Truth has consequences. So do lies/hiddenness/omission/self denial

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This is part of a real life journal entry from this past week. A small glimpse (but not the full picture) of part of my thinking world. Good times. ha!

But here are some questions for YOU: What's something that you held back on or postponed due to not wanting to face the truth earlier on? What were the factors at play and what were the effects? Is there something you're holding back on now?

AND

Have you ever faced a difficult truth that ultimately improved your life once you accepted it?

_______ part of entry_____________

"There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed and nothing hidden that shall not be known".

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate."

We hide because we're ashamed, because we're afraid of consequences, because we're afraid of how others may react, because we're afraid of loss, because we're afraid we'll finally have to face ourselves and own our own desires and wants and needs and so we end up sitting in darkness feeling lost, feeling the weight of our own prison. We fear that the thing that we're hiding about ourselves says something irredeemable and puts us in a less than perfect light or a less than expected light. We fear that exposure would lead to such drastic change that we won't know how to handle it.

But the reality is that the truth exists, whether we hide it or not. We just end up complicating it more-ensnaring it in chains of our own doing without giving it room to actually breathe. To actually breathe...Breathe.

When it has breathing room it can be looked at for what it is and we can also get curious about what's underlying it. We often only take a look at the lie or the undesired behavior and are so ashamed by it that we try to shut it down...but underneath that there can be something that's making it grow further (be there to begin with). If we're wasting so much energy on keeping things hidden from ourselves and others, we're denying ourselves the opportunity to see what's really there and that's denying our potential for growth, our potential for healing, our potential for real life transformation. Buying into our own bullshit. Ain't that some bullshit? Lord help us all. But me especially. Obvs.

The truth has consequences but at least we're working with a clear(er) picture. Lies and hiddenness also have consequences but we're fumbling in the dark and we're more likely to get hurt--certainly our character will suffer. It's a lot easier to clean up a wound that's fresh than one that's been infected over time.

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Some psychological concepts for funsies:

*Self-deception :Humans often distort reality to protect self-esteem or avoid discomfort. While it reduces anxiety in the short term, it can prevent growth and lead to poor decisions.
*Experiential avoidance (from ACT therapy): The tendency to avoid uncomfortable thoughts, emotions, memories, or truths. Research consistently links high levels of avoidance with greater psychological suffering.
*The "white bear" effect (Daniel Wegner): Attempts to suppress thoughts often make them more persistent. The classic example: try not to think about a white bear, and it becomes difficult to think about anything else. (I thought it was the pink elephant, but that's fine)
*Shadow work (Jungian psychology): The parts of ourselves we reject, hide, or deny don't disappear. Integrating them into conscious awareness often leads to greater maturity, authenticity, and wholeness.
*Cognitive dissonance :When our actions and beliefs conflict, we experience psychological discomfort. We can either change our behavior or distort reality to reduce the tension. Many lies begin as attempts to escape dissonance.
*Shame vs. guilt :Guilt says, "I did something wrong." Shame says, "I am something wrong." Guilt can motivate change. Shame often motivates hiding. Truth becomes easier to face when we separate our worth from our mistakes.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡?

🔹 Fear of being judged or rejected

🔹 Fear of losing a relationship, opportunity, or status

🔹 Shame about what the truth might say about them

🔹 Not wanting to face difficult emotions

🔹 The truth would require a difficult change

🔹 They genuinely don't see the truth yet

🔹 Other (share in the comments)

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Truth has consequences. So do lies/hiddenness/omission/self denial