Have you ever stood at the edge of a cliff, the balcony of a high-rise, or the walkway of a bridge, and thought, “I should just jump” or “What if I jump”? Even with zero intention of doing it, the thought still pops up. Where does this crazy thinking come from?
Dr. Anna Lembke, a neuroscientist at Stanford University, says it’s our brain’s way of highlighting the possibility to ensure we avoid it. We humans think insane things sometimes. But that doesn’t mean we’re crazy. It means the opposite – we’re rational in our ability to avoid certain behaviors or situations by using our conscious, rational cortex.
We’re bombarded daily with horrible and traumatic content and situations. From the onslaught of negative news about rape, murder, and torture, to the attention-grabbing and dopamine-surging content on social media, our brains are constantly filled with crazy things. Things we’d never dream of doing ourselves, yet we inevitably think about them.
Preparing Ourselves
The reason we put ourselves in those situations in our minds is to prepare for and avoid them. Our brains are naturally wired towards the negative. They’re wired to exaggerate the fringe, the potentially harmful, the dangerous, and the badness of the world. This primal wiring is so we can avoid it. And we do that by consciously filling our brains and minds with crazy, bad thoughts.
This is an absolutely normal part of everyday life. So next time you have a crazy, irrational thought you’d never make a reality, it’s not because you’re crazy. It’s because you’re being rational. You’re mentally putting yourself in that situation to avoid being in that physical situation. We all have crazy thoughts, but that doesn’t mean we’re crazy!
Now, if you find yourself having lots and lots of crazy thoughts, please talk to someone. It’s normal to have them once in a while, but if you start noticing them creep up more and more, there are professionals that can help: therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists. Or there are spiritual counselors like priests that can also help. And there is absolutely no shame in getting help.
Remember, you are not your thoughts. You can control what thoughts you hold on to, and what thoughts you can let go of. Pay attention to them closely, and don’t let the occasional crazy ones stress you out. They happen!
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