Do Our Thoughts Create Our Suffering?

With gratitude to you all.

VOL. 3 ... No. 108. June 25, 2025.

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The humble Hump Day Gazette is growing!!!

Thanks for all the responses from last week’s post about my mysterious “Sunday Blues.” I appreciate your condolences and your tips for coping with those blues. One reader shared that she had experienced something very similar around her father’s death. I imagine it’s more prevalent than we know. Our complex, beautiful minds and bodies are fascinating, aren’t they?

This past Sunday was MUCH better. The sadness I typically feel was pretty much gone. When sad feelings did arise, I reminded myself of their roots and reframed my experience.

I’m much better. My therapy dog — not so much.

#help #letmeoutofhere #thischickscrazy

Thoughts as the root of all suffering . . .

I am fascinated with the idea that by changing our thoughts we can substantially change our lives. Self-help guru, Wayne Dyer, wrote many books on this topic. While he focused primarily on “getting what you want,” his philosophy of changing our thoughts to uplift, rather than punish, ourselves resonates with me. I see in my own life how harmful my own negativity towards myself has been. The only person who has stopped me from anything I really wanted has been me.

Anxiety Is Just A Predictive Error In The Brain!

I recently listened to an interview on Diary of a CEO with Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, neuroscientist and professor of psychology. I was cleaning the house and distracted so I plan to listen to it again, but the gist of it was our brains are “predictive” rather than “reactive.”

Most of us probably understand our thinking as “first we perceive and then we react.” Dr. Feldman Barrett’s research leads her to believe this is incorrect. She says, “Your brain is not reacting. It’s predicting based on past experiences that were similar to your current state.”

In a split second, our brains supply the information we need based upon our past experiences and current sensory input. But our brains can make errors — especially if we are stressed or overwhelmed — and will predict a negative outcome in a relatively harmless situation. She used her own fear of bees as an example. Once stung as a child, she developed a lifelong phobia. Everything you experience — everything you do — is a combination of the remembered past and the sensory present. That means to change who you are, you can change what you remember — reframe it or no longer focus on it. She says, “There is no essence to who you are. You are what you do. In the moment, you are what you do.” Something to think about! (This is a long interview. Save it for when you have time.)

Something short and sweet!

Here’s my all-time favorite guru, Jim Carrey, with his take on thoughts as the cause of most or all suffering. He’s been on an amazing journey of discovery since leaving acting. Enjoy!

Until next time, my friends . . . get outside. Connect with nature and feel the warmth of the sun on your beautiful faces.

Janna

Quote Of The Week:

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. — Dr. Wayne Dyer.