Why Suffering is the Smoke Alarm for Your Life

Suffering, in itself, is not a bad thing. Suffering is just a smoke alarm for our lives.

The purpose of suffering is to let us know: "Hey, something is off. There's something that you need to take a look at."

Now whether you decide to go around your house and look for the source of the blaring, or instead pull the batteries out because the sound is bothersome and let your house burn down, is up to you. But the smoke alarm is trying to get you to pay attention.

As women, we too often default to taking the batteries out of our alarms instead of heeding the call and putting out the fire. 

We sacrifice and suppress our own needs and attempt to take care of everyone else’s. 

We swallow our anger and/or our truth rather than risk getting into a conflict. 

We take on more work and responsibilities when our plates are already overflowing. 

We ignore our bodies which are screaming at us for rest and play and continue to push through.

And then we wake up and wonder, “Wasn’t life meant to be more beautiful than this?”

Ignoring the alarms is a form of self-abandonment. Little by little, bit by bit, this leads us to construct our own prisons and then we don't know how to find a way out. It leads to overwhelm, burnout, stress, anxiety, depression, and a sense of powerlessness and hopelessness.

Healing begins when we begin heeding the alarm and look for the source of the smoke. 

What is amiss in my life?

What am I pretending not to know?

What do I need to face off with?

If you want to live a life that feels balanced, fulfilling, and joyful, this is where it starts. It begins with you trusting yourself. It begins with acknowledging your intuition and honoring your fundamental needs. It begins with believing you're worthy of taking up space, renegotiating boundaries, and making requests. With prioritizing yourself so you can give from the overflow over your saucer rather than letting everyone else drain your cup. 

So this month, ask yourself:

In what areas of my life is my internal smoke alarm going off?

When have I been taking out the batteries and what have I been avoiding?

What coping mechanisms (wine, work, people pleasing, exercise, shopping, daydreaming about the future, staying busy, or [insert your coping strategy here]) have I been leaning on to dull what I know to be true?

Where are there embers and where are there full blown fires that I need to put out?

Because here’s the thing... 

The suffering, when we put out the fire, leads to rebirth and regeneration. It leads to burning what is no longer true enough and making room for something more beautiful to emerge. 

So stop taking out the batteries and start trusting yourself. 

I’m with you on the journey to rebuild a truer, more authentic, more aligned version of you.

Emma x