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The big shift in my thinking came from understanding that negative thoughts are indeed logical for the most part but not necessarily conducive to good outcomes.
by lifeplusplus 5y ago
The big shift in my thinking came from understanding that negative thoughts are indeed logical for the most part but not necessarily conducive to good outcomes. So to actually be successful you have to adopt cognitive distortions that lean toward optimism and action. You can't win against negative internal dialogue with rationality, so the only way to get past it is to be unreasonable. Reject any negative thought with prejudice as soon as possible, like in few milliseconds, at least until you're healthier. This overtime trains your mind to think fewer of those negative points. Which in turn allows you to focus on good things and kinda delude yourself into taking action, actions tend to lead to better outcomes.
- Subsentient 5y agoI see where you're coming from, and I can see that being true, but that has a steep price that I personally am not willing to pay. Objective truth matters to me a lot, and if I'm a bit more of a downer because of it, so be it. Just my 2¢, but I'd be very interested in how many other people here feel the same way.
- lifeplusplus 5y agoObjective truth does matter, but there are many truths. Not all truths lead to best outcome. You can still aim for unfiltered truth but choose to not dwell on all of them. For example knowing exact date of death of your loved ones won't make you live a happy fulfilling life. It'd occupy your mind obsessively, like if they had terminal cancer. Eliminating any possibility of you experiencing most joyful moments in meaningful way.