Musings

I’ve noticed my negative thoughts fall into two distinct types. The first type–where I consciously and deliberately frame things in a negative light–is like pouring fuel on the fire, or voluntarily putting my hand on a hot stove, and doesn’t lead to anything productive. The second type–negative thoughts and feelings that arise without my bidding–are simply a reflex, and dissipate faster once I allow them to exist and allow them to be felt (suppression/denial/willful ignorance of them results in false positivity, which only makes me more negative).

The first type results from a deliberate act of will, while the second is an automatic event. The first is good to avoid, while the second is good to allow.

Maybe that’s just how it works in my head, and my head alone. I’m not sure.