Denial and Mindfulness
Denying reality never works.
It doesn’t work for reducing anxiety, it doesn’t work for increasing happiness and it doesn’t work for sleeping better at night.
The reason denying reality doesn’t work has nothing to do with the reality of your life. The reason denying reality doesn’t work is that it’s impossible to experience calm, focus and clarity when you cheat your emotional energy and ignore what is happening right now.
If you want to feel less anxious, don’t waste time with worry about the future, or regret of the past. The way to get in mental shape is to sit with your feelings at least 30 minutes a day.
If you can tolerate the thoughts of your mind every single day for a month, pretty soon you’ll accept the here and now.
If you you need to leave that relationship, but don’t know how to start, make a list of how you feel when you’re with this person. Note how s/he behaves, and what these actions mean to your relationship, values, and life goals.
If you acknowledge the non-biased version of the truth, you’ll gain clarity. The secret is not to ask your BFF, your coworker or that nice family member what you should do. The secret is to become BFF with reality.
The way to do that is to be with reality. To eat, breathe, and sleep reality.
The other parts of your life may be fine. You may be rockin’ it on the professional and economic fronts. But it’s possible these accomplishments distract you from the reality of your life. No matter the money in the bank or the letters behind your name.
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, and that’s why it’s called the present.
Open your eyes. Stare into reality. One minute at a time. Do this now.
I'm an Anxiety Saboteur who loves to help people resolve their emotional baggage. As a therapist in Los Angeles, CA for the past 13 years, I've seen too many lovely people suffer needlessly. I believe healthy boundaries are the key to happiness, and every parent should be BFF with the word 'no.' If you are looking for honest, straightforward anxiety solutions, you’ve come to the right place.
