The Dis-Ease of Perception

I came across a reading the other day that said things are not as bad as you think. I had a chuckle when I read it because there have been many times that my thoughts have led me down the path of catastrophic thinking and created a whirlwind of unnecessary anxiety. Some of us who are alcoholics in 12-step recovery call it faulty wiring or the dis-ease of perception. For whatever reason, our thoughts can convince us that things are not as they appear. Alcoholic or not, our interpretations, perceptions, and opinions are part of who we are as an individual. I think that our experiences in life create a lens that helps each and every one of us see life and the world around us in a unique and personal way that is never the same as the next person. What is not so unique is that regardless of our lens that we see life through, many of us have struggled at times with separating truth from fiction in situations. We are neurobiologically hardwired for story and if we don’t have one, our brain will make up one. We all do it! When we become uncomfortable in a situation or feel triggered by emotion, it is our automatic response to try and make sense of the emotions we are having. The key is to decipher which stories are fact-based and which are not.  Has there ever been a time you thought someone was talking bad about you, and it turned out they were not even talking about you at all? Or a situation where you felt like someone’s behavior was intentionally trying to anger you...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Memory and Perception anxiety catastrophic thinking Stinking Thinking Source Type: blogs