Look around the room. Notice 5 things. Do it before reading on.
What did you notice? The un-vacuumed carpet? The mess on the table? The dog you haven’t taken for a walk today? I don’t know about you, but that’s what I notice, and then I conclude that my life sux right now. And you know what? My brain is lying to me. It didn’t tell me about the rays on sunlight streaming through the window, and the dust particles dancing in the light. It didn’t tell me about the fabulous paint colour on the opposite wall. It didn’t notice the coffee table that I love, or my favourite mug. It gave me the worst possible view of the world that it could. Because that’s what it does (the fucker).
Brains are hard-wired to notice the negative, and doubly-so in depression. The world is NOT as bleak as it seems. People are NOT as fucked as they seem. Your perspective is hopelessly and insanely negative right now. It’s NOT the truth, it’s a nightmarish distortion. Trust me on this!
Notice that the misery is only part of the picture AND that only part of me is entangled in it (some of me is actually quite fine – how’s my big toe right now?)
Thoughts are just my brain’s instant guess at what will “fix the problem”, when it actually doesn’t really have any idea what the problem even IS.
Tell your brain to just fuck the fuck off.
Solution: Every time your brain has a thought, any thought, respond internally to it with “Lies!!” … and notice what happens. And when you realise that something IS a lie, then we can challenge it.
Ultimately … “Don’t believe anything you think” (Don Miguel Ruiz). Unless you like thinking it, and it makes you happy. Then go nuts.
A great thing that helps counter this for me is keeping a list of things I really really love, and reading it when I’m hopelessly negative.
Also, consider this.
