Are You Caught Up in Mental Limbo?
3-steps to break free from your emotional misery
Every day, I look in the mirror and ask myself if I’m happy.
On most mornings, I’ll make the effort to curve my lips into a smile — providing a little visual assurance that all is well in my world.
But when I lock eyes with my reflection, reality seeps in — and I take a deep breath, quietly step back, and go on with my day.
Something’s definitely rotten in Denmark.
Those uncomfortable, disquieting vibes have been rumbling in my soul for some time now, and I needed to find a way to dispel the noise. Because I really, truly want to be happy — or at the very least, content with my life.
Even worse, I was becoming concerned my current mindset wouldn’t be able to recognize an opportunity — until it was too late.
You may have heard the phrase, “Fake It Until You Make It.”
This trite concept of pretending you’re already who you are and where you want to be is touted as a method to push aside your current problems, hoping they’ll simply go away if you tell yourself you’re already living in a perfect dreamscape.
For example, you might decide to wear the same style of clothing as that upper-level management job you really want while you’re still a trainee or fantasize you’re in love with a person who’s clearly wrong for you, hoping your mind will magically discover their better qualities and your fairytale life will finally begin.
This same exercise is often suggested to improve your mindset: If you pretend to be happy, you’ll ultimately become, well, happy.
At least that’s the premise. Except, if you’re not feeling the joy or have no genuine desire to envision a brighter future because your mind is constantly stuck in a dark place, it can be difficult to convince your brain to get out of the shadows and step into the sunshine.