Dark, dreary, lurking and whispering: your beloved grey hounds are what you hold closest to your heart. They are there to stay, they fade a little but never pass away. They are beyond sadness, happiness, hope and blues; they are most intimate, most fatal, yet most loyal comrades of yours. They are mostly self-constructed, sometimes triggered by an incident, other times just there to help you keep your identity distinct. But, ever thought if they could be fought with or overcome forever, or why they can’t be dodged all together, or how vicious they can really be? Here, in this quick read, you will realize your deepest grey hounds, not merely the creepy, crawly ones, but stupid, gullible ones too, from all callings and vocations of life, along with everyday strategies to tame them with tease and ease.
Songs have been written asking your loved ones not to “get too close, it is dark inside, it’s where their ‘demons’ hide”; movies have been made suggesting you to act “Divergent” and fight your mind as that’s the repertoire of every nuisance you have ever faced; and researches have been done to help you nail some psychological disorders that you may have been going through unbeknownst. However, us humans, we cannot simply elude these cold sweats, chills, or anxieties, which appear more often than any other sentiment. I won’t trace the breeds here of your beloved grey hounds as they may vary, but will list down 5 most noxious of them with 5 most feasible remedies to pacify these beasts.
- The Hound of Rejection:
Pair it up with its partner in crime, Narcissism, this hound feeds on your ego and makes sure it gets skeletal and brittle with every blow its partner takes in the name of love, care or affection. You stop trying, you give up and your self-esteem dies a natural death with your comatose ego, ready to give birth to your bastard, arrogance. You lose way before you intend to play.
Remedy: Tried and test. Extend a favor to your crush, current, ex or enemy. Or ask a favor from either you have been gifted the hound of rejection from. Try helping them out with anything they struggle with. Or get helped instead. The latter case works on Benjamin Franklin Effect i.e. a reverse-engineering of attitudes that takes place as we grow to like people for whom we do nice things and dislike those to whom we are unkind. And when helped or have helped, smile, and leave with rejuvenated self-reliance which will keep your hound of rejection disciplined for long.
- The Hound of Temptation:
This shiny and glittery hound with red and black silk fur is your most adored one. You know you are keeping a dangerous pet here but you just cannot help it. It sometimes asks you to drink wine, or puff weed or go please its horny self, or sometimes calls off a plan, injects cocaine and sings blasphemy out-loud. You are left a helpless stray bone in the claws of this hound. You know you are giving in, you know you want it for once, and that’s how you get befooled and soon wasted. You force it, control it, chain it, and restrain it, enraging it more. In no time you start despising yourself thereby unleashing your arch enemies: failure and despair.
Remedy: Never repress your urges as they grow stronger, instead, number your indulgences and time them. Once, Twice, Thrice. The time it crosses 10, your alarm shall hit off and you should pause for a good long time. How, you ask? Distractions. Play with your mind by presenting some out of the box distractions. Healthy ones, like talking, debating, watching an intense movie, making pan cakes with chocolate syrup, playing scrabble or painting a house; it could be anything that keeps you calm, contented and positively productive for a good long time.
- The Hound of Haughtiness:
Thanks to your hound of rejection, this bastard is born proclaiming to be a high-brow, demeaning whosoever crosses its path, taunting, labelling, judging and grunting. It is sometimes your own pet, sometimes of your associate’s, but it hurts more when it belongs to any of your close relations. It has a staunch sense of pride in its alluring appearance, retained luxuries and alleged wisdom. Whosoever has it, ends up alone, unloved and is left to rot in his own hell. And trust me, loneliness is the most excruciating of all the hells.
Remedy: Wake up. Open your mindsight, not just your eyesight, and look around. Notice the first person who appears sad or hopeless. Try reaching out to them, and then… Listen. Intently. With a mind as open and spacious as a sprawling desert. Don’t say a word. Smile/Hug and come back. One person a day, 7 a week, till it becomes your habit. The results will be promising.
- The Hound of Doubt:
The time you saw it, you mistook it for the hound of innocent curiosity. It would question and you would love its inquisitive nature. Who knew, you were nurturing a monstrosity that could leave you wanting, confused, uncertain and clueless about everything you ever loved and cared for. From feelings to relations, to ambitions or faith in the divine, this hound would question your roots, your insides, your origins, your reflections, when you would least expect it to, slowly and gradually, freezing your blood in your veins, numbing your brain cells, turning you into a lost cause.
Remedy: Feed this hound its own design by looking for answers in the very questions or doubts. The answer most of the times lies in the query itself. If that doesn’t work, play around associations. Connect the dots in mind, and if they still don’t seem to resolve. Give them a friendly pat, smile, let go, and move on. You were never meant to find all the answers. So relax.
- The Hound of Expectation:
That’s a needy one. It craves attention, wants each craving fulfilled, dreams and holds hopes so high, that when it stumbles, it falls in the deep pit of despair, delusion and dogmatism. It then forms a fence around itself of stereotypes, closing all the entrances, sealing the corners with the glue of rigidity and bigotry. It shuts down to the entire world in response to the inflictions caused by some. It stays alone in its own dirt. It dies in its own hurt.
Remedy: Air and sunshine. Both need a nook, an opening, to let the draft pass, to let the sun brighten the terrified insides. In other words, keep a small window opened, always. Your redeemer may pass by that any minute. There has never been a single soul alike on this planet. By bolting all the doors, you murder all the newborn experiences. And that murders you in return. Hence, give chances.
The list of hounds goes on, haunting each one of us every single day. If you have more hounds, share about them, as that may lead to a collective redemption and a better life to live for all.
