.
What Shuchita discovered was a major learning in her life. You could too.
PS: Currently, Shuchita is trying it in her office – and it is working hugely for her happiness.
Image Courtesy.
