What we think is not real.
Our thoughts are exactly that—thoughts. They are not reality, and just because we’re thinking them does not mean they’re going to come true. We’re not fortune tellers!
Imagine what would happen if our thoughts came true. Probably some pretty amazing things, and probably some pretty terrifying things.
Our thoughts can be pretty strange sometimes. Most of our anxiety stems from negative thoughts we’re having— worrying about ourselves, about others, and other anxiety triggers. We think so much about our anxious, negative thoughts that we start to believe that they’ll come true.
Just because you think of something, will not make it true. I am totally guilty of this– I used to (and still do) diagnose myself with an illness and then dwell and worry for weeks. Just because I looked it up on WebMD and maybe five of my symptoms match, does not mean that I have the disease.
Some people worry every day about getting into car crash, a family member getting sick, etc. It seems super silly talking about it, but in reality we all do this to some degree. It’s okay to worry to some extent, but when it starts to control your life and how you feel on a daily basis, this is when it becomes a major problem.
We have to remind ourselves: When you’re afraid of something, it does not mean that it’s going to happen. Our thoughts are like security blankets. We think we are protecting ourselves from what’s out there in the world by worrying. The reality is we’re just as susceptible to threats with the security blanket as we are without it.
“The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It is self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life.” –Eckhart Tolle