Friday, April 12, 2013

How to Tell If You Have an Actual Problem

If you're worried, that means you don't have an actual problem. You're just creating gratuitous drama for yourself.

People with actual problems don't worry. They're too busy dealing with the problem.

If, god forbid, there was gunfire near you right now, you wouldn't be weaving it into your inner narrative of woe. You wouldn't be brooding about how bad stuff always happens to you, or what a lousy week you've been having and "now this". You wouldn't be telling yourself stories - about the world, about yourself, or about the situation. Rather, you'd be flat on the floor, getting from one moment to the next. Very clear-minded. Very factual. Very here-and-now.

After the gunfire ended, that's when the inner narrative and the worrying and the suffering would start. Right at the point where there's no longer an actual problem.

Further Reading:
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Depression Resuscitation Kit

No comments:

Blog Archive