What are problems?

"Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines." -Robert Schuller

Problems are a voice. They are those things that tell us something is amiss. Something in us is hurting, we have suffered some level of trauma, there is a foreign invader etc. It's the same thing physically. When we are sick it is a sign that either our immune system is unable to function correctly (perhaps because we haven't been sleeping as needed, eating well, we're stressed, etc.) and/or because there is a foreign invader that's more powerful than our immune system- whether strong or weak, such as a virus or bacteria.

We often become aware of a problem, and feel some amount of distress. For example, I may notice myself reacting to something with anxiety and think, "Oh, why do I always get so anxious, this isn't that big of a deal, I need to get rid of this anxiety, etc., etc. My client may find out her son is addicted to pornography and think, "Oh, no we've got to get rid of this addiction." While it makes perfect sense that we want to remove the problem, it is helpful to recognize that these "problems" are signs that something needs attending to. Once we are able to understand the source of our negative cycles, addictions, problems (call them what you will), and begin healing at the source, the undesired behaviors or emotional reactions naturally take care of themselves. Once we've done the mortal response, of panicking, to a problem, practice the awareness that this problem is a sign of something deeper, it's not who I am, and begin to search for resources that will help you to gain access to what's going on under the problem. We can than be grateful for our problems. They have helped us to better understand ourselves, and what we truly need.