Storytelling is all the rage. Let’s eavesdrop on one of my therapy sessions:
One of the questions I ask in the beginning is: What is your ‘World View?’
My patient chose to criticize the frame.
Look at the beautiful painting on the wall. It is soothing and painstakingly detailed, obviously a product of devotion and love. Observe the colors and textures, soft pastels that seem to leap off the canvas. Why then, did you choose to stare at its tiny, uneven edge? Why did you choose to do such a thing?
Tears flowed from the patient’s sad eyes. We were both frustrated with the lack of progress in her therapy. Months of crying and talking…doing the work. Refusal to see the world in any way except ugly.
Look, I said, the point is there’s no possible way to be certain about anything in this world. Life, like good art, is sophisticated, complex, and unpredictable. So you’re left with a choice: appreciate it and look for the beauty in it, or focus on the worst and dwell on it. I didn’t want to be hurtful, I wanted to break through her depression and offer an option.
”But if you expect the worst, you’re never disappointed,” she said, barely lifting her head.
I passed a box of tissues; and even took one for myself. That statement is so sad.
“That’s true,” I replied, “but who really lives like that? No one, that’s who, and those who do die a slow death without having really lived.”
When you are down in the dumps, the battle you go through isn’t fueled by the words or actions of others, nor is it fueled by what happened or didn’t happen. You gave your mind an open door to negativity; you gave it a place at the table.
A negative mindset creates fierce, ruthless conflict. Half of the things that you’re afraid will happen, never occur. You let your expectations get the best of you.
Self-defeating thoughts that dwell in your mind rob you of peace and joy, productivity and meaning, and probably even happiness.
Your mindset is the storyteller of your life. Create a positive story, one that gets you excited. I’m not suggesting you become a Pollyanna or a Goody Two Shoes. Just open the windows of your mind. Appreciate the beautiful painting on the wall. Embrace it––the colors will flow over you like a warm blanket on a cold evening.
When you really think about it, you are a beautiful painting in the universe.
Become available to be happy- it takes the same amount of energy.
Thank you again for reading and sharing…I write about mental health. DOC
