Well, DS1 has his first black eye. The neighborhood kids tend to gravitate to our back yard for baseball - which is fine perfectly fine with me! Last night, one of the girls was horsing around and started throwing sticks - one of which caught DS1 just below his right eye.
You know, I always pooh-pooh'd those people who said they couldn't handle the sight of their kids' blood. But I gained a new empathy for those people yesterday! He had blood all over his face and hands and was crying so, it would break your heart - mostly out of fear. But within probably ten minutes or so, he was back out talking to his friends, albeit with a cloth held up to his eye. This morning he looked like a young prizefighter - and boy, was he proud!
I'm interested in any opinions: Do you believe that if you act a certain way long enough or often enough that you will start to become that way? For example, if you suffer from depression, but you tell yourself to act happy, will you actually get happy? And can it be considered genuine?
5 comments:
I think this is true, barring medical reasons for behavior (depression). I know if I can make myself act nice/kind to people I think I don't like it usually changes my opinion. Generally if I am down, if I can MAKE myself do something upbeat I start to feel better.
Now for those who are truly depressed because of a chemical inbalance or something, I am not talking about you. Really the only person I can speak for is myself. It works for me!
I agree with DJG. Its all about your attitude and if you can change that, you can change what kind of person you are.
Clinical Depression is a real thing so I don't know if you can act your way out of that. I've read that your brain doesn't really know what's going on so if you smile, your brain will think you're happy! It usually works the other way, too!
You know, I'm not very maternal but, I can't stand to see my nephews hurt. The older one got hit in the eye last year at a baseball game and just the story made me cry for him.
You ask a tough question, my friend. Researchers call it the Pygmalion effect when it is someone else labelling you and you responding in that way (from Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle; Shaw's play on which "My Fair Lady" was based); what you're describing is self-fulfilling prophecy.
I must say that it's very hard when it's negative, although other responses prior to mine are correct in that it could be physical, not just mental. One never knows.
Happiness and joy, however, can truly be forced and self-deceiving--but you and I both know some very "up" Christians whose joy is infectious. I guess it goes back to the idea that we need to be around faithful Christians who will build us up and sharpen us, too, just as we should with them. God truly did not mean for us to be alone, but to fellowship with Him and with His children.
In Acting class we were taught that there are 2 ways to approach "becomming your character": Inwardly or Outwardly. The first way is a mindset - you must think like your character & work from the internal side to make yourself outwardly believable. The second way is to change your appearance to look like, walk like & talk like the character to "feel" like the character. Which style you choose was up to you (and of much debate in the Theatre world), but I tend to be the latter. If I look good, then the chances of me feeling good are better, which is why I wouldn't be caught dead w/o makeup on!!!! And I have heard that if you act a certain way long enough then you will start to actually believe it & somewhat trick yourself into being that way. I'm not sure that works w/depression - sometimes your brain needs a boost & sometimes we are just hormonal & need to be readjusted w/drugs.
Post a Comment