 Have you ever noticed that you're always just trying to fill some type of void that you can't really explain? Well, you might be a hungry ghost. What's a hungry ghost? Make sure that you stay tuned to find out and we'll also be discussing the solutions. What is up everybody? This is Chris from the Rewired Soul, where we talk about the problem, but focus on the solution. And today's topic is extremely, extremely important. As we dive into it, it'll start to make sense, but this whole topic, this is a primary source of suffering for so many people, so, so many people. But the problem is that most people don't even realize what they're actually doing. So do me a favor. If you can relate to this video, if you find anything of value in this video, please share it. Because like I said, a lot of people are struggling with this, but they don't even realize it. So we want to get the message out there and help even more people, alright? But let's get started and talk about what this hungry ghost is. So the term the hungry ghost actually comes from Buddhist philosophy, okay? And they came up with this term as they notice that this is a key source of suffering for many, many people. They use this term to describe how so many people are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way. In a more modern neurobiological way of looking at this, we're constantly seeking for the next dopamine hit, okay? So some of the modern examples of this, we're always looking for the next thing to buy, or we're waiting for the next like on Facebook, or the next like on our latest Instagram photo, or for you fellow YouTubers out there, the next subscription. Sometimes we're looking for the next tasty thing to eat, or the next sign of love, affection, attention, or we're looking for even more ways to make more money because we feel that that's going to be the thing that fills that void inside of us. So something that we got to make very clear first off is that we're looking for these very temporary solutions to more of a long term problem. And these are just distraction techniques. No matter what we do, no matter how many likes that we get on Facebook or Instagram or anything like that, like they are very fleeting and they don't last very long. These are distraction techniques. This is one of the many reasons why I am not a fan of fidget spinners and fidget cubes and things like that, because we have to sit back and think, what's going to happen now that we've become dependent on this thing? What's going to happen when that thing isn't around? What happens when you forget your fidget spinner at home, right? What's going to happen when you don't have money to buy the next thing? What's going to happen when you're not getting likes on Facebook or Instagram? What's going to happen if you stop getting subscribers? What's going to happen if you're not making more money, right? All these are things that are completely outside of our control in many cases, but we start to freak out if we don't have them because we've been relying on these things to fill this void. We're basically trying to put a bunch of different band-aids on these wounds, right? But we need to get down to the source of this wound and start to heal that instead. So loneliness, stress, fear, anxiety, anger, sadness. These are all very uncomfortable feelings that we just don't like to feel. And that's when we're looking for these things to fill this void, right? Because none of us like to be uncomfortable. None of us do. And the problem is, is that we keep looking for things to make us not feel uncomfortable, even though it's something that's very, very fleeting. And this is one of the main reasons why we meditate. Meditation helps us start to feel comfortable with the uncomfortable. These things, these sensations, these emotions that we have, they always pass. Something that I always say, which I learned from one of my meditation teachers, is this. The word emotion, okay? Look at it in two separate words. Emotion. Motion is going to pass through. But so many of us don't just simply let our emotions run their course. So we're never able to fully solve the main source of our suffering. So imagine a life where these various emotions that we don't like, they arise, but we learn how to sit with them and just watch them and bring a curiosity to them rather than trying to look for something to temporarily distract us. Think about what a life of like that would actually be. It's extremely empowering because we're no longer looking for the next thing. We learn how to just simply sit and be with it. And the best part about it is our brain starts to rewire itself and it knows. With absolute certainty that this emotion, this difficult time is going to pass and it will not last forever. One of the reasons why I'm always trying to get all of you out there to meditate, even if it's only for five to 10 minutes a day, it's because I am living proof, all right? Over the past few years that I started to meditate, which I thought was the dumbest thing I've ever heard of, over the last few years since I've made this part of my daily life, I have been able to reap the benefits over and over day after day because I've learned how to sit with these things rather than trying to distract myself from them. And if you're interested in some of the videos I've done on getting started with meditation, if you're a beginner, if you don't know much about it, if you want to find apps and all those other things, be sure to check out the info cards and I will also link the entire playlist at the end of this video. And by the way, how awesome is my thumbnail? It was made by my beautiful girlfriend Tristan, so make sure that you go follow her on Instagram at tag dot doodles. But yeah, thanks so much for watching everybody. And like I said, if you can relate to this, if you find that you're constantly looking for the next thing to fill that void and you're constantly looking and looking and looking and seeking, if you can relate to this, please, please, please do me a favor and share this video with other people. Even if you just posted on your Facebook timeline, someone is going to watch this video. They're going to be able to relate and they might be able to find a solution like you are now that you've subscribed to my channel. Alright, but anyways, if you like this video, please give it a thumbs up. And if you're new here, make sure you click that little round subscribe button. My entire channel is about helping you out with your mental and emotional needs. And like I said, right there is my playlist if you want to get started in meditation and mindfulness. Alright, thanks so much for watching. Quit being a hungry ghost and I'll see you next time.