I've always been drawn to the expansion of my cognition. I'm complex and a deep thinker. There are benefits to this and also consequences. Through awareness, academics, social development and falling short with social skills and interpersonal development, and of course reading various books and getting involved in lengthy philosophical debates. All in my attempts to add to my knowledge and understanding of myself and the world. The outcome. I can be exhausting to be around and I drain myself of my own energy.
Although this hunger for knowledge and understanding is essential in many ways. It has also been a sort of easier softer way to avoid and run from those cognitive distortions that lay deep in my psyche that hinder growth in many areas
The idea that I have knowledge of something that I need to let go of is painful. In this process of realizing I also need to unlearn maladaptive patterns that have kept me in this bubble of believing I am intellectually self-sufficient and rest on the idea that I can always find comfort in my newfound philosophy.
In our world today we are bombarded with so many articles and new age discoveries with pretty much any type of information.
Yet we still lack the practice of discarding old ideas that don't serve us
Our current landscape with neuroscience, trauma, mental health, and relationship healing has become so saturated no wonder many of us may have a difficult time reaching a level of sanity. Don't get me wrong. I am happy that we are having a dialogue on these issues, however, it has also become very difficult to navigate " good therapy"
We have basically fulfilled our own prophecy that we are a sick society. So in our fears of uncertainty, we've built such a system of healing and wellness that in my view remains out of reach for the average folk.
With our new discoveries of the mind, we may only hit a wall and realize we've just added more for us to unlearn.
A friend of mine used to say
"We can't think our way into good living, we have to live our way into good thinking" .
So folks. What are you unlearning today?
Peace and love