‘We suffer more in imagination than in reality.’
Very true. We can be our worst enemies.
We are capable of creating a living hell and our worst nightmares with nothing but our thoughts. It can be incredibly exhausting.
We can imagine the worst-case scenarios in our heads, and 99% of those things will never happen. Yet we put our bodies under the same stress as if they were actually happening.
People often act from a place of fear, and that does not lead to anything beautiful. It is one thing to feel fear, and that is okay, because fear is there for a reason.. but it is quite another to allow that fear to guide you through life.
Fear lives in your thoughts. Do not confuse fear with danger. Danger is real; fear is a manifestation of your thoughts.
We can also suffer so much by imagining what others think about us. And those assumptions — your thoughts — are usually wrong.
Now, about suffering. Suffering is only necessary until you realize that it is absolutely unnecessary. And do not confuse suffering with pain.
Suffering comes when you allow pain to grow into suffering. Sometimes it feels so real that you begin to believe that life itself is one big suffering. Your imagination seems to have become reality. And that is why it becomes real for you. You think it has to be that way because you are used to it, you have learned to experience life that way, and you have also learned how to deal with it.
The key difference between pain and suffering is that pain is a biological and unavoidable part of life. It is a signal that something requires attention. Suffering, on the other hand, is the mental narrative and, usually, the resistance we create around that pain and around not accepting reality.
That is why it is so important to become aware of your thoughts and learn to observe them instead of identifying with them. Do not believe every thought you think.
‘Get out of your head and get into your heart. Think less, feel more.’
Try to be your own best friend and choose your thoughts wisely to avoid overthinking.
And if you want to know what other people think of you, just ask them. Do not create scenarios. If you care about their opinion, ask them. If you do not, then do not care.
Always ask for clarification instead of making assumptions. Even if your assumption turns out to be correct, still ask them and hear what they have to say. Just do not make decisions about your future based on assumptions. Seek a clear picture instead.. and peace.
If they are lying, you will feel that something is not right. Lies also reveal someone’s true character. Silence can be a clear response. Direct answers remove guesswork. Whatever the answer is, accept it. Asking questions and accepting the outcome frees your mind from constant worry and brings true inner peace.. unlike living in your head with a mountain of unnecessary thoughts and fears. So always ask.
Ask. Talk. Listen. Communicate! Break that chain reaction of ‘negative’ thoughts.. or, better yet, thoughts that do not serve you at all.
‘Suffering is not holding you. You are holding suffering. When you become good at the art of letting sufferings go, then you’ll come to realize how unnecessary it was for you to drag those burdens around with you. You’ll see that no one else other than you was responsible. The truth is that existence wants your life to become a festival.’
Live the reality and use your imagination to make your reality better.
This isn’t the only text. But today, it might be enough.