The Play vs Work Conundrum
Dealing with the Internal Oppressor
Often people think the desire to go play and drop all their cares means they have to take time off or quit working an unsatisfactory job.
This can create despair if you don't see a way to take time off or quit your job.
Memories of childhood play activate a nostalgic longing to return to the few short years in which we didn't give one single rat's ass about other people's opinions.
We were free to "be" without judgment or should-ing or a pressurized sense of wasting time.
If the Internal Oppressor existed at that time we certainly didn't follow its instructions.
This catch-22 of longing for joyful freedom but needing an income can sink us into a sorrowful sea of self-pity.
It can lead to thinking that running our own business (when we're woefully lacking in business skills) is the way out. This can lead to spending scads of money on courses we can't use effectively because there is a whole other skillset we need first; see business skills above. #multipledumpstersofdebt
It can fuel gambling addictions to try and win financial freedom so we can go play. It can create addictions that help us go numb to the agony of such a wretched conundrum.
I'll ask you to consider one alternative.
What if the desire to play and feel free and all the memories fueling achey longing that leads to eating a whole sleeve of saltine crackers and butter is a misinterpretation of Body's language?
Follow me here for a few minutes.
Body needs relief from the Internal Oppressor's constant nagging because it's creating a whole host of unpleasantries.
The best images that match “relief” are memories related to when life was easy and light and creative af.
Body needs easy and light and creative af so it sends a Memory Memo to Mind.
Mind, being a babbling Border Collie, misses the point entirely and wastes time chasing her own tail while spinning tales of woe about why we can't have it.
Heart generates sadness, frustration, resentment, etc. as a follow-up Memo that says, “This situation is awfully off-kilter! Now we all feel like wet kale on burnt toast. I'm telling you by “sending” this Emotion Memo - pay attention!”
We don't have to quit our jobs, jump into business building before we're ready, or any of that.
This is a classic both/and situation cured only by activating dialectical thinking. To do that we have to back up and observe ourselves a little.
When we notice memories popping up or repeatedly noticing other people playing we can move into metaphor and analogy through questions…
Hmm. I’m a miserable twat waffle lately, I wonder why?
Ok, I'm remembering a lot of childhood things that were fun. I keep feeling a little jealous that my neighbors are taking another vacation. Every time I drive past the school I'm noticing the kids are outside playing.
But I can't go play or take a vacation right now and so I feel like shit.
Wait…I wonder what else these memories and patterns of noticing might mean?
What's the essence of play?
How did I feel when I played?
What was happening during play? What happens on vacation?
What wasn't happening during play? What's not happening on vacation?
Ask as many questions as you can possibly think of. Mind maps are excellent for this, too.
Continue when you've asked and answered them all.
If I summed up the essence or the heart of all this in ONE word what would it be? And all y'all cheaters who insist on adding more than one word: don't. One word limits Mind messing this up.
Examples:
Joyful. Free. Relaxed. Easy. Allowed. BEing. Open. Expansive. Present. Aware. Love. Content. Oneness. Wordless. Sensing. Embodied.
Body needs and is requesting the essence of one of those.
It's asking for the essence, the energy of the thing, in the only language it has - Memory Memos and sometimes Dream Scenarios.
It says - what we need, what this situation needs, what this relationship needs is “like this.”
Mind interprets the Memo literally.
Heart lets Mind know it has misunderstood the Memo.
Compassionate Curiosity makes space for Questions which Mind adores by the way. All of these crap feelings have created a - hell yeah - puzzle to solve!
Questions create space for dots to connect, insights to arise, and then light bulbs can start popping.
Find the Essence.
Immediately fill yourself with that Energy.
Cut out the Mind middleman and tune your energy to PLAY. This solves the real need which is to be set free from the Internal Oppressor. It's the energetic answer to your prayers.
When you're free of the pressure you can tune yourself to the Energy and this is what is meant by “ask and it is [immediately] given.” This attunement amplifies magnetism for more of that Essence to show up.
Your Body was asking to stop the pressure, the critical self-talk, the grind because it directly impacts the well-being of our physical vehicles.
Just like Body engages chemical messaging systems to activate white blood cells and address injuries or attacks, it activates memory or dream imagery messaging systems to address when the Internal Oppressor has been given too much power for too long and the system is really suffering.
And, ironically enough, this practice of several times a day attuning to the essence serendipitously leads you to time for actual play and IRL vacations that you initially thought you couldn't have!
Got it?
Hold more space for yourself to ask more questions.
Find the Essence and attune to it FREQUENTLY!
Get ready to have fun no matter what you’re doing!
XO,
LMW
I needed this reminder. Thank you, Michelle! My one word is Freedom. Of course, it is. It aligns with my manifestor aura. It's also the theme of my 5 Personal Year.