Definition (mine): operating on ‘numb’ is going through the motions, knowing what’s happening around you but later, realizing you were not engaged though you managed to do what was ‘necessary’. Long definition but I felt I needed a more thorough description for you to understand what I am saying. Point – do you find yourself in those kinds of times? If you don’t… this is indeed rare and I envy you because I find that when I hit ‘very tired’ mentally and spiritually, my default is numb. The problem is that I lose the richness of what’s happening – now.
Do not misunderstand and consider numb as a ‘bad’, it is more of an… ‘is’. However, numb can last far too long and have far reaching implications that we may not consider when we find ourself… in numb-land. Mundane example: in coming out of the numb fog you realize you have obligated yourself to (fill in the blank) and now you need to follow through on this but you aren’t ready. It doesn’t really matter that you were in your fog, what do you do – try and extricate yourself? Try to fulfill the commitment? Ignoring this may be even worse.
If you find yourself in ‘numb’- land, what do you do? Do you have an exit plan? First – do you understand how you got in this state? I am totally convinced that if you haven’t determined how you got there then you are doomed to repeat it. Being the introspective type, I immediately default to this life approach. I need to know what was happening that translated into me numbing it down. Obviously I don’t want to repeat it but it’s critical for me to understand the why.
I may have been tired but that rarely is a sufficient reason/excuse.
Irrelevant discussion? Possibly. But remember that it is the ‘ordinary’, the ‘mundane’, the supposedly ‘irrelevant’ that have significant implications for how we live our lives. They may need even more attending to than the ‘surprising’, ‘exciting’, ‘challenging’, etc. times. If you think about it a moment, those ‘lesser’ influences (determine? enhance? detract?) far more to the alertness and extent of the the more desired times. Yes? Never underestimate your numb times because they may be attempting to teach you some valuable lessons for your future.
