Whether you want a six figure salary or an Instagram DM from Drake, we all have our methods of turning our dreams into reality, commonly known as manifesting. From vision boarding to ritualizing with the full moon, there are a countless ways to practice the art, and it seems like the internet is only discovering more.
The latest manifesting trend is what TikTok and Twitter are referring to as “being delulu,” and while it may seem counterintuitive to use delusion as a tool for building your reality, there’s more science to the trend than you may think.
What is Manifesting?
A new age practice that’s made its way into the mainstream, manifesting refers to the act of turning thoughts into reality through a variety of habits, from journaling to using crystals. The practice has roots that trace back to spirituality and science.
The psychology is found in neuroplasticity, the brain’s superpower ability to rewire itself through growth and reorganization in the form of repetitive new thoughts. As the brain is trained to believe in something, confirmation bias will begin to witness it in your outer reality.
Nowadays, you can find testimonies of people that have attracted relationships, dream careers and brand new homes, all through the practice of manifesting and manipulating the power of their belief. While writing these beliefs down, visualizing them and repeating mantras are all helpful, being delulu brings it a step further by acting out these new beliefs in reality.
What Does Delulu Mean?
A shortened form of the word delusion, delulu is a term to describe being willingly naive and believing in the impossible or highly unlikely. The hashtag #delulu has garnered over 1.6 billion views on TikTok, though it wasn’t always associated with manifesting.
Those on social media began using the term to describe “celebrity Stan” culture or being in love with someone who doesn’t know they exist, most of the times with a negative connotation. Delulu was frequently used to mock people with unrealistic expectations or para-social relationships.
While it may have sprouted from a meme, more and more people have begun testifying to the accuracy in using “being delulu” to align with your desired reality, and it has now evolved into a psychology hack.
May All Your Delulu Come Trululu
While delusion is certainly not the first thing you’d think when logically creating your reality, the science supports it. When referencing the law of attraction, our beliefs directly shape our experience and consequential circumstance. Simply put: if you don’t believe you’re worthy of something, you’ll emit a vibration that will repel that very thing rather than attract it. Confronting a situation that isn’t promising while still believing the best case scenario is possible is an act of being delulu.
For example, say you’re booked for a long-awaited trip. There’s a violent storm canceling flights left and right, yet you arrive at the airport with packed luggage and vacation braids without breaking a sweat. You know somehow, miraculously, the storm will clear up by the time you’re meant to board, even though all signs are pointing otherwise and everyone around you is having a level 10 meltdown. Sure enough, conditions get better just in time and you’re on your way to cocktails, blue waters and permanent do not disturb.
Similarly, most of the Gen Z workforce are using being delulu to secure their dream jobs. This means going after roles they may not necessarily have all the experience or credentials for, but trusting that they’ll land it anyway. The confidence in knowing that something is theirs can translate as capability, with the skills being learned along the way.
How To Win As a Delulu Girl
If you’re intrigued by the idea of integrating delusion into your manifesting practice, the most important tool is your mindset. While there may be pessimistic thoughts in the back of your mind that want to anchor you back into reality, it’s not about ridding yourself of them entirely, but rather witnessing them and choosing to be deluluer. You are only capable of what you decide you’re capable of.
Being Delulu Is the Solulu
Why waste time suffering with reality when you can just be a delulu girl? Tricking yourself into being confident enough to go after what logic may tell you isn’t yours is the secret ingredient to living the fullest potential of your life. While it may seem too easy to be true, alchemize a bit of delusion into unwavering self-belief and the world is yours.