Anxiety as Change Agent.

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung

While we can’t often control the things that happen to us, we can control our internal reactions to them. To do so requires self-awareness. Without which, life can increasingly feel like it’s happening to us. Most of us can think of a time when we took credit for a favorable outcome in our lives and blamed others when things went wrong. This creates what psychologists call cognitive dissonance, a state in which our thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes are inconsistent.

Living in a state of cognitive dissonance can lead to several psychological outcomes:

1. Stress and Anxiety: Cognitive dissonance often creates internal tension, which can manifest as stress and anxiety. The discomfort arises from the clash between conflicting cognitions, leading to emotional distress. Anxiety is often a warning that we’re out of integrity.

2. Rationalization and Justification: To reduce dissonance, individuals may rationalize or justify their behaviors or beliefs. This can involve changing one of the conflicting cognitions, minimizing the importance of the conflict, or creating a story that provides further consistency.

3. Avoidance: Individuals may avoid situations or information that exacerbates the dissonance. This avoidance can help reduce immediate discomfort but may also limit personal growth and learning.

5. Impaired Decision-Making: The discomfort of cognitive dissonance can cloud judgment and impair decision-making. People may struggle to make choices or feel uncertain about their decisions, leading to indecisiveness.

6. Emotional Discomfort: Persistent cognitive dissonance can lead to prolonged emotional discomfort, including feelings of guilt, shame, or regret. This can negatively impact overall mental health and well-being.

Increasing self-awareness can motivate an individual to seek resolution by bringing their behaviors and beliefs into alignment. This drive for consistency can lead to personal growth, self-confidence, and improved mental health. Overall, while cognitive dissonance can be uncomfortable, it also serves as a powerful motivator for change and self-improvement when addressed constructively. Therapy can help.