Smoothemuse

It’s a rather sizable one.

…

I believe I may have discovered the source of my ceaseless optimism and unfettered outlook on life: I am in denial. Dictionary.com defines this phenomenon as follows:

Denial -noun: an unconscious defense mechanism used to reduce anxiety by blocking out thoughts, feelings, or facts that are consciously intolerable.

The fact that I’m experiencing this has become more and more troubling to me as time goes on. Oh, the irony! But it’s true: I have a strong tendency to unwittingly deny the presence of bad feelings or uncomfortable truths and just kind of push them into the background of my mind. It makes life easier, and it seems to make me a happier person for it. And it’s not like it harms other people on a massive scale…unless it does, of course…in which case it’s so subtle that I hardly take note. Or perhaps I deny the notes I take.

See, denial is a funny little thing, because it essentially causes me to deny the denial itself, further perpetuating the good times. I’ve never stopped to think about this enigmatic mental process because, well, it basically masks itself by doing what it does, becoming invisible to me. I began noticing it only when my closest friend brought it to my attention. And they were jealous of my “coping mechanism.” Jealous! They said man, I wish I could do that. Why would anyone want to be in denial?

The plus side of denial is that it allows positive energy to flow with far fewer restrictions. So people in denial are happy people on the inside and outside, because their minds are basically creating a euphoric world for them in which they don’t have to think about their issues. The catch? You may be missing out on information about yourself that is vital to your long-term survival. At least, that’s what I feel like is happening to me. I’m simply being ignorant about myself.