Welcome to this weeks’ thrilling, somewhat perplexing, and decidedly humorous journey through the labyrinth of your mind and the world around you. Today, we’re diving into the fascinating realm of Internal Reality versus External Reality, focusing on the enigmatic Internal Feedback Loop. Don your best philosopher’s hat and get ready for a ride! And thanks to the sometimes enigmatic but more often times philosopher Mr Krider for introducing this concept to me.
Internal Reality: The Brain’s Amusement Park
Imagine your mind as the ultimate amusement park. There’s the Rollercoaster of Random Thoughts and Emotions, the Haunted House of Regrets, and let’s not forget the Carousel of Compliments (where you spend a suspiciously short amount of time). This, my friend, is your Internal Reality.
In this wondrous park, you are the architect, the manager, security, maintenance and the cleaning crew. You control everything, from the neon lights of your wildest dreams to the dark, cobwebbed corners of your deepest fears. It’s all in there, playing on an endless loop. Your Internal Reality is your own private universe, curated by none other than you. Welcome to You-Land, population: 1.
External Reality: The World’s Not-So-Fun Fair
Now, step outside You-Land and behold the External Reality, where things are a bit more… unpredictable. This is the realm of deadlines, social interactions, and the inexplicable disappearance of your left sock (yep, it’s made a reappearance). External Reality is like a never-ending funfair run by chaos theory enthusiasts.
In External Reality, you don’t get to control the rides. You just strap in and hope for the best. It’s a place where your meticulously planned picnic gets rained on, your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere (happened to me more than once) and your geriatric dog decides your beautiful persian rug is now the toilet. Ah, the joys of the external world!
The Internal Feedback Loop: Your Brain’s Internal Talk Show
Here’s where things get interesting. The Internal Feedback Loop is like your brain’s version of a late-night talk show. Your thoughts are the guests, your beliefs the host and your emotions the live studio audience.
Picture this: you wake up and stub your toe on the bedpost. Pain shoots up your leg, and the talk show begins. Your Internal Reality kicks off with a guest appearance from Mr. Negative Thought: “Why does this always happen to me?” The host, Ms. Persistent Belief, nods and says, “Indeed, life is a series of unfortunate events!” The audience (your emotions) gasps in sympathy, reinforcing this grim outlook. And so the loop starts …
Breaking the Loop: Becoming Your Own Best Comedian
But here’s the kicker: you can change the script. Yes, you! Channel your inner stand-up comedian and start cracking jokes. When Mr. Negative Thought takes the stage, counter with a sarcastic quip: “Well, if stubbing my toe is the worst thing today, I’m winning in life!” Watch as the audience (your emotions) chuckle and lighten up.
You see, the Internal Feedback Loop thrives on repetition and consistency, much like a sitcom. By interrupting the pattern and then injecting humour, sprinkled with a bit of perspective, you can transform the show’s tone. Your Internal Reality becomes less of a dramatic soap opera and more of a quirky comedy serial.
Reality Check: Harmonizing the Internal and External
Balancing your Internal and External Realities is like being the ringmaster of a very unruly circus. It’s about acknowledging that while you can’t control every external event, you can certainly control your internal reactions.
Next time you’re caught in a rainstorm without an umbrella, instead of cursing the heavens, imagine you’re in a dramatic movie scene. Cue the inner monologue: “Of course, it starts raining just as I leave the house. Classic!” Add some dramatic hand gestures for effect and maybe a slow-motion walk. Or perhaps take a cue from Gene Kelly and break out into a rendition of “Singing In The Rain” (seriously showing my age and then some here).
By reframing these moments with humour, you turn life’s mishaps into memorable plot twists rather than catastrophic failures. And it’s not about trivializing events. It’s treating life as the light hearted TV show rather than a soap opera because let’s be honest, it’s not about sweating the small stuff – because it’s all small stuff.
Embrace the Silly
In the grand theatre of life, embracing the silliness of it all is your ticket to sanity. Your Internal Reality is a rich, complex world that only you can navigate, while the External Reality is a wild ride you’re strapped into.
The Internal Feedback Loop is your internal broadcast, and you are both the director and the star of your own life (thank you Julie Anne Black). So give your internal talk show a humorous twist. Laugh at the chaos, revel in the unpredictability, and remember: sometimes, the best way to deal with reality is to find the comedy in it.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a word with my dog about the rug situation …