Two lessons that take people for a long time to learn is that thoughts are not events and feelings are not events. Reality tests can help us see this, but this is a skill that many do not have. These are hard lessons because our thoughts and emotions try to convince us differently. Very much in the outside world he tries to convince us differently. It takes insight and wisdom to truly learn how to put our thoughts and emotions in perspective. While this can be a problem for anyone, I believe that you cannot make real progress in handling a mental illness such as bipolar disorder until you really internalize that thoughts and feelings are not events. You can also protect yourself and those around you when you test your thoughts and feelings properly.
Why do we believe that thoughts and feelings are events?
It is reasonable to believe our own thoughts and, in turn, to believe that our thoughts are events. Our thoughts are our reference framework. Our thoughts come from within us. Our thoughts are usually the strongest things in our heads. These are the things that accompany us from birth to death. Of course we believe that our thoughts are facts.
The feelings are similar. Emotions are biological and can be so too much that it is incomprehensible to us that our emotions are not events. If we feel angry, is it not that the proof that there is something you should be angry? If we feel sad, isn’t this proof that our experience is depressed?
We can handle our thoughts not to be facts, sometimes
Most of us can deal with the idea that our thoughts are not facts. In other words, we might think of one thing, but someone else could convince us that we are wrong. The evidence may convince us that we are wrong. We may be able to think of new thoughts based on new stimuli from the world around us. Maybe I think I’m a wine specialist until I get to know an accredited sommelier. I may think I’m not a cat man until I live with one and find out that they are my favorite creatures in the world. These things are happening.
However, sometimes, regardless of proof, we believe that some thoughts are true – no matter what. For example, take a person with racist thoughts. Many times, no matter what happens to them, no matter who they meet, no matter what they hear, they believe that racist thoughts. For them, the fact that their race is superior is a fact. Nothing can convince them that the matches are equal. Nothing.
To get a more everyday example, you might hate a particular public figure as a politician. You may believe terrible thoughts about this person. You may believe that everything they do is bad no matter what. Even if you agree with their action, the fact that these He got it, he’s wrong. In some cases, no matter what happens, you may continue to hate this politician. In fact, many people feel this way for whole political parties.
We tend to believe that our thoughts are based on reality, but they are often not. Because we believe they are based in reality, we tend to treat them as a Gospel.
We believe that feelings are facts much more often
When The Colbert Report It was in the air, Stephen Colbert popularity with the idea of ​​”truth”. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Truth is defined as:
“A honest or seemingly honest quality claiming to be not because of the support of facts or evidence, but because of the feeling that it is true or desire to be true”
For example, you may feel that illegal immigrants are stealing your country and you are criminals. This is not due to evidence. is only because sense true.
And deep feelings are difficult to neutralize. Events find it difficult to penetrate emotions, because we are so trained to believe that our emotions are real and true. No matter how many statistics I show you that we are talking about the reality of immigration and the fact that Illegal immigrants commit much less crimes than citizensyou just won’t believe me because it doesn’t touch true.
Thoughts and feelings are not facts – think critically
But the fact is that thoughts and feelings are not events. Thoughts and emotions form beliefs. Some of these beliefs are events, some may not be. If we explore the data, our thoughts and emotions are much more likely to reflect the facts, but few people bother with it.
Few people bother with the critical thinking needed to evaluate his thoughts and feelings to determine their accuracy. Few people are ready to prove to be false from reality or new information. And unfortunately, critical thinking is rarely taught at school (though it is more common in post -secondary education). Thus, people lack the ability that could really update their thoughts and emotions and make them more precise.
How thoughts and feelings that are not events affect mental illness
People with mental illnesses are just as prone to these cognitive prejudices as in anyone else, but unfortunately, these prejudices can harm us more than the average person. For example, a depressed person often has thoughts and feelings that are not true and is very harmful. For example, if you are depressed, you may really think you are a weight and the world would be better without you. Although there is evidence to the contrary, your faith is kept strongly because of your depressive thoughts and emotions. While cognitive prejudices can harm the average person and those around them in some ways, these prejudices in a depressed person can end in suicide.
I tend to tell people that their depression is. Depression is the thing that whispers false thoughts in their ears. This is a good way of personalized by illness and understanding that just because you think and feel it, it doesn’t really do it.
This personalization helps one to critically think about their thoughts and feelings about the things of reality and to determine what is truly true and what it is not. This critical thinking can literally save their lives. I hope more people have these skills so that more lives are saved.
How to try your thoughts and feelings for precision
All this is good and good, but if you are in the middle of a bipolar incident, how can you know what is the reality? Well, first of all, if you are experiencing psychosis, you may not be able, no matter what you do. That is why psychosis is a psychiatric emergency and must be treated professionally as soon as possible.
If you do not fall into this category, however, there are things you can do. To test your thoughts and feelings, try considering these things:
- How do others feel and think about a situation? How close are your thoughts and feelings align?
- What are the elements of your thoughts and feelings? Can you highlight the verifiable facts that support what you think or feel?
- Have you felt or thought of it before when you were sick? Similarly, did you think or felt like that when you were well?
- Do your thoughts and feelings cause harm to you or someone else? Do you really want to cause this damage? Is this damage reasonable?
- What do the people you trust? How logically do you think your thoughts and feelings are?
The reality test is something incorporated into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)So these treatments can help if you have a problem. This means finding a therapist who can work with you to help build these skills. (Here is a worksheet that can help in the meantime. I don’t support it, I just show it.)
I’m not here to tell you that your thoughts and feelings are not real. Is real. May not be exact. Thus, any action you take on the basis of them may be wrong. It is these mistakes that can destroy or even end your life. That is why the actual test of your thoughts for precision is so important.
Have you ever struggled to believe your thoughts or feelings? Share your experience in comments!
