Denial Won’t Get You Anywhere: How Being Honest Improves Your Life
Too many people choose to live in denial about different aspects of their life instead of living in honesty and truth. Denial is a defense mechanism that is often used to protect yourself from things that are too painful or threatening to accept. It helps you cope with the reality of situations, but it’s also something that can keep you stuck in unhealthy situations, habits, and mindsets. When you can live in truth and honesty, only then can you grow. When it comes to addiction, denial causes people not only to ignore their problems but also to avoid getting help for their issues. Here are the ways denial can impact you:
Denial Holds You Back
Long-term, denial is not a good thing. It can be a way of avoiding the truth about something that is difficult to face, like how much weight you’ve gained, how bad your financial situation has become, or how bad your daily wine habit is getting. Denial also prevents people from seeing the issues right in front of them. It can keep you from looking for a new job when you just got laid off. It can keep you from getting therapy when you have traumatic situations to recover from and heal from. Living in honesty can help you grow through these situations.
Denial Keeps You From Getting Help for Addiction
One of the things that keep people stuck in addictive cycles is denial. They aren’t ready to admit that their occasional glass of wine has become a habit they can’t live without. Instead of looking for detox for women, they search for things like “how much alcohol is too much for a woman” or “can I drive after I drank half a bottle of wine?” They are lying to themselves about how bad the addiction has become instead of getting the help they need. Many women especially are afraid of feeling like a failure because they can’t handle the pressure of chores, family life, and their work. The power of denial lies in its ability to keep people from seeking treatment for their addictions, which makes it extremely dangerous for those struggling with substance abuse issues. It’s okay to live in the truth that you have a problem, and you need help for your addiction.
Denial Makes it Hard to Take Responsibility
Denial makes it hard to take responsibility. If you’re in denial, you’ll be less likely to admit your mistakes and more likely to blame others for them. Taking responsibility is a key part of recovery because it helps people learn from their mistakes, make amends, and rebuild relationships. Without taking responsibility, you’ll be constantly blaming others, being a victim, and not recognize your own power to change.
Denial Means You Aren’t Living in Reality
Living in the truth is powerful. When you bring your issues to the light, like your shopping addiction or your drinking problems, or how you got addicted to painkillers, you can only then begin to get free from them. It’s like opening a box and letting the thing out of it, instead of trying to keep it under lock and key and pretend it isn’t there.
Denial May Ruin Your Relationships
Denial can lead to isolation, unhealthy relationships, and dishonesty with friends and family. You’re more likely to lie and hide important things from the people you love. This can be especially dangerous when it comes to mental health crises. People don’t want to be honest about their struggles and instead find themselves struggling more and more.
Denial Creates Dangerous Secrets
Denial can lead to dangerous secrets. For example, if you deny that your child has a problem with drugs or alcohol, he may continue using substances in secret. If you have secret thoughts of self-harm, you could end up doing something reckless. Instead, being honest that you feel depressed and overwhelmed or that your child is addicted, can lead you to make healthy choices instead. Honesty becomes empowering and keeps these dangerous secrets from causing further harm.
Denial Can Keep You Sick and Unhealthy
In the case of addiction, you might be in denial about your drinking or drug use. You might think that it’s not really a problem because “everyone” drinks or takes drugs on occasion. You might think you are just fine with your health because your blood pressure medication is working, but yet you can barely walk up a flight of stairs without losing your breath. Denial about your addiction, health, or financial situations can be easily helped when you decide to be honest.
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