Denial is not a river in Egypt

I'm in denial. Being in denial means knowing what the truth of the matter is but refusing to acknowledge or accept it. It is fooling or deceiving oneself in believing otherwise. You don't have to condition yourself to be in denial. It just happens like a reflex kicking in. They say being in denial is bad for one's mental health because you are altering your perception of reality. But for me, it is just a defense mechanism. It helps me cope, deal and function. It helps to block out the sudden rush of pain like a morphine drip. Being in denial is like having an amnesia. It is rarely pathological and no matter how long it takes, you will come out of it — but not like waking up from a nightmare, quite the opposite really. You wake up from a dream INTO the nightmare which is now the reality you have to face. =o(