Contents
What happens when you question what you think? Learn to relativize thoughts
Psychology
The psychologists Elena Huguet and Jesús Matos invite us to “calibrate the glasses” with which we interpret reality to make sure that they do not see things more “black” or more “pink” than they are.
PM2:30Our mind works in a very particular way when it perceives some stimulus, whether it comes from ourselves or from outside, to which it tries to give meaning. The phrases “don’t think that” or “stop thinking about it” are very common nowadays. But the first thing you have to know when you listen to them is that “you can’t not think” when something happens to us or affects us. No matter how hard you try to “not think,” thinking will appear.
Faced with an event or situation, we interpret it and give it a meaning so that it makes us feel a certain way and prompts us to act in a certain direction.
Each one interprets what is around him according to his own criteria, Its experiences and its history of learning, which is what really guides what we feel and do. In other words, each one has “glasses” with which he interprets reality. Sometimes these “glasses” do not work properly, they generate discomfort . That is why realizing that we can be wrong, that there are other possible interpretations, is essential to feel good. I mean, sometimes you have to “Calibrate these glasses”, make sure that they are not seeing things more “black” or more “pink” than they really are.
When we “calibrate” them, that is, when we question what we think, we establish new relationships with our realityWe tell our heads that what is so sure, what we take as 100% true, is probably not true and we actually need evidence to believe it. When asking us about the objectivity of what we think or about what it is for us to think like this, we begin to relate more flexibly to our thoughts, we assume that there are more possible interpretations, less harsh on ourselves or on others, and this allows new ones to appear associations with what surrounds us.
Also, questioning what we think makes us more free, because it opens up new possibilities for us to do and act. If we assume that whatever we do will be wrong, how are we going to deal with any new straight?
The important thing is not so much that you remain convinced that things are otherwise, but that you accept that they may be otherwise and are willing to verify it. The goal is not not to think, but to question what we think.
Elena Huguet and Jesús Matos are part of the team of psychologists of «En equilibro mental». Elena Huguet is, in addition to being a registered psychologist, an expert in Brief Strategic Therapy and combines her activity with research in the UCM doctoral program. He participates in numerous international congresses and in scientific publications.
For his part, Jesús Matos has a Master’s degree in clinical and health psychology (UCM) and in Legal and Forensic Psychology (European Foundation of Psychology). He is the author of the book “Good morning, Joy” (Zenith), director of the website enequilibriomental.net, collaborator of specialized scientific media and speaker at numerous national and international conferences.