Have any emotional thorns?

Emotional thorns. Have you ever heard of them?

Writer Sue Patton Thoele in The Woman's Book of Confidence introduced me to the concept. She wrote:

"If we get a thorn in our finger, our natural response is to pull it out—to eliminate the source of pain. Yet how many of us allow emotional thorns to embed themselves in us without ever acknowledging that we have the right to pull them out? Emotional thorns run the gamut from a relationship that is detrimental to our self-esteem to regret or guilt over something we did or that was done to us. Left unattended, emotional thorns can fester and acutely infect our attitudes."

Ever had that happen? I have. It takes a while to recognize the thorn. And sometimes it's difficult to know just how to remove it. At times, the emotional thorn involves more than one simple issue; it can be several connected parts of our life. For example, you might experience workplace problems that also affect your close relationships—and, of course, affect your financial stability. So removing the thorn isn't so simple.

Do whatever you are able to do to eliminate the pain. Or reduce the effects of the obstacle. If all you can do is reframe the issue and change your attitude, that too constitutes thorn-removal.

Please contact me if you have an emotional thorn you want to remove, reduce or reframe. I would be happy to set up a complimentary, no-obligation strategy consultation with you.