Considered omission can be every bit as damaging as willful commission when it comes to matters of the mind. The bits we choose to leave out can be as psychologically damaging as the bits we deliberately include.
While it’s true that – in the final analysis – what is said and done is far more obvious than what is thought, it’s every bit as true that what happens inside our heads can have long-term implications.
The vitally important issue of mental well-being can be impacted by the bits we choose to retain. Dark thoughts may not necessarily result in dark acts but they can erode our stability if left unchecked.
The reason it’s necessary to challenge our thinking is that there is no escape from it.
While we can hold back and hide our true selves from friends, family and society in general, it’s not possible to successfully hide us from ourselves. Shielding from reality is not escaping from reality and those who attempt it do little more than add extra issues to their own grief.
We spend our entire life packing and unpacking our own personal griefcase. At some points it becomes heavier than at others and yet no-one can carry it for us. The ultimate responsibility is ours and ours alone.
Self honesty is a way to lighten the load. While that must not include judging ourselves too harshly is does mean acknowledging the thoughts and attitudes that we otherwise keep hidden.
Accepting the person we are today gives us the freedom to work on being the person we want to be tomorrow.
Public purging is not required…private purification is far more effective.
It should never be forgotten that wherever we go, there we are. Our head and our heart are ours. The responsibility for both is not something that can be successfully shirked.
Gary Bentley Counselling 