The Only Way To Change Your Reality Is To Change Your Thoughts
There’s a reality out there, outside of us, but we’re not really interacting with it. The only reality we really live in is a simulation created by our own brains. Our brains do this through our thoughts, which in turn may or may not be close to the reality outside of us.
In theory, then, the less your thoughts are distorted or biased, the closer you are to the truth. Problems arise when we have learned generalizations, prejudices, and black-and-whites that distance us from what is real. Thinking, in turn, is like breathing; we do it without even realizing it. But we should not believe everything we think. In fact, according to some, only about 20% of our thoughts actually become reality.
We humans sometimes have thoughts that are not in line with the reality of the time or situation. Such thoughts are called distorted or absurd. These are thoughts that appear between our ears and prevent us from seeing how things really are. Usually, they lead us to make mistakes, which in turn has a huge and direct impact on our emotions.
Our interpretation of reality, not so much reality itself, determines whether we are emotionally stable or not. What we think of ourselves and our own experiences is the real cause behind problems like anxiety and depression.
Such ailments are very common in our developed world, but two people in the same situation can still experience and understand it differently. This is proof that, after all, our own thoughts create our reality.
If you want to change yourself, change your thoughts
Many psychological theories are based on replacing irrational thoughts with other kinds of thoughts that are more in line with real facts. The key then is to learn how to change your own thoughts from absurd to rational. People who have the ability to shape their own way of thinking gain significantly better control over their own feelings and generally make better decisions.
One of the most commonly used clinical techniques to correct poorly realistic thinking is discussion. In this case, the patient is shown how to shape their own beliefs by questioning them based on rationality until the patient is able to come up with an alternative and more adaptive way of thinking. The ultimate goal is for the patient to be able to replace or improve their thoughts on their own.
Even if conditions are difficult, such as the situation after losing a job or resigning, they are by no means improved by thinking too much about them. In fact, your own room for maneuver has more to do with getting your own thoughts under control than it does with gaining control of reality.
How to change your own thoughts to be healthy and rational
The events do not cause emotional and behavioral problems . Rather, these are caused by beliefs that lie behind our interpretation of the problems. One fundamental way to change one’s own thoughts is to distinguish between rational and absurd thoughts.
Thinking in a rational way means thinking in a relative way. It means expressing oneself in terms of wishes and desires (I would like, I would prefer, I would like…). When a person has a healthy way of thinking, even when he or she doesn’t get what he or she wants, the negative emotions that come with the situation don’t stop him or her from pursuing what he or she wants.
On the other hand, having a rigid and narrow-minded mindset means that a person expresses himself in terms of an obligation, a need, or a requirement (I have to, I should, I have to).
When these things do not happen as desired, the person experiences negative emotions (depression, guilt, anger, anxiety, fear) that interfere with attempts to achieve their own goals. In addition, they trigger behavioral changes such as isolation, evasive or escapist behavior, and substance abuse.
