Catharsis

There is a certain unique peace that one achieves from releasing oneself from an emotional burden that they have been holding on to for too long. That sense of relief is known as catharsis. It can be a beautiful thing to experience and from the many times I have achieved it, I can say from personal experience that the clarity of mind that catharsis brings with it is second to none. However, that's not what I'm going to talk about in this entry. I'm going to talk more about the tangential aspects of catharsis, and one in particular. I guess I'll just start off with the main topic and that's the ripple effect that can sometimes come with catharsis. In order to better illustrate what I'm talking about, I'm going to once again use an example from my personal life. Recently I had a conversation with someone in my life, it was an awkward and difficult conversation to be sure, and I will admit regret for the timing of when I brought it up, but the purpose of the whole affair was to achieve catharsis. More specifically, it was for my own desire of it. There had been something bothering me and I needed to get it off my chest, this was a cathartic experience for me in the truest sense, but looking back I regret it. I regret it because I suspect that in taking an emotional burden off of myself, I very well may have placed another on someone else. It's entirely possible that what allowed myself to sleep well may have deprived the other individual of what would have otherwise been a good nights sleep for them. That wasn't fair of me and I believe it's important to admit such things to ourselves if we truly wish to grow. Now it's a definite possibility that I'm overthinking the whole matter, and that my cathartic experience didn't have any particularly strong ripple effect, but exploring the possibility that it could have is an important aspect to inspect. Ripple effects can be powerful, even if we don't realize it at the time. I would find it deeply troubling if my peace of mind came at the expense of that of someone else. Still, like I said, I don't know for sure if that's the case or not so it's not worth fretting over at the moment. Moving back to the matter at hand which would be the tangential aspects of catharsis. I firmly believe that when we hold on to burdens, we are essentially running a marathon with weights tied to our ankles. There's nothing more crucial than to unchain ourselves from such baggage if we want to be the most efficient and whole version of ourselves. When I have matters weighing heavily on my heart, I find that the best course of action is to address such matters as promptly as possible because if nothing is done, what might seem to be a minor inconvenience could quickly transform into a major obstacle to progress. Sometimes I'm prone to acting hastily and it is in these instances of coming to understand that I'm burdened that I'm very likely to act with just such haste. I will move as quickly as I can to undo the ropes around my ankles and release myself from the extra weight. While this would be regarded as a healthy practice by most, my most recent experience that I just detailed was a poignant reminder that such actions aren't always the best course of action. None the less, I can't debate the results. I slept well that night, I truly did, and that's the power of catharsis. Putting regret aside for the moment, it should be said that sometimes it is necessary to throw concern for others to the wayside, as long as it means that you are truly doing what is best for yourself. That may sound selfish in some respects, but I believe I had mentioned at one point that I don't believe selfishness is necessarily always a horrible thing. Ultimately at the end of the day we are only looking out for one person and that is ourselves, so if releasing ourselves from an emotional burden is what feels necessary, maybe we should not think so much and just do what we believe is best in the immediate sense. I would say it's pretty obvious that I tend to over think everything into oblivion, and this blog would be a pretty good testament to that. It's precisely because of this that I know I need to repeat the mantra to myself as often as possible: "get out of your own head". In my most recent pursuit of catharsis, I did just that. While I may regret the possibility that I caused another to be troubled, it is no less important to recognize that through the process I achieved peace of mind, ease of heart, and rest of body. In that arena, I have no regret. Another tendency I have, is to overcompensate for the sake of others, particularly their feelings, and this is another trait that wouldn't necessarily be a terrible thing to abandon in certain circumstances. Once again, that may sound cruel, but once again, we are all looking out for ourselves at the end of the day, correct? Being empathetic is important, and I will be most sure to never let go of that aspect of my nature, to be clear. However empathy isn't pertinent to every single situation. Some circumstances require us to be cold and blunt, that's one of the many simple truths of life. If being cold and blunt will allow you to sleep better at night, then perhaps that's exactly what you should be. I think I've rambled enough about myself so I'll go back to the central topic. On Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, it could definitely be argued that Catharsis would fall under the category of "self actualization" which is the last need on the pyramid. That is to say that catharsis would fall under a need that one seeks once all of their more basic requirements have been met. That being said, I don't think that should lead anyone to believe that it is less important than having food in your stomach or a roof over your head. While those needs are immediate and certainly not optional, the need for emotional balance is no less crucial. It's just less immediate and more one of the things that we should strive to achieve in the long run. That is catharsis. It is release, it is peace, it is being able to say that it feels good to set down a weight that you have been holding on to for far too long. If you are holding on to any such weight, I would advise you to put it down. I would advise you to unchain yourself and let the serenity of catharsis wash over you, cleansing your spirit and mind, and allowing you to move forward with your life.