2d ago

What are some glimmers you've had recently?

59 comments

Training to notice things does cause those things to occur more often, you're just noticing more of what was there.
Mental health is not improved by magical thinking. It can literally become its own mental disorder.
- I don't see how noticing more of what's there is a bad thing, or magical thinking. It won't make more nice things happen, but being more observant of the ones that are happening is still a benefit.
  
  Nothing more of what exists is great but the meme doesn't end there, it day more will come into existence which isn't true and is the magical thinking part.
  There is are entire movements that pushes these types of narrative with all sorts of end goals. A very common one is how imagining being rich will make your money problems will disappear.
  This sort of stuff sells because it works temporarily. Ignoring problems can make them appear to disappear but reality remains unaffected. The problems will persist.
  If you're in an bad situation, imagining you are not is a common coping skill but anyone claiming it will end the bad situation is pushing magical thinking.
  Making it more tolerable is only the correct solution if it's some specific types of anxieties.
  
  That wasn’t my takeaway. I don’t think this claimed a solution to getting out of a situation. I think if you spend your time focusing on the bad parts of your day more than the good parts, you will feel worse, regardless of your situation. This is just about focusing on the positives.
- I think you're misunderstanding some points here.
  Mental health is not improved by magical thinking.
  The question is: what is the alternative? Rational thinking? Falling back into scrutinizing everything until your head hurts? Getting into arguments?
  Magical thinking calms you down and gets your heart rate back into the healthy configuration. I'd call that a win.
- Sure, but confirmation bias + placebo is better than negative spiralling into your triggers, no?
  
  If your goal is to only cope then it's fine; enjoy the delusion. If you went to accept things as they are, good and bad then no.
  
  It's not delusional to recognize that good things happen, or that there is still stuff in the world that makes you happy. You can both work to recognize goodness and still remember the world's evils.
- I'm having a very hard time parsing your comment

59 comments