Do we make reality?

[HollyElise]

Do we make reality?

For the last couple of months i've been reading some varied material, and coming across a lot of theory about how we form our reality with our thoughts.

Many psychologists feel that we make our emotions and perception of reality with the kinds of thoughts we have. Is the glass half empty or half full becomes in practical terms things like, is it a safe world or an unsafe one? Am i a lucky person or unlucky? Are there facinating things around me or does everything seem to go wrong for me?

I can see that this is true at least in part. If we dwell on the positive, we see the world as positive and we tend to be happy. If we focus on what is wrong all the time we tend to be unhappy.

But where is the balance? Is there a point where "making our reality" is denial or even "not being in touch with reality?" Is there a point where you are not choosing your emotions but suppressing them? Where is that point?

Have any of you experimented with this on a personal level? Have you tried changing your feelings through conscious thought or ever tried to manefest something into your reality through suggestion or acting "as if?"... like a new job, for instance? What were your results and what did you think of it?

[Fear_nam_Beanntan]

Originally posted by HollyElise
Have any of you experimented with this on a personal level? Have you tried changing your feelings through conscious thought or ever tried to manefest something into your reality through suggestion or acting "as if?"... like a new job, for instance? What were your results and what did you think of it?

When depressed, I have, on occasion, reminded myself that I had absolutely no reason to be depressed, and that I was acting like a panzy ass sissy and complaining when I had nothing to complain about. Then I go back to work.

[HollyElise]

Yes, that's the kind of thing i'm talking about. It can be very useful to take stock of what we have to be grateful for, as well.

Did it work for you?

I've run into a situation where now i am wondering if i didn't try too hard to get over something... i know that sounds strange.

What happened was i went through an awful lot a couple of years ago when my husband had a major break down and became psychotic and very abusive, and my marriage which had been very happy suddenly and totally unexpectedly, went up in smoke in three short months because of his severe mental illness and abuse.

I tried so hard to be positive after that, to be grateful for what i have, and to move forward. But sometimes i wonder if this didn't create a problem in the long run, because i never really gave myself a chance to grieve and to fall apart.

That's not to say i wasn't unhappy, i was miserable on the inside, it's just that i've been pushing myself forward and up for so long and now and sometimes i feel like the positive thoughts are just not reality. The result seems to be tension, and not true freedom to move on.

This is why i was wondering if others have tried this and what happened to them. If it worked for them.

Does pushing yourself to work and move forward help?

[Fear_nam_Beanntan]

Well, it worked for me because I didn't have any real reason to feel sad. I probably just had too much or too little of some chemical in my brain at the time. Your situation is quite different. I doubt that thinking positive can ever be enough to overcome a real shock like the one you must have gone through. As you said, staying in denial might have caused some problems. I'm not really qualified to give advice, but I would say it's probably better to face your problems and take stock of what's wrong with your life as well as what's right, not that you should dwell exessively on what's wrong.

But don't just take my word for it. You might want to get a psychiatrist's advice on how to deal with the problem.

[HollyElise]

Thank you. I did seek help when it first happened. After seeing a therapist for about 8 weeks they said i was coping and resolving better on my own than they could help me with.

I'm asking these questions in a general sense and not for personal advice. I just thought the story might help illustrate one application. I'm wondering, as i said, what other people's experiences are and if they have had success with changing their perception of reality and if they have come across times when it has been too off of where they are at.

[BatEl]

Well first of all what is Reality?? I think, there4 I am and all that? We have 2 on some level, live in the Real World! but our thoughts come at us, from an another reality, like Dreams! What is "real" 2 u, is not "real" 2 me! If u r suffering from a broken heart, or leg, I can see that, feel pity 4 u, but in no way, is it real! 2 me, because its not happening 2 me! So Reality is indeed "made" by urselves, by the things that happen to us. Its all really very personal! U can never "get over" something, its just filed away somewhere in the Brain, which may b activated at a later date! My Mantra 4 now, is If u keep doing the same things, u will keep getting the same results! So change the thinking if possible, which will change the actions, and u will find urself at a new place! Cheers to all!x

[Sharp_Kid]

I used to use this method with sporting.
I found that when I went into a race not so much expecting to win but certainly knowing that I could, I often did extraordinarily well.
I ended up representing England at 800m and 400m Hurdles when I was 15. I did 2:01:45 for the 800m and 55:22 for the 400mH, which is pretty bloody good for a 15 year old.
I think the limiting factor was the physical. There were people the same age as me, who did exactly the same training as me, and were in just as good shape as me, who never made the cut, and I think that it was the mentality that set us apart.
If I was having a **** day, and I had little faith in myself, I never ran anywhere near my best times, and it wasn't because i tried less, or was in worse shape.
Yes, I definitely think we can shape our own 'reality' through our thinking, but I personally think it probably has more to do with chemical levels than some strange form of mysticism.