Khaberni - Valentina Bianchi, a psychologist at the University of Melbourne, says that every person has about 10 secrets or dark thoughts, and that overthinking about them can generate negative feelings like shame or guilt. This was revealed by research she conducted with 240 participants, where the participants wrote their secrets in their journals for two weeks.
The study showed that these secrets associated with negative feelings appear in people's minds more automatically than through conscious thought. Bianchi explains: "In everyday life, people think about their secrets more automatically much more often than they think about them deliberately, and these unintentional mental leaks are the main driver of psychological distress."
She continues: "Negative feelings increase the likelihood of automatic thoughts about secrets, and these thoughts in turn enhance negative feelings and persist for hours," stressing that the difference between conscious and unconscious thinking is that the latter appears suddenly without intent, and is often associated with anxiety and a deterioration in mental health.
The research indicates that conscious thought about secrets is often for the purposes of imagining or dreaming, while automatic thinking carries the character of anxiety and continuous preoccupation.
To mitigate the impact of these negative thoughts, Bianchi advises focusing on another activity such as sports or paying attention to breathing, and not obsessing over the secrets, but accepting them and shifting attention and practicing relaxation and mindfulness techniques. She also emphasizes the importance of maintaining healthy daily habits that help in dealing with anxiety and improving mental health.
The experts explain that these results open a window to understanding how to manage our automatic thoughts, and transform them from a source of psychological stress into an opportunity to enhance awareness and control over daily emotions.
