It’s often the case that our reality is not the reality.
The voice in our head creates the narrative of the world around us. Our brain, trying to be helpful, fills in the missing pieces and tries providing relevant context.
But this “feature” of our brain often creates a distorted world:
- Where we remember events unfolding in ways they did not.
- We create anxiety of worst case scenarios for the future.
- We underestimate our own capabilities.
As you continue to create this false reality in your head, you begin to make poor decisions. You take actions based on your view of the world, not the way it actually is.
3 Ways to Check-in With Reality
Keeping your inner-voice in check is an ongoing journey. You need to continually be checking-in to stay present and avoid creating a false narrative. Here are three ways to help with that process.
- Be Present – If you spend less time focused on the past and/or future, it’s easier to avoid distorting your world view. Try to notice when you are mind starts to wonder into ruminating on the past or asking too many “what ifs” of the future.
- Meditate – Developing a meditation practice can have a profound impact on your personal awareness. It teaches you to recognize the voice in your head, and acknowledge your thoughts and feelings as something different than your true self.
- Talk Out Loud (or with a friend) – If you find yourself struggling with thoughts, talking out loud can be a helpful way to work through issues. Saying things out loud, or writing them down, forces you to pull thoughts out of your head, and into the physical world.
Things are never as bad or as good as you can build them up to be in your head. If you can focus on the present, like you said, and not spend too much time thinking about the past or building up the future it is so much easier to be content.