Externalization for Dummies

Externalization is a term that might sound a bit complicated at first, but don't worry, I am here to explain it in the easiest way possible. So imagine you have this really big backpack, and you love collecting different things. You have so many things that your backpack starts to get really heavy to carry around. You can't fit everything inside, so what do you do? You start putting some things outside the backpack, like attaching a water bottle to the side or hanging your jacket on the handle. In this situation, the things that you put outside the backpack are the externalized items.

Now let's apply this concept to our minds. Our minds are like backpacks, and they can also become overwhelmed with thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Sometimes, when our minds are full, we might need to take some of that load and put it outside of ourselves. This is where externalization comes into play. Externalization is when we take our thoughts, feelings, or emotions and express them in a way that is outside of ourselves.

For example, let's say you are feeling really frustrated because you couldn't understand a math problem. Instead of keeping that frustration bottled up inside, you might decide to express it by talking to a teacher or a friend, or even by writing about it in a journal. By doing this, you are externalizing your frustration.

Externalization can also be done through other means of expression, like art. Imagine you are feeling sad about something, and you decide to paint a picture that represents your sadness. By doing this, you are giving form and shape to your feelings, and you are letting them out instead of keeping them inside. This act of painting is a way of externalizing your emotions.

So, in short, externalization means taking something that is inside of us, like thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and finding a way to express them outside of ourselves. It can be through talking, writing, drawing, painting, or any other form of expression that helps us let those inner experiences out. It's like taking the extra weight out of our backpacks and putting it somewhere else to make it easier for us to carry and understand ourselves.