Saw a post on Facebook...made me think. But first it pissed me off!
The quote...
"You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back and observing things with logic. True power is restraint. If words control you that means everyone else can control you. Breath and allow things to pass"
Yes and no in my opinion...perhaps you'll feel differently
Although this is a nice superficial kick in the pants reminder to not kill the man who cuts you off in traffic.... the message gets quickly lost in translation because of the fact that HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE simply have no neurophysiological control over the matter.
My comment obviously brought up "mood disorders", and then I provided a link from Harvard Health on Major Depression 101 because it's clearly obvious this person has no clue these illnesses exist, and messages like this are the foundational building blocks of stigma and shame to those who perhaps are suffering and don't need to be reminded how hard their struggle is by people who have NEVER been in a place as deep and dark as a severe neurological depression.
The reality is that in order to not react to anything there'd have to be nothing (zero external stimuli) which means resorting right back to those all-white, empty, blank padded rooms with barbaric strait jackets to restrict movement. And even then, they're haunted by their own racing thoughts.
The opposite of what we need to be doing.
Building a productive resilience, not preaching RESTRICTION AND SILENCE!!
Both of which have cost millions of people their lives due to this categorical thinking placed on willpower and never understanding the entire world of neurobiology. It's sad.
I went on to write several more "responses" but realized that energy would be better spent providing insight to those who genuinely care about these types of details and who are intelligent enough to understand that our world is not super linear.
It's BOTH....chaotic and orderly.
Good and Bad.
Hectic and Harmony.
As above is below.
Duality is our reality and we MUST LEARN how to cope with the crap that is thrown at us on a daily basis, yes, not ride, or hide as tempting as it may be. Once we face what we fear we are freed from its impact against us.
Our only other option is to pump ourselves with as much medication to shut down those areas of our brains which turns people into a type of robotic zombie that not even themselves can recognize. To me, that's not an option, so learning how to cope is the only option, and we have to do that in ways that build us up, not drag us down.
Lastly here is something to remember when speaking to those with a mental health diagnosis...
Twitter: @MentalMichelle
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