Does this ever happen to you?
You sit down to work on a project.
Your attention is caught by something slightly
/adjacent/ to the project.
And maybe that thing opens up a question.
Which leads to another question…
Which leads to ANOTHER question.
And so on and so on.
Until you’re sitting there thinking,
“I have no idea what to do next.
“I don’t know the answers to any of these questions.
“I’ll never be able to figure any of this out.
“I don’t know what I’m doing.
“I’m a fraud.
“It’s only a matter of time before they find me out.
“I’m going to die with the song in my heart unsung.
“And nobody will ever fully understand or love me.”
….um….or is that just me???
Ha, I KNOW it’s not just me, because I talk to people about their brains as my job!
That one above is one of MY brain’s favorite self-defeating tunes. God, she can be a drag!
YOUR brain has its OWN favorites.
Here’s a little bit of magic for you to help you manage this kind of mental quicksand.
Remember how this whole thing started?
“You sit down to work on a project…”
When you find that you have thought yourself into a BLIND F*CKING ALLEY, pause and breathe, and then go back to the last thing you were doing before you got off track.
Take one, tiny, little, step toward accomplishing that original project.
The tinier, the better. Even if it’s just opening up a browser window and going to the website you need to work with.
Then, maybe take a couple more tiny action steps.
If you find yourself in the swing of things, keep going.
If you don’t, no problem. Put the project aside and go take a walk, or fix yourself a tasty beverage, or
take a shower, or or or or. Do something light and pleasurable.
As a human being, you will regularly find yourself on the MindF*ck train.
No need to beat yourself up about it.
But also: no need to stay on it.
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If you know this train all too well, and can’t seem to get yourself off it, reach out to me for coaching! Click here to get started.