Random Thoughts With Nicole L. Turner

The Trap of Either/Or Thinking We live in a world that loves absolutes. Either you’re successful or you’re failing. You’re strong or you’re weak. You’re happy or you’re sad. But life is full of contradictions that don’t fit into these neat little boxes. The problem with either/or thinking is that it limits us. It makes us believe we have to pick a side, that we can’t hold space for complexity. This kind of thinking can hurt our relationships, keep us stuck in self-doubt, and prevent us from seeing the full picture of a situation. Shift to a Both/And Mindset So, how do we start embracing this idea? Here are three things you can do: Challenge Your Automatic Thinking. When you catch yourself thinking, “It has to be one way or the other,” stop and ask, Is it possible that both can be true? This simple question opens up new ways of seeing a situation. Practice Holding Space for Conflicting Emotions. The next time you feel happy and sad, excited and scared, or grateful and frustrated, remind yourself that it’s oka