[Onward2wards]

I have been journaling and challenging my assumptions, behaviors and perceptions daily for so long, I've pretty much "psychoanalyzed myself" at this point! I realized some things today I had previously missed, and wanted to share them:

1. Moods affect perception and decision making

Even if you do not have bipolar disorder, I would bet anything that temporary mood changes DO subtly affect your judgment. If you have been super stressed for a long time and finally take that dream vacation, your mood at the end of it is likely skewed mildly toward overoptimism and complacency. In the stressed-out days just before that vacation, I can easily imagine getting into a state of defensiveness, risk aversion, and gloom. Those states are not abnormal or weird, they are normal and understandable, however, either state WILL have an affect on decision making which most of us don't think about.

I suspect the optimal emotional state to be in for accurate, rational thinking is best described as "centered, calm, and mildly positive". Why "mildly positive"? Because our species has developed a tendency towards being mildly negative! An absolutely neutral state of mind for humans appears to be "it might go horribly wrong ... meh, what's on TV?"

Basic examples:

* Do NOT decide whether or not you deserve a new car immediately after falling madly in love with someone
* Do NOT contemplate your worth as a human being if you just finished working an understaffed retail shift on Black Friday

This kind of thing "should be" a no-brainer. (However, what do psychologists tell us about "should"s...?) Sometimes we miss what is later obvious. Hindsight is 20-20.

2. Are we really ever "rational"?

I believe the emotional brain is actually in control (in a sense). Modes of thinking we like to label rational, analytical, imaginative, intuitive, resourceful, etc. are TOOLS developed for our emotional self to get its' needs met more efficiently. The minute we forget that, we've lost the fight to manage our issues. Think about it ... what does the process of growing up involve? I would argue that a truly rational analysis of the human condition begins with the understanding that we are not "rational" in the commonly understood sense. We have an emotional life with a language all its' own, it is the product of genetics and ongoing life experiences, and it must be thoroughly understood.

We keep asking ourselves, "why do the Head and the Heart seldom agree?" This is apparently because those modes of thinking/feeling reside in neural networks that truly are completely different! One of our tasks as humans is to create a sort of "translation program" between them, and balance them out. My perception is that the "Head" looks for potential dangers (especially ones it has encountered before) and tells me "logically speaking, this will not end well", and the "Heart" perpetually says "This is cool! I want it! Now would be fine." Major problems arise when they have very different points of view about the same situation, but are completely clueless about how to have a polite discussion. It usually devolves into "I really want that ... too bad it's not going to happen." aaaaand hello depression.

The advice "know thyself" is far more than something to put on a motivational bumper sticker.

3. Who are we really?

Psychiatrists and neuroscientists might argue that we are basically nerve impulses. I don't disagree. Now, what do those impulses which show up on brain scans FEEL like? What is the subjective, personal inner perception of all those simultaneous and sometimes conflicting impulses? We shroud them in labels and conceptual models, we tell ourselves that this impulse is a thought, this other one an emotion, this set of impulses is anxiety, or affection, or anger, or joy, and on and on. But ... what are they really? How specifically do they interact with our memories, our external experiences, and each other, moment to moment?

Can we train ourselves to be more aware of those impulses as they rise and fall, stripped of the usual judgments we pass on them, absent the sometimes less than accurate socially approved labels we are taught to paste over the authentic, raw experience? Can we relearn how to interact with them as they happen? Is it possible to gently interfere with the process in order to become more of who we want to be? Can we become more truly conscious, more authentically alive, with a starting point of increased basic self-awareness?

[Thunder Bow]

Now is the time to develop some confidence in yourself. You post was very insightful.

[woe-be-gone]

Originally Posted by Onward2wards

Can we train ourselves to be more aware of those impulses as they rise and fall, stripped of the usual judgments we pass on them, absent the sometimes less than accurate socially approved labels we are taught to paste over the authentic, raw experience? Can we relearn how to interact with them as they happen? Is it possible to gently interfere with the process in order to become more of who we want to be? Can we become more truly conscious, more authentically alive, with a starting point of increased basic self-awareness?

I believe the answer to all those questions are Yes.

I believe reading and understanding our own neuroscience and psychology gives us the first step towards this awareness. The next would be to look into our lives and accept our own little triggers. I usually do this by self-reflection but the technique I've read about the most is to take an "observational" stance instead of a reactive stance. In a particular situation, you would look at the mere facts in front of you instead of any feelings or emotions you may be experiencing. Then, you would give attention to your body to understand what you are feeling. If your feelings contradict your observational conclusion, these could be caused by past judgement, insecurities or even social conditioning.

I actually believe we are all essentially rational beings...our emotional intelligence makes us sensitive to our environment and surroundings which reduces our rationality (making us irrational if we give in to our emotional sensitivities). Finding that fine balance between rational and emotional is, I believe, to be authentically alive!