Acting

@Anu00mettu

I remember feeling that way when I was a kid.  However, I was okay with it.  It’s like I was asking myself, what else would I be doing with my time besides entertaining myself with a fantasy life.  My real life was pretty rough, so escaping into fantasy meant suffering less.  

Another function of fantasy within the mind’s stage is rehearsal.  It’s a way of trying on different roles, to help decide which is the best fit.  I wonder if thinking that feels like acting happens because the mind isn’t in touch with certain feelings.  In other words, some thoughts and ideas “feel right,” while others seem to be at odds to what we’re feeling.  

I believe the mind “acts out” thinking.  In other words, thoughts manifest at a level of mind in which language doesn’t exist, then the conscious mind articulates the thoughts via the inner voice or dialogue, to be expressed as the words that we “hear” inside our mind.  I guess you could say that the mind does a lot of work while being “silent” to our conscious thoughts.  Some refer to that level of mind as sub-vocal.  

Sometimes I’m a bit surprised at the words that come out of my mouth.  It’s as though I didn’t realize that’s what I thought or believed.  

I meditate, which helps me feel as though my thoughts and feelings are aligned with who I am.  

Sometimes I put my hand on my heart and ask myself what my heart is feeling, or what is it trying to tell my mind.  

Helpful questions may be, “who am I in this moment, what am I feeling right now, what will give me comfort or joy?”  

It’s very common for young people to try on different “personas” or personalities, just to see how they feel.  When one of them feels like a good fit, there’s a good chance they’ll stick with it.  At that point, they may be “acting authentic,” while in fact, perhaps not fully, but they’re increasingly being authentic.  

There’s another phenomenon called the “impostor syndrome.”  That’s when a person has difficulty believing they deserve to be in whatever role they find themselves in.  It usually has to do with some kind of accomplishment, such as graduating college.  They may think they succeeded as a result of an error, that they didn’t truly earn the diploma.  The same thing can happen socially, when a person asks themselves, “who am I to think I can be a good friend?”  

The reality is, you are the person you choose to be in the present moment.  If you feel like crying, that’s the authentic you that feels that way.  If you choose to be empathetic, that is definitely part of who you are.  If you’re being nice to someone, it’s not acting nice, it’s actually being nice. 

Imagining a relationship with someone isn’t unusual.  In fact, it’s quite the opposite, it’s very common.  Books have been written about “visualization,” as a means to succeed at a chosen goal.  

I hope this helps.  Feel free to message me.