I'm just gonna come right out and say this, and whoever wants to freak out about it can freak out about it. I just need to get this off my chest.
I think I don't like the outdoors.
I'm so sorry to everyone in my life I have lied to, but the truth is, I didn't even realize it myself until recently. I've spent so much of my life outside, and I am constantly surrounded by nature, but I just don't like it. I don't like bugs, I despise bug bites, and I'm pretty sure I have this constant feeling of bugs crawling on my legs even when there's nothing there.
So why do I feel so guilty about it? Because I felt like I should like it, due to my background and upbringing. All the yogis I look at love the outdoors, so I should too, right? Wrong.
A psychiatrist at my day program said to me a few weeks ago, "You should remove the word 'should' from your vocabulary. That word is poison!" At first I was like, dude please chill out. It's just a word. But then I started to think more about the word, the meaning of the word, and the essence behind it. And eventually, what this guy was saying actually started to make sense.
When you say you "should" do something, it adds unnecessary pressure onto whatever said thing is. For example: I should lose weight vs. I want to lose weight. Those are two very different sentences! Adding the word "should" to a statement makes it a command, as if your brain is forcing you to do something and you'll be punished if you don't. That seems a little drastic don't you think?
Next time you say the word "should", take a step back and see if you can re-word your statement to make it less demanding and more natural. I've listed a few possibilities below.
I should do this assignment vs. It would benefit me a lot to do this assignment.
I should clean my room vs. I may feel better if my room is clean.
I should like the outdoors because I have a house in the woods vs. I can like and dislike whatever I want!
I hope you enjoyed my little vocabulary lesson.
So why do I feel so guilty about it? Because I felt like I should like it, due to my background and upbringing. All the yogis I look at love the outdoors, so I should too, right? Wrong.
A psychiatrist at my day program said to me a few weeks ago, "You should remove the word 'should' from your vocabulary. That word is poison!" At first I was like, dude please chill out. It's just a word. But then I started to think more about the word, the meaning of the word, and the essence behind it. And eventually, what this guy was saying actually started to make sense.
When you say you "should" do something, it adds unnecessary pressure onto whatever said thing is. For example: I should lose weight vs. I want to lose weight. Those are two very different sentences! Adding the word "should" to a statement makes it a command, as if your brain is forcing you to do something and you'll be punished if you don't. That seems a little drastic don't you think?
Next time you say the word "should", take a step back and see if you can re-word your statement to make it less demanding and more natural. I've listed a few possibilities below.
I should do this assignment vs. It would benefit me a lot to do this assignment.
I should clean my room vs. I may feel better if my room is clean.
I should like the outdoors because I have a house in the woods vs. I can like and dislike whatever I want!
I hope you enjoyed my little vocabulary lesson.
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