Brain health · Sanctum

Black and white thinking

Things are right or wrong, all or nothing, good or ruined. The middle ground, the it-depends, the holding of two truths at once, is genuinely hard to sit in. One small thing going wrong can tip the whole day from fine to a write-off.

This is not stubbornness or being judgemental. For some brains, certainty is steadying and ambiguity is uncomfortable, so the mind reaches for clear categories and struggles when life refuses to give them. Switching position, or holding the grey, takes real effort rather than coming naturally.

Because it reads as rigidity or being difficult, the discomfort underneath, that uncertainty itself is hard to bear, gets missed. People are asked to be more flexible without anyone seeing why flexibility costs them so much.

We look at how you handle ambiguity and changing your position, because that tells us how your mind keeps itself steady. None of this is a diagnosis. It is what we explore with you.

Written by Dr Asad RaffiConsultant Psychiatrist · Founder & Medical Director