Cognitive dissonance seems like it would be a “bad” thing, right? It can actually be a very good thing, and vital to our growth! Take a deep breath - it’s okay if you’re experiencing cognitive dissonance.  In this episode, I break down what cognitive dissonance really is, why women in emotionally abusive marriages may experience a lot of cognitive dissonance, how cognitive dissonance can help us create better, healthier thoughts, and I also share three fun illustrations of cognitive dissonance for all you listeners who love a good word picture. Ready? Let’s dive in.  Key Points From This Episode: Three definitions of cognitive dissonance. Three reasons why we may not want to change what we believe or what we do. “Fear of pain” is the key phase here.  Some examples of cognitive dissonance that I see every day in the women within my private membership program, Flying Free.  Why changing our thinking can be so, so good.  Three illustrations of cognitive dissonance and how we can choose the thoughts we want to believe.  Why I delete the hate mail I get immediately, sometimes without even reading it. That was a fun rabbit trail.  Access the transcript, read the show notes, and/or ask Natalie a question here If you are a Christian woman who thinks you may be in an emotionally destructive marriage, learn more at https://flyingfreenow.com I'll send you (free!) the first chapter of my book, Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage, which has an assessment to help you figure out if your relationship is abusive or not. All you have to do is hop on my mailing list at https://flyingfreesisterhood.com/free-download You can also find out about our online education and support program for women of faith at https://joinflyingfree.com And finally, if you are a divorced Christian woman who wants to take back her life and get healthy, lose weight, have amazing relationships, get things done, build a business or career, and even find a good man (if you want one) - check out Flying Higher at https://joinflyinghigher.com