Newsletter reader SC sent in this Gremlin story:
I thought I’d let you know that I really enjoyed the
theme of this newsletter as this is a struggle I often
face.
I’ve used the 10-minute writing technique before and
sometimes that works wonders (not always for me
though). If nothing else, it gets all the negative
stuff out on the page and usually makes me feel a
little better even if it doesn’t give me any fresh
ideas.
For me, though, work stress seems to be the greatest
gremlin (the field I’m currently working in is no
longer a passion for me). It seems to shut down the
mind from any creative attempt. My solution to this
(and it works most times) is to do 20 minutes of yoga.
I would imagine that engaging in meditation would have
the same result.
No question, the Stress Gremlin kills creativity.
Yoga is a great strategy. It calms the mind and the body.
Here’s some other tips for managing the Stress Gremlin:
- Remember that stress is most often YOUR reaction to the event. That is, stress is in actuality caused by how you INTERPRET the event. So, change your thinking.
- LISTEN to how you describe the event. Look for phrases like "I SHOULD…" "Never", "Always" and "Must". These ‘absolutes’ put you in a place for failure. One of my clients recently told me that the most important thing they learned from me, that changed how they feel, was to get the word "should"out their vocabulary. It has made an immense difference in their relationship and their life.
- Do you interpret the event as negative? Are you making a bigger deal of it, than it is? This is described as "awfulizing" — the internal idea, interpretation, that if X happened, or is happening, it’s "awful". HEY! Probably, really, it ISN’T!
- Reword your description for an event. Instead of "It would be a disaster if I lost my job!" Say to yourself, "I’d really rather not lost my job but I can handle it if I do!" What you say to yourself really matters.
There are scores of Thinking strategies for Defeating the Stress Gremlin.
Tomorrow, Feeling strategies for Defeating the Stress Gremlin.
