You Are Not a Problem to be Fixed.
Updated: Feb 16, 2022
The sentence: You are not a problem to be fixed, doesn't have a one size fits all response. I struggled with finding a fix to this problematic statement.
After contemplation, there is none. It's case by case.
Sometimes you are a body that needs rest or movement; a nervous system that needs down regulation, a feeling that needs to be felt, but there is never one response.
I understand why so many cling to this diagnose/fix model of life. If there is a problem, you label it, find a solution, and it ends. Many yearn for an ending to their suffering, grief, anxiety, depression, sadness, or pain.
What if the yearning for it to end is the reason why it's hanging around so long?
These problems are signals. They are asking to be felt, heard, seen, and more important, understood. Why are they presenting? What do they need? How long do they need it?
The answers to those questions don’t come in a person or purchase. The answers to those questions require depth. The answers to those questions change.
The diagnose/fix model gives people false comfort. It offers the illusion of an ending. Often, the solution to the problem causes a different problem, creating a cycle. As creatures of habit, we become comfortable in the cycle, feeling weird if we aren’t constantly seeking a problem to fix.
My experience with the diagnose/fix model stems from a young age. I was diagnosed with several mental illnesses and prescribed various psych meds from the age of 10. In my late 20's I realized the diagnose/fix model was harming me, and began seeking alternative methods and exploring my options.
I learned how to stop attacking my body and brain. Instead, I choose to witness and explore. Your sacred system wants to be your friend. It wants to have open and effective communication. It is not meant to be ”shut up" by purchasing something to poison it or doing something to numb or distract from the message.
If you are interested in starting the journey away from viewing yourself as a problem to be fixed, or beginning to understand how the diagnose/fix model is harming you and everyone in your life, let’s work together.
Some songs that you can listen to while contemplating this: The Deconstruction: The Eels
