Changing the Stories We Tell Ourselves

We are the protagonist in our own story, but what happens when we become the antagonist in stories we weren't even aware of? Or when we assign antagonist roles to unsuspecting partners or kids? Amy and Margaret discuss why we as humans need to tell ourselves stories, when the stories we tell ourselves might stop serving us, and how we can change the stories we tell ourselves.

In this episode, Amy and Margaret discuss:

• why our brains are willing to ignore what doesn't fit our preconceived narratives [7:00]
• the concept of cognitive mediation, which is how stories are created 20:19]
• "taking things less personally" and the better approach to avoid feeling wounded by others' stories [28:06]
• how to rediscover the agency we have over the stories we tell ourselves [38:15]

Here are links to the resources mentioned in the episode:

• Nick Wignall on Medium: "6 Reasons Why You Take Things Too Personally"
• "Cognitive Mediational Theory" in Alleydog.com's online glossary
• Esther Perel: How the Stories We Tell Ourselves Can Make or Break Us
• Kyle Benson for The Gottman Institute: There Are Two Views to Every Conflict and Both Are Valid
• Carl Alviani for Medium: The Science Behind Storytelling
• Kendall Haven: Your Brain on Story

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