Ask yourself why you do what you do. Why do you react that way…? Why do you withdraw or want to fight or throw yourself into anything else when faced with stress? Why do you feel the desire to fall back on behaviors & patterns you want to move from when you’re met with a certain situation? You can identify the root, but then you have to pull it. You can get caught up in trying to identify and find the source of your suffering and think when you’ve found it you’re done. Once you find the source & put your attention on it, it begins to dissipate. When you sit with it and work to understand what it’s trying to teach you it dissolves even more. This isn’t a one time process, you can return again and again to the same root source before it’s been dissolved and released. So be patient but continue to examine your actions & speech for self-understanding.

Unlearning problematic things takes time. So much is ingrained in us that we’re completely unaware of. Personal growth is a lengthy process that doesn’t have a defined end date. You’re not going to wake up and be “perfectly conscious” and never screw up. Every day you have to work at your consciousness. So try not to be so hard on yourself. When someone calls you out, try to remember that it’s ultimately for your benefit. Even though the experience can be embarrassing and painful. That person believes you can do better and you can. It’s not easy by a long shot, but it’s worth it.