Photo by Abigail Lynn on Unsplash
Phil saw his shadow again so we can expect six more weeks of winter. This annual tradition focuses us on the groundhog and a prediction about the length of winter, but we can look a little deeper to discover our own shadow which many want to avoid. Do you recall the movie Groundhog Day when Bill Murray wakes up each morning to the same day? That’s how I feel at times in my practice- different patients, same problems. I often get frustrated when people choose not to change and remain stuck in their dysfunctional patterns. Maybe they see their shadow and decide to hibernate a little longer in the hole. Maybe facing their fears and anxieties are so overwhelming that doing nothing is more comfortable than change. Do you know people like that? Maybe that person is you. Retreating to your hole may seem more comfortable in the short run, but in the long run it is way more painful. Let me make a suggestion. Acknowledge your fears/anxieties and make a change in spite of them. We gain power through action and lose power through inaction. Emerge from your shadow of fear, decide to change for 2009, and reap the power of change!