Real Life

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Hiding Behind Your Thoughts and Feelings Isn't Make You Any Friends

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Hiding Behind Your Thoughts and Feelings Isn't Make You Any Friends

The reason why your less-than-honest attitude isn’t working

Jill Reid
Nov 4, 2022
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Hiding Behind Your Thoughts and Feelings Isn't Make You Any Friends

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“We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us.”– Virginia Satir

Who are you, really?

Interesting question, and one worth exploring.

When asked, many of us would fill in the blank by describing what we do for a living, the hobbies we enjoy, the groups we belong to, or the sports we participate in. And while this type of information may provide an initial impression to others of how we spend our time, it doesn’t really provide an authentic answer.

In an article by Crystal Raypole on Healthline, she writes: “Occasional emotional suppression generally won’t cause problems as long as you eventually work through them in healthy, productive ways. It can become an issue, however, if it becomes a pattern and affects your ability to communicate authentically.”

If we’re being honest, most folks are a bit cautious about revealing their innermost thoughts.

There’s often a hesitancy to peel off the veneer that makes us feel safe and secure in our own reality. We rely on our personal vision to keep us whole and intact — making decisions that allow us to comfortably navigate through the days and years with a mindset of, “this is the way that works best for me.”

For the most part, our self-designed mental approach seems positive, even healthy. Because without heeding our guiding voice and focusing on a direction that’s just right for us, we can become wandering nomads without purpose, identity, or goals.

But there’s an underlying glitch that occasionally influences our behavior …

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