Two lessons that have been learning for a long time is that thoughts are not facts and feelings are not made. Reality tests can help us see this, but this is a skill that many do not have. These are difficult lessons because our thoughts and feelings try to convince us differently. Much in the outside world tries to convince us differently too. Information and wisdom are needed to really learn to put our thoughts and feelings in perspective. While this can be a problem for anyone, I think it cannot make real progress in handling a mental illness such as bipolar disorder until really internalize that thoughts and feelings are not made. You can also protect yourself and those around you when you properly try your thoughts and feelings.
Why do we believe that thoughts and feelings are made?
It makes sense that we create our own thoughts and, in turn, we believe that our thoughts are made. Our thoughts are our frame of reference. Our thoughts come from us. Our thoughts are usually the loud things in our heads. These are the things that accompany us from birth to death. Of course, we believe that our thoughts are made.
The feelings are similar. Feelings are organic and can be so overwhelming that it is incomprehensible to us that our feelings are not made. If we feel angry, isn’t that evidence that there is something to be angry? If we feel sad, isn’t that proof that our experience is depressing?
We can deal with our thoughts that are not made, sometimes
Most of us can deal with the idea that our thoughts are not made. In other words, we might think one thing, but someone else could convince us that we are wrong. The evidence can convince us that we are wrong. We may think about new thoughts based on new stimuli of the world around us. I might think that I am an expert in wine until I know an accredited sommelier. I might think that I am not a cat person until I live with one and discover that they are my favorite creatures in the world. These things happen.
However, sometimes, the proof does not matter, we believe that certain thoughts are true, whatever happens. For example, take a person with racist thoughts. Often, whatever happens with them, no matter who they are, regardless of what they listen, they believe in racist thoughts. For them, the fact that their race is superior is a fact. Nothing can convince them that races are the same. Nothing.
To take a more daily example, you can hate a particular public figure as a politician. You can think of terrible thoughts about this person. It may think that everything they do is evil whatever happens. Even if you agree with your action, the fact that they He took it, does it wrong. In some cases, whatever happens, you can continue hating that politician. In fact, many people feel like that for complete political parties.
We tend to believe that our thoughts are based in fact, but often not. Because we believe that they are based, in fact, we tend to treat them as a gospel.
We believe that feelings are made much more frequently
When Colbert’s report He was in the air, Stephen Colbert popularized the idea of ”truth.” According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, The truth is defined as:
“A veracile or apparently truthful quality that is affirmed by something not for supporting facts or evidence, but for the feeling that it is true or a desire to be true”
For example, you may feel that illegal immigrants are stealing their country and are criminals. This is not due to any evidence; It’s just because sensation TRUE.
And deep feelings are difficult to counteract. The facts have difficulty penetrating feelings because we are very trained to believe that our feelings are real and true. No matter how many statistics it shows you to talk about the reality of immigration and the fact that Illegal immigrants make much less crimes than citizensYou just don’t believe me because that doesn’t feel TRUE.
Thoughts and feelings are not made, think critically
But the fact is that thoughts and feelings are not made. Thoughts and feelings form beliefs. Some of those beliefs are made, some may not be. If we investigate the data, our thoughts and feelings have many more possibilities to reflect the facts, but few people bother with that.
Few people bother with the critical thinking required to evaluate one thoughts and feelings to determine their precision. Few people are prepared to be demonstrated by reality or new information. And unfortunately, critical thinking is rarely taught in school (although it is more frequent in post -secondary education). Therefore, people lack the ability that their thoughts and feelings could really inform and make them more precise.
How thoughts and feelings are not made affect mental illness
People with mental illnesses are as prone to these cognitive biases as any other person, but unfortunately, these biases can hurt us more than the average person. For example, a depressed person often has thoughts and feelings that are not true and are very harmful. For example, if it is depressed, I could really believe that it is a burden and that the world would be better without you. Although there is evidence otherwise, their belief is maintained strongly due to its depressed thoughts and feelings. While cognitive biases can damage the average person who surrounds them in some way, those biases in a depressed person can end in suicide.
I tend to tell people that depression remains. Depression is the thing whispering false thoughts in their ears. This is a good way to individualize the disease and the understanding that just because you think about it and you feel it, that does not come true.
This individualization helps someone to think critically about their thoughts and feelings to try things and determine what is really true and what is not. This critical thinking can literally save your life. I would like more people to have these skills to save more lives.
How to prove reality your thoughts and feelings for precision
All this is fine, but you are in the middle of a bipolar episode, how can you know what reality is? Well, first, if you are experiencing psychosis, you may not be able to, no matter what you do. That is why psychosis is a psychiatric emergency and needs to be professionally treated as quickly as possible.
However, if you don’t fall in this category, there are things you can do. To prove your thoughts and feelings, try to consider these things:
- How do other people feel and think about a situation? How closely your thoughts and feelings are aligned?
- What is the evidence of your thoughts and feelings? Can you point out verifiable facts that support what you are thinking or feeling?
- Have you felt or thought about before when you were sick? Similarly, have you thought or have you felt like this when you were well?
- Do your thoughts and feelings cause you harm to you or another person? Do you really want to cause this damage? Is this reasonable damage?
- What do the people in which you trust? How reasonable do you think your thoughts and feelings are?
Reality tests are something that is incorporated Cognitive behavioral therapy (TCC) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)So those therapies can help if you have problems. This means finding a therapist who can work with you to help develop these skills. (Here is a worksheet that could help meanwhile. I am not supporting it, just pointing it).
I am not here to tell you that your thoughts and feelings are not real. they are real. They may not be accurate. Therefore, any action that takes them based on them can be an error. It is these mistakes that can destroy or even finish your life. That is why the reality test so that your precision thoughts are so important.
Have you ever had problems believing your thoughts or feelings? Share your experience in comments!
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