If you feel torn between a “this or that” situation or if you’re losing sleep fretting about choices you’ve made or have to make, or if you’re feeling regret or remorse over something you had to do or are still doing, then you may be suffering from an inner conflict.

These signs and others are symptoms of inner conflict, but the feelings you are experiencing aren’t the worst of it. Inner conflicts causing you to worry are also a potential cause of autoimmune disease and cancer.

Bringing the choice/decision into physical reality that is eating away at you.

I will cover some examples of causes of inner conflict, what you can do to avoid them, and what you can do if you are already suffering from inner conflict.

What An Inner Conflict Is

You create an inner conflict when you must choose between two conflicting actions. One that you feel good about and one that you don’t.

The conflict starts when you must choose between one thing or another. A “this or that” situation is usually brought on by outside pressure, e.g., a family member or boss.

A devil can depict inner conflict on one shoulder and an angel on the other.

You will see companies using this devil-angel visual in light-hearted sales situations.

The devil represents hell or a state of pain and torment.

Tired Of Fighting Yourself

Your energy drains more and more as time goes on. You look for answers, not realizing that it’s a subconscious process that continues to weaken you.

And if you don’t know what’s causing the problem, how will you fix it?

Many years ago, I suffered from exhaustion while living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

My exhaustion was due to my emotional state caused by an inner conflict that I had at the time. Still, all I knew was that I felt physically drained of energy. So I decided to see a local GP doctor about the energy problem.

When I arrived for my appointment, a stern-looking small Asian man of few words greeted me. After examining me, he succinctly stated, with a heavy Asian accent, “Your horse dead!”

What? I asked, looking at him, thinking he was a looney tune.

“Your horse dead!” He said again, explaining, “You have horse inside,” pointing toward my chest, “horse life energy, your horse dead.”

It was so ‘matter of fact’ that it shocked me enough to sit up and give him my full attention. I asked the Dr. more questions, and his advice got me on the right track to recovery. Today’s doctors will give you a prescription and send you on your way. I was lucky.

Inner Conflict examples:

You hate your job but need the money to support your family. Therefore, you must keep doing what you hate.You know what you tell the customer isn’t true, but you must make sales to support your family. Therefore, you must lie, which goes against your values.You are bothered by things said to you, but you keep quiet because you don’t want to hurt others. Therefore, you keep the hurt inside you.You continue to give too much of your time to your family and others without taking time for yourself. Thus, you build resentment that eats away at you.

Recovery? Not Easy!

Constant internal conflict will wear you out emotionally, then physically wear on you. You can recover from physical energy loss through rest and sleep, but not emotional energy loss.

You can’t sleep off an inner conflict. And it doesn’t go away when you’re not thinking about it, so it continues to burn up more of your life energy. And unless you fix the situation, it will overcome you.

If you allow your emotional energy levels to be continuously drained without recharging, then your immune system will be affected. And once your immune system is compromised, you have a wide-open door for disease and sickness.

The proof is the fact that autoimmune diseases are running rampant these days.

AARDA Facts

Approximately 50 million Americans, 20 percent of the population or one in five people, suffer from autoimmune diseases. Women are more likely than men to be affected; some estimates say that 75 percent of those affected–some 30 million people–are women.

(And I don’t have to tell you why women are more likely than men to be affected.)

Good News – Sort Of

The least damage done by inner conflict is low motivation or desire.

And it stands to reason that you’ll suffer from a lack of self-worth if you have no energy or motivation for any length of time.

Why?

Because no energy and no motivation mean no effort, you don’t get successful outcomes if you don’t put in the effort. So, you’re not going to feel very good about yourself or your abilities if you don’t have successful outcomes as proof of your abilities and worth.

Many types of inner conflict are relatively common and easy to spot, such as your interests versus those of your friends, family, spouse or co-workers.

Another big one is work demands on your time versus family demands. You may suffer from this if you feel you must work more to supply for your family, but working more keeps you from your family. If you spend more time with your family, you will not be able to work enough to supply what your family needs.

Inner conflicts may start simply with mixed feelings.

Someone may ask something of you, and you agree to do it. Still, inside, you notice an uncomfortable or negative feeling. If you are bothered by more than a negative or uncomfortable feeling, that could signify future inner conflict problems.

It’s All Because Of Values Conflicts

Inner conflicts start when we have a values conflict. Our values system hides within our subconscious; they are our inner guide or moral compass regarding what’s right and wrong for us.

It’s what sets your actions and how you will feel emotionally after you take a particular action.

Your life is set and run according to your values. When you go against your values, you are literally fighting yourself inside.

Your feelings can range from being uncomfortable to downright upset, and over time, inner conflicts or values conflicts can create serious diseases like autoimmune disease and cancer.

To learn more about overcoming inner conflict, Contact Coach Ronda about NLP Life Coaching.