4 Comments

Hey, Michael. Thanks for sharing. Just curious...maybe there was more to this than fear? Maybe your deep intuition was trying to communicate with you. This perspective may be too woo woo for some, but sometimes we need to pause, explore and listen to our gut instincts. I think we get so caught up in moving forward that we ignore the communications coming from within.

Expand full comment

Thanks Betsy.

So, since this happened, I've discovered that I have a lot of fear - like a LOT of fear - around meeting new people, going new places, being away from the safety and comfort of my apartment... all kinds of issues...

And in the best way possible, canceling this trip opened my eyes to the fact that I have these fears and I'm not doing anything about it! So now, over the next few months (or however long it takes), I'm committing to start small, and start doing things on my own, in my own town, that interest me, excite me, etc. So that I can slowly tackle some of these fears, and build up to where traveling to a new city to meet a friend for the first time in person maybe won't feel so overwhelming, anymore...

And I don't think I would've had that realization if I had just pushed through and gone to California. I think instead, I would've had an awkward and emotionally taxing time, and it could have made it worse instead of opening the door to hopefully make things better.

Expand full comment

Michael,

I recently listened to a fascinating podcast of the Tim Ferriss show with Dr David Spiegel (April 10). These are his credentials: "Dr Spiegel is Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Center on Stress and Health, and Medical Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he has been a member of the academic faculty since 1975.

Plus he's someone who's great to listen to, warm and funny and knowledgeable...He champions hypnosis for so many of the habits and emotions that don't serve us well at all. His retelling of patient cases is fascinating (there's a science and an art to hypnosis the way he practices)

I hope this gets you a little curious about listening to the podcast

All my best wishes ~

Expand full comment

Thanks Nicole. I think I've heard of Dr. Spiegel before (at least, the name sounds familiar). I'm definitely gonna check that out!

Expand full comment