Whether it is a direct lie or an obstruction of the truth, not being 100% honest with yourself can have a dangerously harmful impact on you. We often comfort ourselves and others by saying small lies, “You don’t look fat baby”, “I do the best that I can”, “I tried, but it’s not for me”, “Losing weight is impossible for me”, “All men are the same and that’s why I am single”.
When do these small lies start being hurtful to our wellbeing? More often than not, it is when you accept them as a reality!
It’s a real shame that some people are afraid to confront the truth. They create a potentially harmful fake bubble to protect themselves. Am I being too harsh? Well perhaps it is time to take a hard look in the mirror and be true to yourself. Face all the lies that have come out of your mouth and start living on the beautiful side of being honest and real.
Chose honesty. We cannot be honest with others until we are honest with ourselves first. Being honest requires conscious effort on a daily basis. It also may require tolerating some painful realizations.
Some of the lies we tell ourselves:
- Living in denial. Denial is a psychological defense people use to create a false sense of security. Ask yourself. Is there anything you are not accepting?
- How I like to be perceived (not how I actually am). Your actions and not your words determine the person you are. Choose wisely what you do for yourself and for others and try to live as close to your true self.
- Picking what to believe. People tend to choose information that supports their beliefs and opinions and reject information that contradicts them. When looking at a situation, accept both the things you like and don’t like.
- Self-deception. Self-deception can be like a drug, numbing you from harsh reality, or turning a blind eye to the tough matter of gathering evidence and thinking (Churchland, 2013).
“Humans are masters of self-deception. We fool ourselves into believing things that are false—and—we refuse to believe things that are true”
Be true to yourself, accept the truth and if you don’t like it, change it!
Fotis
