If you are unable to share certain thoughts or feelings with any other human in any meaningful way, how can a person manage this in a healthy way?
Both psychologically sound and proven methods as well as personal anecdotes are welcome.
Please assume sharing is non-negotiable which precludes close friends, family, and/or professionals.
If it’s psychological, really try to talk about it with a professional. That’s what they do. They can handle any kind of story.
If it’s legally dubious, talk to a defense attorney. You can get free legal advice from the ABA.
If it’s something from another realm, you can talk to a catholic priest anonymously behind a screen during Confession. Local times listed at USCCB.
Also, what the others said: Make art! Any kind.
One thing I want to try is journaling, to start.
Edit: has anyone ever tried to journal but was instinctively unable to write unrestricted? I think I just need to push through this feeling.
Start by just writing what you did that day. When you woke up. What you ate. Who you interacted with. How you felt throught the day. Eventually you will start to open up to yourself. Thats when the words seem to start writing themselves.
What do you think of combining this approach with simple train of thought and/or sporadic notes? Funnily enough I didn’t even think of writing on a schedule or in a structured way until you just mentioned it.
Maybe look into bullet journaling? Its not as straight forword as just writing down your thoughts. Its a more intimidating form of journaling, but in a good way. When i used that method i found that its complex format did a really good job at filtering my thoughts. Which took a lot of weight off my shoulders, allowing me to put more focus into bettering myself.
Why the hold up on unrestricted thoughts? Are you afraid someone will see it? Journals are as private as you make them. If the only person seeing it is you, let it flow. If you really feel ashamed of something you wrote you can always rip the page out.
If you’re afraid of what you’ll write then look at it like this. It’s better to get thoughts out than let them linger. Treat your brain as a refrigerator. You try to keep it full of fresh food. If something lingers for too long it gets moldy and disgusting and the fridge starts to smell. Whatever is rotten, you throw it out.
Both the reasons you listed may be part of it. I will try to approach it from your perspective which can help me to force myself. I will be able to do it if I really dedicate time and attention to it.
If you say that personal anecdotes are welcome and you seek emotional self-reliance, I have something to share I guess.
Adults can have immersive imaginary companions in a similar way that children sometimes do.
If you spend time on interacting with an imaginary character, two qualities can emerge from this:
- you learn how to think from perspective of this character without putting effort into that. This makes the experience of imaginary companions “talking back” to people.
- you cultivate a relationship with that character that’s like relationship with other people.
There are some internet communities practicing it. You might have heard about tulpas, soulbonds or daemons. Some kids and some writers experience it too, some scientific research mentions “illusion of independent agency”.
I have been practicing it myself for over a decade and can say that I believe that it had a positive impact overall and only positive impact after I unlearned popular tulpamancy and started approaching my inner relationships with more dialectical-materialist mindset.
Maybe creating art in some form can be a way of processing?
I really appreciate this idea. I’ve always thought I was no good at traditional “art” but perhaps I need to broaden my idea of what will constitute art and what can be made and kept in plain sight.
Making art is not about making “good art” (whatever that means anyway). As long as you enjoy making it or it helps in some other way, it is great. Go and make some shitty art! Or good art. Or weird art. Or whatever kind of art it will be, but don’t be stopped by the idea it has to meet some quality standard.
Thanks, I’ll work towards opening up with myself and trying something
Consume art. It helps a lot to read/watch/hear some content that is similar to your experience and resonates with you. Helps to know that you’re not alone and others have experienced/reflected/studied these experiences before. Reading philosophy helps me as well. Might not talk exactly about my situation, but gives the tools and processes to help me think through my issues.
You would think that in this age of instant, free, accessible communication; finding someone to share with would not be difficult. But somehow people care about each other’s problems less than ever. I’ve never found any Lemmy social group that connects people.
I personally feel like it can’t be done in a healthy way. It’ll probably be manageable, but I personally think humans are so social that “healthy” is only possible if one is able to share their experience.
Yes I was quite afraid, or maybe just somewhat prepared, that a healthy solution is not possible.
I guess I should note that a minimization of pain is better than nothing. So I’ll take any ideas that are healthy-adjacent at least.
Understandable :) I guess the closest would be to read/listen to experiences of other people feeling/experiencing the same thing as you, which certainly do exist.
Thanks, if I somehow stumble on somebody who mentions even one thing I can relate to, I’ll be sure to listen and absorb what was said.
