Ivy Keating's Blog - Posts Tagged "stress"
Two Minds
There are therapeutic references to people having both an emotional mind and a rational mind. The emotional mind is driven by feelings, and the rational mind acts on facts. What frame of mind is the best for reaching our goals? In many pursuits, such as writing a novel, I believe that in the beginning our emotional mind, the one driven by passion, dominates. However, the rational mind is inevitably needed to succeed.
Our logical mind may question if we have the level of expertise necessary to pursue our dreams, but it's often the emotional mind that stops us from achieving them.
I've had several people ask me, "how do you write a book?" When I ask what type of advice they're looking for, they say they had a story but didn't know where to start. My suggestion is always to write out the entire story. Let your passion drive you, and tell your best tale. When you're finished, research the writing have-tos. These are the things publishers and agents will insist on. They include such things as excellent grammar, more showing than telling, watching for point-of-view switches, and not repeating words. (At least, these were some of the big ones for me.) Basically, focus on embracing your desire and learning from your research; you need to engage both your emotional and rational mind.
I've seen new writers abandon their work because they get lost in the process. Every lofty goal has the potential to overwhelm us. Before you give up on a dream, ask yourself if it's your emotions or your rational mind pushing you to stop. Combat negative feelings such as fear and anxiety with research on what behaviors are needed to achieve success. This relatively simple trick, of changing feelings to measurable actions, may put you back on track.
Our emotional mind may spark our desire, but our rational mind can help us stay the course. Let your "two minds" work together to help you reach your goals!
Our logical mind may question if we have the level of expertise necessary to pursue our dreams, but it's often the emotional mind that stops us from achieving them.
I've had several people ask me, "how do you write a book?" When I ask what type of advice they're looking for, they say they had a story but didn't know where to start. My suggestion is always to write out the entire story. Let your passion drive you, and tell your best tale. When you're finished, research the writing have-tos. These are the things publishers and agents will insist on. They include such things as excellent grammar, more showing than telling, watching for point-of-view switches, and not repeating words. (At least, these were some of the big ones for me.) Basically, focus on embracing your desire and learning from your research; you need to engage both your emotional and rational mind.
I've seen new writers abandon their work because they get lost in the process. Every lofty goal has the potential to overwhelm us. Before you give up on a dream, ask yourself if it's your emotions or your rational mind pushing you to stop. Combat negative feelings such as fear and anxiety with research on what behaviors are needed to achieve success. This relatively simple trick, of changing feelings to measurable actions, may put you back on track.
Our emotional mind may spark our desire, but our rational mind can help us stay the course. Let your "two minds" work together to help you reach your goals!
Calm
We all have feelings of being stressed, overworked, or a whole host of negative conditions. It's often important to get to the source of these issues, but sometimes an in-between step of 'distraction' can be helpful.
There's a common saying, "Negotiate from a position of strength." This can apply to how we handle our mental health. Finding an activity to take our mind off what's fueling any extreme state can help restore calm and make us stronger.
For me, writing is a great distraction. It even works if I start at my laptop when I'm stressed or angry, because inevitably there's a character that imbues the same state. Now I have the benefit of drawing from a feeling I'm relating to. In 'Sarana and the Dark King', the Dark King is an evil character. I'll never reach his depravity, but I allow my emotions to give me a starting point.
A temporary distraction gives us time to gain perspective. Once back in a calmer state, it may feel like we gain that "position of strength" that helps us work things out.
Next time you find yourself overwhelmed, overstressed, or any negative over-the-top feeling, find something to distract yourself for a little while. You won't forget about the difficulty, but you'll be in a stronger place to handle it.
There's a common saying, "Negotiate from a position of strength." This can apply to how we handle our mental health. Finding an activity to take our mind off what's fueling any extreme state can help restore calm and make us stronger.
For me, writing is a great distraction. It even works if I start at my laptop when I'm stressed or angry, because inevitably there's a character that imbues the same state. Now I have the benefit of drawing from a feeling I'm relating to. In 'Sarana and the Dark King', the Dark King is an evil character. I'll never reach his depravity, but I allow my emotions to give me a starting point.
A temporary distraction gives us time to gain perspective. Once back in a calmer state, it may feel like we gain that "position of strength" that helps us work things out.
Next time you find yourself overwhelmed, overstressed, or any negative over-the-top feeling, find something to distract yourself for a little while. You won't forget about the difficulty, but you'll be in a stronger place to handle it.
