When I was a kid and lost in thought, my parents called it daydreaming.
Daydreaming sounds better than distraction, absentmindedness, overthinking, or ruminating. Daydreaming is still one of my remedies for a painful present.
Do you see daydreaming in my images for today?
.
When I search for “daydreaming” on YouTube, I find this …
As a psychotherapist, I’ve been trained to recognize delusions and work with people who have them.
Personally, I have never seen so many people operating under so many delusions at the same time. In the USA, this seems to the Age of Delusion and I wonder when (and if!) millions of people are going to be de-delusioned.
What delusions can you find in my images for today?
.
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for delusions:
.
Thanks to all who are here for this delusions post, including YOU!
Because I’m a psychotherapist, I often deal with people’s strong emotions.
Yesterday, I had many strong emotions, including a good cry when I watched West Side Story.
I have no shame about strong emotions, including sadness, fear, anger, and joy. I accept my strong emotions and allow them to flow through me, leaving room for other reactions.
Do you see strong emotions in my images for today?
I’ve always had strong emotions about cats, who have supported me emotionally since I was 10 years old. For me, it’s West Side Story, The Deer Hunter, Sophie’s Choice, To Kill a Mockingbird, Schindler’s List, and so many others.I had strong emotions about Angry Staffer answering my question on Twitter last night.“Maybe calm down” can be a valid response to strong emotions. I have strong emotions about several of today’s observances.
.
Here’s what I find when I search for “strong emotions” on YouTube:
.
On World Gratitude Day (and every other day), I have strong emotions of gratitude for YOU.
Yesterday, between two therapy groups where people tell stories about themselves, I asked this question on Twitter:
Some people on Twitter pointed out that there were many ways to answer that question — is the story the truth or a lie? Is it a story you tell to yourself or to others? My story about the questions I ask is this: there is no right or wrong way to answer any of them. I deliberately made the question ambiguous, so people could answer as they chose.
Personally, I’ve been thinking a lot about the old, habitual stories we tell about ourselves and how those affect us. Many people tell negative, limiting, and outmoded stories about themselves. For example, I tell a story about myself making a mistake that might markedly harm myself and others, even though that has rarely happened in my life. This fear-filled story can make me hesitant to act and can cause me to agonize over something I might have done or will do “wrong.”
I can also get confused by the conflicting stories others tell. For example, which story should I believe: “Look before you leap!” or “He who hesitates is lost!”
What’s a story that today’s images tell?
Now I’m thinking about (1) stories that use strong language, (2) stories people tell to bartenders and (3) the unforgettable stories that movies tell us.
Also, the story I’m telling about the potato latkes Michael made yesterday …
… is that they are the best I’ve ever had.
This is what I find on YouTube when I search for “what’s a story you tell about yourself?”
I really appreciate the stories Dr. Tracey Marks is telling in that video.
What’s a story you tell about yourself?
Every story I tell here ends with gratitude for YOU.
