#an otherwise healthy person's conclusions aren't always correct either and we don't call them unreasonable with the same tone

[potatopossums]

Thinking positive thoughts is hard because it feels inauthentic when I'm so used to depression.

It feels like trying to change my thought process is just fake sometimes. It doesn't feel like I actually think those things. That's why me and lot of other ppl hate depression / overwhelm / anxiety advice that says "think positive thoughts!"

Like yeah if it was that simple, do you honestly think I'd be here? I'm here because I tried to think positive thoughts so I could drown out the "negative" or "shameful" ones. I thought what I was doing was good.

So we really can't just use absolutist positive thoughts as some kind of general, easy bandaid fix for problems that have more to do with long-term environmental conditioning than just one-off bad thoughts. It is a long term problem and the solution must be more than long term. It must be actively long term.

My thoughts are cultivated by my environment just as much as I create them. It doesn't mean either side of things is in the wrong necessarily, but it does need more addressal than just "you need to change your thinking."

Especially as someone who would define their childhood as a sheltered, fear-mongering, unquestioning, superstitious, suspicious, scarcity-mindset-driven upbringing, I find it absolutely insulting to be told to "change my thoughts." I sincerely want my thoughts to be my own. I want my voice to be heard. I need my thoughts to be validated, otherwise my anxiety and depression and overwhelm will only grow. Do I need help? Yes. Am I unhealthy? Yes. But calling me crazy and giving me dismissive, disconnected, uninterested advice is wildly unhelpful and entirely counterproductive.