I'm Back - Back to Thinking...

 

Hello and welcome back.

In previous post I described cognitive distortions.

Just to remind: distortions are cognitive errors in thinking that can lead to negative emotions, such as anxiety, depression, and anger. These distortions are often automatic and can be hard to recognize, but with practice and awareness, we can learn to identify them and "translate” them into reality.

By knowing these distortions and transforming them, we can regulate our thinking and thus our emotions. If we can steer our thoughts on the right track, we will be able to think objectively and reduce any negative emotions we may be experiencing.

So, how can we transform distortions into reality? One helpful tool is cognitive restructuring, which involves identifying and changing negative thought patterns. This can be done by asking ourselves questions, such as "Is this thought based on fact or opinion?" or "Is there evidence to support this thought?"

Another helpful tool is mindfulness, which involves being present and aware of our thoughts and emotions. This can help us recognize when we are experiencing distortions and allow us to respond to them in a healthy way.

In conclusion, knowing distortions is important because they cause errors in thinking and can lead to negative emotions. By learning to identify and transform these distortions into reality, we can regulate our thinking and improve our mental well-being.

Thinking About Thoughts

When we talk about emotions and feelings, we often take these two words as synonyms. Emotions, however, are not the same as feelings. I wrote about it in the blog post: Just Move.

To make it easier, let me remind you: emotions are the body's reactions to external stimuli and feelings are caused by emotions. Let me also remind you that I am per contra of rejecting negative emotions. All emotions are physiological and not admitting to them is - my personal opinion - like denying that we are breathing. But just like breath can be regulated to some degree, we can also control our emotions. And I don't mean we shouldn't or should react when our blood is boiling, I mean: don't let that blood boil.

Just Move

Since I remember I heard 'don't cry for no reason', 'you don't need to be sad', 'there is nothing to worry about', 'you shouldn't be angry'. But the thing is I always had the reason when I have been sad, angry or anxious. But the thing is that nobody was able to understand that. Basically, we all have a different picture of reality. Basically, my problems could not be understood by someone else.
How often we hear we shouldn't think negatively? Especially about ourselves. Easy to say, not really easy to do.

What If...

I was just thinking, sipping my coffee, of course, how the world would be without me. And as I was thinking about it, it dawned on me how important I am: without me, the world would be completely different.

Tabula Rasa

The term "tabula rasa" is associated with John Locke, who lived in the seventeenth century. In this way, he described the mind of a newborn human, a little tiny baby, who is leaving the cosy place, and enter to the world full of wolves. The baby's mind starts to learn how to survive in the new environment. 

However, I have a different idea than this "tabula rasa" thing. In my opinion, nobody is born as a saint, because we are born as self-centred creatures (saints are not selfish), and with the years as we are getting life experience, we learn how to be more sociable, we adapt to live in the herd.