Perception vs RealityThere is a long running debate on what is perception vs reality. Let me pose the following questions to you and see whether you think your life is based on reality or based on the way you perceive things. What do you believe about yourself? About your life? What is true and real and what is only the way you see things? Try completing the following: I am good at ..... I stink at .... My life is .... My marriage is ... My kids are ... My job is ... Seeing your answers in writing makes them seem real, doesn't it? Can you think of examples and instances that prove them to be true? Whatever answers you gave, they don't really matter and here is why: they are based on how you are perceiving things today. We all think that perception is reality because it feels real. But, it isn't. Your answers will change depending on how you are feeling and what you are focusing on. If you just had a fight with your spouse or kids, your answers would be different than if you all spent a great day at the beach together. When you are happy, you selectively seek out things in your environment that make you happy. Likewise, when you are angry or anxious, you perceive things in a negative way. For example, frequently, when I drive home from work, I see the same cars and people on my daily commute. There is a grey poodle that loves to stick his (her?) head out the window and feel the breeze on its' face. The other day, when I was in a happy mood and saw the poodle's big grin, it made me smile. It was great to see that dog enjoying the ride. However, today I was grumpy, and when I saw the poodle's head sticking out of the window, I thought, "that dog is slobbering all over the place. What a mess!" So, as you see, perception vs reality is a complex idea. Whatever it is that you are looking for, you will find it. If you are focused on having a happy life, then you will see the positive side of things. If you are depressed, then life will seem empty. Or, put another way, you may notice the poodle's big grin or you may notice his slobber.
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Exhausted? Stressed-out? Overwhelmed?
Hi,Courtney here, author of this site. When I developed anxiety and depression, I went to a psychologist, a psychiatrist and a physician, and to be truthful, in my experience, these people couldn't really help.Therapy sessions, yoga and getting more exercise lessened my anxiety symptoms, but did not stop them for good.
In fact, I later learned that because I was living in a constant state of low-level stress and anxiety, the chemicals in my brain had changed, making me more anxious and depressed. Clearly, merely managing my symptoms was not enough - in fact, following "the doctor's orders" made things worse....
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