Do you also have these demons inside your head telling you that "you're not good enough, everything is messed up, there's no way of finding a solution to your problems, and you're not worthy of anything"?
They are the main reason for our sleepless nights, reminding us of our failures and rejections. They are whispering how pathetic and helpless we are now based on the decisions we made from the past. They fuel you with a lot of what-ifs and I should've done this and that.
They feed our brains with negativity and they usually come up when we least expect them most especially if we are vulnerable and hopeless.
Is there a way on how to handle these demons living inside your head? Where do they come from in the first place? Did we make them? How can we shut them up?
Here's what we need to know first to enlighten us where these shits are coming from:
Effects will always have its causes. There's no way you'll have effects when causes of the situations did not exist. We develop negativity through external forces such as our bad experiences, negative remark you never forget from a person whom you trusted so much, something someone said when we were a child, or even a simple IG post of your classmates in high school showing the luxuries they have possessed right now.
According to Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory, one's behavior is greatly affected by an interaction between the three component parts of the mind. These are mainly:
ID - this is the most dominant among the three personalities. This is usually an impulsive and aggressive behavior. It emphasizes the pleasure and desires of our bodies.
Superego - this is mainly concerned with social rules and morals, better known as "conscience" or "moral compass" which are taught by our parents and from our culture.
Ego - this is the rational, realistic, and practical part of our personality. It is less demanding than the id and it’s what Freud considered to be the “self”. Its job is to balance and weigh the demands of the id and superego.
Being aware of how our brain works is the first step to deal with your inner demons. As always, the first step is gonna be always the hardest. And no, these demons won't disappear; they'll always be there. However, being conscious that they don't necessarily need to control us or our reactions is where we become powerful.
We don't need to always act the way our minds are telling us to do this and that. It is a healthy practice for us to always remind ourselves that it's just our stupid inner part of our brains that tries to overpower us.
It is the Id personality that is mostly responsible for these negativities. However, our ego will still stand as the judge whether id is permitted or not.
It's like having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other: it's entirely up to us which one we pay attention to.
Meanwhile, it is also advisable to listen to our demons, because there could be a message.
We shouldn't ignore them completely; these critical voices in our heads might have something important to tell us.
As Charles Bukowski once said: "Don’t fight your demons. Your demons are here to teach you lessons. Sit down with your demons and have a drink and a chat and learn their names and talk about the burns on their fingers and scratches on their ankles. Some of them are very nice."
On a brighter side, these demons keep us honest, push us to improve and overcome adversity. They help us figure out the next steps.
Next time you find yourself dealing with the same situation again, keep an open mind, and listen to what your inner demons are saying. You never know, they could be revealing a truth that you've not yet faced up to.
Meditation really helps to concentrate and quieten the mind. However, it takes years to practice it effectively. For people who have a low amount of patience like me, well, that wouldn't work for me.
In positive psychology, a flow state is also known as "being in the zone" when you're fully immersed in an activity that you enjoy. You become so absorbed in what you're doing; you lose yourself and your sense of time and space. It's a beautiful feeling, and it can help you switch off from those inner demons.
Flow can be conquered by being creative: painting, drawing, sculpting, or playing a musical instrument or even at work. Find time to get into the flow every day; particularly when your inner demons are proving the most troublesome.
In my case, I play the keyboard whenever these demons are acting up again.
By the way, I would like to remind you that everyone suffers and we struggle in our own different ways. Don't ever feel like you are the only one suffering in this world. Even the brightest and best creative people in the world suffer. Often from the same negative thoughts. Your art and design heroes have inner demons too.
Chronic unrest is what makes me awake at night. Creativity is really good, especially for aspiring writers like me, but there are nights when the thing just keeps me awake... it's the downside to having the desire to outdo yourself everyday, I guess.
Your article is brilliant. This platform needs more writers like you.