I’m a therapist and there is a pattern that I see among people who are struggling with their mental health. This may be seen in people with anxiety, depression, low self worth, etc.: They think every bad interaction and situation is about them. Let me explain…
When people are struggling with their mental health, they often put themselves at the center of all negative interactions and infer that those negative interactions mean something about them. Sure, sometimes they do, but every single interaction isn’t about them.
When you’re feeling this way, you assume that every bad thing is happening to you and is about you. Your partner is in a bad mood and hates you, they’re not just tired. The person in front of you is driving slow because they’re an asshole who doesn’t care about people.
If you feel this happening in your own head, it’s a sign that you need to pause and check in with yourself. You’re losing some of your mental flexibility in this moment and your filter is getting clogged.
Good mental health requires us to be able to simultaneously reflect on our own role in a situation and hold space for other possibilities. We have to be able to ask, “is there any other explanation for this behavior?” and accurately assess the possibilities.
