hungry ghost
A state of craving; a constant sensation of hunger despite fervent attempts to satiate your appetite; nothing is ever enough
You’re scrolling on social media, jumping from one hit of stimulation to the next. You’re browsing and shopping. You immediately get tired of that new thing you so coveted before it got here. You forget what you bought online because you’ve already moved on to the next thing. You’re in a constant state of seeking, and never having; searching, and never arriving.
There’s nothing wrong with seeking out the new; curious, intelligent people tend to crave novelty.
But when does it tip over into a chronic sense of dissatisfaction? When does it feel like empty calories? Snacking when you’re really craving for a full meal? How does technology feed into these natural urges in an unhealthy way?
When has the hungry ghost in you taken over?
When you’re in a chronic state of overstimulation
Many highly sensitive people, trying to keep up with the pressures of a fast-paced world, are often in a state of chronic hyperarousal. This can feel like restlessness, irritability, aggression, mind racing; or when slowing down and doing nothing feels bad or wrong, attempting to relax only feels even more taxing.
And it feels like things are only speeding up — 24/7 news cycles, always-on cultures at work, technology making us always accessible and allowing us to access a myriad of energies with a swipe or a scroll. We don’t even really think about it, it’s just become a way of life.
But it does take a toll. Our nervous systems can only handle so much stimulation before it tips over into overstimulation. When we push ourselves to function and take in information at such speeds and intensity, we can only tolerate that state for so long before we start creeping into burn out.
Tired but wired, our brains crave for even more stimulation to keep us going in that state. So, even though what we really need is rest, tech breaks, a proper vacation — we keep stuffing down more and more, yet never feeling like it’s enough. We’re just never satisfied.
In that state, we don’t notice the simple pleasures. A quiet morning. Birdsong. Just being with what we already have, and what we’ve worked so hard for, already here. Peace.
Waiting for our attention.
When our systems feel like it’s in survival mode, who really has time for simple pleasures? Simple pleasures seem to serve no practical need or purpose.
There are many reasons why we might even choose to live in that state. Fear is one. Sometimes quiet feelings seem too threatening. It’s been so long since we checked under the hood, that we’re afraid to find out what lies underneath. We’re afraid to challenge those beliefs that whisper “If you slow down, you’ll lose out. You’re just lazy. You’re nothing and no one if you’re not productive. If you stop, you’ll never achieve anything.”
So we keep going.
Sometimes it doesn’t feel like choice at all, but just what we’ve known for our whole lives. (Enter complex PTSD.)
Until, one day, we just… can’t anymore. Often, unwillingly. Bodies break down. Illness comes. Depression pulls you under.
But you don’t have to wait for that state to come. You can put your phone down and ask yourself. What am I avoiding? What’s the feeling I’ve been trying not to feel? What happens when I allow myself to fully feel it? To stay with it? To water it with the soft rain of compassion, even if it makes you feel… small, weak and vulnerable?
Imagine a world where you can slow down, and you miss out on nothing. Nothing that’s truly meant for you, anyway. How would that feel?
Because that is our birthright. When we allow ourselves to slow down to receive, we allow ourselves to feel full, finally. Or we just allow ourselves to feel, period.
We can relearn how to feel. All is not lost, it’s never too late.
