“This too shall pass.” - Unknown author

Why should we work on ourselves? What is the ultimate goal of such work?

It’s simple: to achieve permanent happiness. Or at least, to become much happier than our “normal life” offers. Even if our reason is curiosity or spiritual drive for the Truth, that’s again sort of happiness.

One might say that there are so many other methods to become happy, at least for a while. You can be happy by falling in love, exercising, eating, playing football, talking with your best friend, or doing countless other things. But, the emphasis here is on “for a while.” It won’t last long enough. And when such happiness passes away, there comes its opposite – suffering of various kinds. But that’s kind of expected result. Falling in love or eating – that’s not inner work at all.

On the other hand, even the sincerest self-improvement work will bring about some amount of pain into our lives. These difficulties are often unexpected so that we can talk about the side effects of inner work.

What is the inner work in the first place? It is a broad and fuzzy term. Many teachers and practitioners differ significantly on its meaning; however, I will describe it as conscious effort invested into achieving an ultimate spiritual goal or psychological development, on a regular basis.

True inner work must be comprehensive. It should include investing efforts toward spiritual liberation, developing love and presence, fulfilling and harmonizing goals, doing psychological work, and adhering to ethical standards. Otherwise, the achieved happiness won’t last much. Or all achievements will be accompanied by a lot of suffering.

However, even when you think you have covered all these areas with your work, you will still suffer from time to time. That’s inevitable until you reach the final liberation, or Nirvana as Buddhists call it.
 
Difficulties of Meditation

Some of the approaches mentioned above are in fact paths to Pure Consciousness, or Presence – meditation sittings, mindfulness, self-inquiry…and they all are inevitably accompanied by many unpleasant side-effects.

Whether you are trying to experience Truth through the process of self-inquiry or to empty your mind and live in the here and now through some form of meditation and mindfulness, you will unavoidably encounter many difficulties along that way. You will be uncovering a lot of previously suppressed emotions, long-forgotten decisions, deep-rooted beliefs, traumatic childhood experiences, fears, resentment, or other hidden mind contents. Even if you are simply trying to wake up pure love in your heart, you will also meet various unpleasant reactions from within.
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During the meditation and mindfulness work your mind and body purify progressively. But there is a problem. As more and more layers of the subconscious mind are being removed, old, deeper structures that were mentioned above, emerge inevitably. As you are digging ever deeper into the microcosm of your psyche, any of these can be exposed to the light of your consciousness and triggered off unexpectedly.

These unconscious structures can appear in diverse ways. They might manifest within your mind or physical body, so you could, for example, become depressed, anxious, over-reactive, or even physically ill. But if you are very stable mentally and fit physically, these long-suppressed subconscious contents will instead emerge in the outside world. You may experience all kinds of troubles, such as sudden accidents, serious disputes with your loved ones, or even attacks by total strangers.

It’s like the stillness within is telling us: OK, you are able to remain calm during your meditation sittings, when you walk, or during your chores. But are you able to maintain your stillness in this situation?

Or: OK, you can feel deep love of these people in those circumstances. But is your love really that well-founded? Can you love this person in this situation?

And you get the challenge to deal with. Only when you become able to deal with them appropriately, such people and circumstances will not appear in your life anymore.
 
Difficulties of Goal Achievement Work

Generally speaking, work on goals is even trickier than meditation or mindfulness. For a goal or intention to be fully accomplished, it must be:
1) Determined,
2) Without much resistance from your other goals and various parts of your personality, and
3) To be “immersed” into the state of Presence or Pure Consciousness before its manifestation.

Therefore, you have to be very careful during any goal achievement work. Almost every goal carries with it a cluster of various desires, negative beliefs, emotions, and decisions, that are in fact obstacles to the goal’s manifestation. Also, there is always some amount of misalignment or disharmony with other important goals that you want to achieve or with many other parts of your personality. This conflict will produce friction and pain.

To attain the goal, most of these subconscious obstacles and all disharmonious tendencies must be removed peacefully, for example through some form of the Reintegration process.
 
Difficulties of Psychological Work

This is also a wide area. Psychoanalysis, Transpersonal psychology, Personality psychology, Transaction Analysis, NLP, Reintegration System, etc. – all have quite different approaches, but demand a lot of work anyway. Typically, these types of inner work are not about Pure Consciousness, nor achieving goals. They direct you toward the transformation or integration of various parts of your psyche. Still, they may also trigger numerous disturbing side-effects.

During such work, some aspects of personality are changing, realigning, or reconfiguring. There will be a lot of friction among them until a new mutual equilibrium is established. That friction unavoidably generates suffering, which can be expressed in many ways, too.
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Any kind of unexpected physical or emotional troubles may appear. All sorts of unpleasant experiences may arise in your external reality, in forms of aggressive people, sad events, dangerous accidents or anything else.

​“How are you doing?” That short and simple phrase is one that is both overused and underappreciated. However, do some soul searching and ask yourself that question sincerely. If your inner wellness could use a shot in the arm, there are little changes you can make to your mental and physical health routines that can spark big spiritual outcomes. 
 
Upgrade Your Sleep Environment
 
While our dream lives can be interesting, we often give little credit to our slumber. Sleep actually offers important mental and physical health benefits, such as better problem-solving ability, improved mood, maintaining a healthy weight, and stronger immunity. Without enough sleep, we can experience brain fog, unstable emotions, reduced productivity, and increased stress levels. Simply enhancing your sleep environment can mean getting better sleep, reduced stress, and improved quality of life. If your shut-eye could use improvement, think about adding blackout window treatments to keep the room dark, add sound-dampening insulation for quieter nights, and adjust the room temperature for optimal comfort. 
 
Amp Up Meditation
 
Are you engaged in a regular meditation practice? Psychology Today cites research indicating that meditation can produce significant positive changes in health and well-being. It’s a tremendous stress-reduction technique that offers measurable outcomes, such as lowered blood pressure and heart rate. Meditation can also be an effective tool for reducing the risk of depression, anxiety, and pain, and it even appears to add years to your life. What’s more, it’s a time for spiritual introspection and focus, recharging your energy and improving your outlook on life. If you are already participating in meditation routinely, consider trying a different method, changing your meditation space, or adding crystals to your practice to amp up your results. 
 
Participate in Yoga
 
Yoga has existed for thousands of years.  Yet as Yoga Journal explains, only relatively recently did science begin unveiling the powerful benefits from regularly practicing yoga. Engaging in yoga can mean improved flexibility, stronger bones and muscles, better circulation, and a stronger immune system. Yoga promotes a better outlook on life, helping you feel more relaxed and happy, reducing your stress levels, and keeping you more at peace with yourself and the universe. There are several types of yoga, and depending on your situation you might want to alter your method, experiment with something new, hire a private instructor, or take a class. 
 
Savor the Great Outdoors
 
In our current culture, many of us spend the bulk of our lives enclosed in four walls, under artificial lighting, and sitting in front of electronic screens. If any of that sounds all too familiar, consider making more time for communing with nature. As Hyperbiotics explains, studies indicate that engaging with the natural environment is good for us in many crucial ways. Our nervous systems relax, we are more inclined to maintain a healthy weight, have better immune function, and are more apt to keep a positive outlook. Try upping the amount of time you spend outdoors, whether you’re sipping coffee, hiking, birdwatching, or meditating. Also, think about bringing nature to you by adding houseplants to your working and living areas. They not only provide a bit of green to your interior, but they can also help clean the air you’re breathing.
 
Examine Energy Flow
 
Being in harmony with the world around you can be a key to improved health. The arrangement in your work and living environments could be interfering with your wellness in important ways. Consider looking to feng shui principles to do some rearranging, allowing your space to keep the positive energy flowing. Also, consider the air flow in your home, and ensure your furniture is arranged to promote good health, comfort, and energy conservation. 
 
Sometimes, the smallest things can pack the biggest wallop when it comes to our spiritual side.  With that in mind, consider some little changes in your lifestyle to improve your inner health. The next time someone asks you how you are doing, you’ll be able to give a positive answer from the depths of your soul.