That's a very interesting way of looking at it, Lee. Thank you for sharing it.

Often we do find ourselves evoking the feelings we learned early, no matter how unpleasant, just because they're familiar. (For me, hunger feels familiar and good. It's something I remember from my childhood, and so it's familiar and feels safe.)

So, GL, here's another assignment for you: find a new feeling. Explore it.

Here's even a suggestion for you:

You've posted numerous times now about people being against you, right? GG has posted some good advice to you, and I've posted to you a number of times, I hope showing that I'm not against you. I have a lot of respect and admiration for GG, and think some people might feel I have something to offer, too. So you've got two smart women posting supportively to you. What does that feel like for you? Don't just think in terms of 'good' or 'cool' or anything easy like that. Think, "it's a warm feeling, centered around my lower rib cage, kinda like the muscles there are loosening a bit after being tense for a long time. At the same time, though, it's unfamiliar, so I feel some anxiety about it, which I feel mostly in my shoulders.." Or whatever it is for you. (I was thinking how I would feel if someone like GG wrote something nice about me here. That's about what it feels like when I imagine it.)

Go on. How does that unfamiliar feeling feel to you?