2 Impressions and Anxiety

    Have you ever wondered how the past can influence your future? The experiences that we go through whether good or bad help to shape the ways we think and react to life situations. These ideas that start to form in our subconscious minds are called "impressions" and their purpose is to help us make decisions based on what we already know. Nonetheless, often times we are conditioned to believe that the ways in which we were exposed to these lines of thought cannot evolve. For example, we use what we learned in our family circles growing up to make decisions on who we date, what we identify with and how we go about making choices that will impact us as we begin to step into adulthood.

    The most important thing about impressions is that they are not always ideas that serve us in all stages of life. Think back to when you were a child and learned that when you cry someone will come to soothe you or not. Then, as an adult you apply those same concepts, but with different actions such as making a serious face when you want to imply to someone that you don't necessarily like their action or crying to your significant other to make them feel guilty. When to choose to rely on these impressions or to dismiss them and opt for new ones can create a level of mental anxiety. We live with constructs and conditions in our brains that help us to react to situations. However, it is possible that we need to take some time to gain clarity and connection with our impressions since they cause confusion when they don’t seem to apply. As adults, we have the maturity and emotional development to recognize what impressions are no longer helping us move forward and grow. The first step is acceptance that the ideas are blurred and we need to address their validity. Then, we move towards analyzing and redirecting our attention towards more fitting ideas and enacting them over and over. Suddenly, we start to see how new ways of seeing and feeling about situations becomes our responses to present day life.