So in my counseling session the other day, I managed to come up with an analogy that really blew away my counselor (C.B.). We've been talking off and on about how I tend to dwell on the negative aspects of my life so much that the positive elements are almost disqualified from "counting." So, in describing the effects this can have on my outlook, I came up with this analogy:
Imagine you were to take a movie and fast-forward through all the happy/positive parts. You'd be left with a very different movie! And your interpretation of that movie would be completely different -- and, in fact, distorted.
That's what it's like to dwell on the negative in life and skim over the positive -- distorted. Somehow, coming up with this image has helped me describe an imbalance I'm trying to correct.
It's true -- life will always have its downsides. However, as I'm learning, the goods/positives are just as real as the negatives, and just as worthy of lingering. So, I'm trying to learn to linger in the beautiful moments too, rather than taking them for granted. I can already tell: it's a worthwhile exercise!
God is really pressing in on me with this issue - the revelation that I harbor self-hatred, which is the core of my negative thoughts. So deep and elemental - only God can heal. Bring on the healing!
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