Mosquitoes were a common, but uncomfortable, part of my childhood. Playing in the creek or going on a hike was usually accompanied by a swat on the neck, arm or leg. The most painful mosquito experience came in the summer of 1995 when I went on a 50 mile hike in Yosemite. While gathering filtered water at a nearby pond I was attacked by a barrage of those annoying pests. I was inflicted with over 40 bites all over my body in a matter of minutes. I have always been told not to itch but I could not resist. I would itch and it would feel so good. The more I itched the better I felt (or so I thought). I quickly found myself in a cycle of itch escalation. I could never itch enough to remove the extremely annoying sensation. I eventually came to grips that if I was going to get some sleep I would have to suffer through and ignore the screaming bites all over my body. After what felt like hours the itching and blisters started to subside and go away.
Here is a more clinical view of what happened that night:
“When you scratch a mosquito bite, this causes the skin to become even more inflamed. Since inflammation causes your skin to itch, you can get into a cycle where scratching will cause even more of an itchy sensation. In addition, by continuing to scratch you run the risk of breaking the skin and causing an infection, leading to even more of an itch.” Debra Sullivan, PhD, MSN, CNE, COI
In my adult life I have been fairly free from the perils of mosquitoes and their bites. Yet, the pattern of itch and scratch, metaphorically speaking, has persisted throughout my adult years. The “mosquitoes” that I now deal with are the addictive activities that try to swarm my existence throughout my daily living. These mosquitoes bite when we start to engage. Once we engage in the activity the swelling of “need” starts to blister our souls.
The natural inclination to get rid of the discomfort is to “scratch”. Scratching occurs when we engage again and again in the specified harmful behavior. These metaphorical mosquitoes come in all shapes and sizes; online shows, substance abuse, social media, pornography, food, etc.. Some of these behaviors in moderation may not do much harm. It is when we start to rely on these behaviors to deal with the dynamics of life that they become addictive, destructive, and harmful.
The answer to such “bites” is the ability to resist the urge and not scratch. This is not easy. We may feel anxiety, fear, uncertainty, and loneliness if we don’t satisfy the “need”. How did we handle mosquito bites as kids? We distracted ourselves by playing with friends or engaging our minds in some other activity. It was always easiest if we had friends around. The same goes with our adult bites. We need to surround ourselves physically and emotionally with support. Often times the best “friends” are the ones who have the same type of bite and are striving for the same type of freedom. We also went to parents for love and support during these times. God is our parent and can provide the same type of strength.
We all get bitten in some form or fashion. The severity of the bites and symptoms vary but the reality is the same. The more we scratch the more it itches and the more damage we do to our souls. Avoiding the “mosquitoes” of life as much as possible is ideal. Not scratching when bitten is essential to avoid the cyclical bondage that will ensue. Figure out a plan today to stop itching, heal the broken blisters, and gain the freedom of an itch-free existence.
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