Listen to the Noise

I’ve written much about ignoring the noise and viewing with prejudice. But sometimes the noise is valuable, and it can be trying to tell us something. Whatever you want to call it— the gut feeling, sixth sense, intuition, or voice in the background, it can hold important information.

When you’re feeling conflicted or frustrated, that can be a good thing because that’s when change happens. It doesn’t happen when everything is rosy. Sometimes it takes getting fed up.

You’ll grow if you ask what your emotions are trying to tell you. This is key because, when we use general statements about symptoms as in “I’m stressed,” it just pushes the message of the feelings aside and doesn’t consider the cause. Anxiety or stress might have a more specific message that can propel you forward. For example, “I’m resentful because I’m the only person among my siblings doing any caregiving for my parents. I need more help and support. I want each of my siblings to commit to two shifts a week.”

By tuning in to the message of the emotion, you can achieve clarity and make better decisions. Like the snowball melt, writing things down can be helpful. Putting the message on trial and deciding how the evidence weighs will determine if the message is legitimate, or the usual garbage that the brain creates due to its negativity bias.

Stuffing our feelings with food, alcohol or any other kind of self-medicating is not healthy. Repression leads to depression. That little voice needs to be respected and listened to. Yes, there can be a signal in the noise.