The Bright Side and the Dark Side of Rabbit Holes
So what does it mean to go down the rabbit hole ? And what is the bright side and the dark side of it ? As confusing as it sounded at first to me, it has a very deep meaning. ‘Down the rabbit hole’ refers to a situation that is strange, confusing, or illogical, and often hard to escape from. It is kind of like having tunnel vision. So, in this article I will be discussing the bright and the dark side of such a vision, and how positive people deal with it.
When vision becomes Tunnel vision
Having a vision is a powerful tool. It means that you are honouring your goals, aspiring towards them, and taking risks to expand your horizons. But sometimes our visions for ourselves subtly turn into tunnel vision. We can’t see anything that contradicts our intentions and desires. We get selective perception, which limits our ability to remain open and to see things clearly. Instead of being present to our reality, we put the blinders on and barrel ahead towards our hopes and dreams.
There is a negative side to almost every positive thing we can do for ourselves, including having a vision. All spiritual and psychological tools can be used in a “willful” way. For example, sometimes self-care is actually about taking care of ourselves: unplugging from too much work and plugging into more balance and harmony. But sometimes, in the form of self-care, we are really just checking out: denying what’s happening and how scary it feels to show up for it. So, how do we know the difference ?
Losing sight of Bigger picture…
Tension is the red flag that crops up when we are stuck in the tunnel. It takes a lot of effort to keep the blinders on. For me, the tension often shows up in the form of headache. For others, there might be similar physical cues such as stomach or backaches, feeling lethargic, or getting sick. Some people find themselves to be more irritable or short tempered. When we aren’t looking at the bigger picture of our reality, our emotional bandwidth tends to shrink. This happens because everything becomes limited in the tunnel, not just our vision. I don’t know about you, but when I am stuck in a tunnel, I become cranky. What are your personal cues that suggest you might be denying aspects of reality?
Of course, there are reasons that we aren’t looking at the big picture. Many of them boil down to fear. “What if I leave this relationship and I’m alone forever?” “What if I open this piece of mail and find out that I owe more money then I have in the bank?” “What if I take this job and I never get to work professionally in the job of my dreams?” Our response to these fears can be “No thanks, I’ll stay here in the tunnel, where it feels safe.” And we clamp down even harder.
The bright side of the tunnel…
If you are still with me on this tunnel metaphor, here is where it gets good. If you have driven through a tunnel yourself, you must have seen as you drive that you move from a cold and dark, fear-filled tin can, and out into a picture postcard. Let that experience be your teacher and your inspiration. When we move through small and contained ideas of what we think will keep us safe, we are brought to extraordinary and expansive beauty. It’s truly breathtaking. Removing the blinders is like seeing in color for the first time. Tunnel vision is rigid and constraining, while remaining open is fluid and liberating.
Moving out of the tunnel is about finding clarity ultimately. Even if it feels terrifying, at least it is true. And reality begets more reality, and the opportunity to make it the best reality you can. I’m not saying that you have to give up on the dream, but you do have to face what is actually going on instead of living in a fantasy. Keep showing up for the life you are envisioning, but do it by starting from where you actually are.
