I don’t really know how to be a super psychologically adept and functional person, so it’s possible you shouldn’t take advice from me on how to do so. But that also means I think a decent amount about the question, so if you also don’t know how to, perhaps its helpful to look at my notes.
I’ve found it useful to think of some feelings as like post-it notes. I have a lot of things to remember to do, and thoughts to remember to think more about, and problems to remember to address. And I have written too many of them in a todo list, and another todo list, and uncountable pieces of paper. So if a new thing arises that I really need to remember soon, I don’t have any place I can put it where I have faith that I will address it. Except one place I’ll definitely notice it: as a continuous discomfort in my own mind. That is, just feel continually troubled or guilty about it until I’ve done something better with the information. This works a bit like chanting a number repeatedly until you write it down.
To be clear, I don’t mean to do this. But I think I can sometimes stop being anguished by recognizing that it is serving that function, and just recording the information better, or giving up on definitely remembering it.
(I probably owe this idea to someone else, but I don’t remember who. Maybe John Salvatier or David Allen.)
Feelings as post-it notes
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I don’t really know how to be a super psychologically adept and functional person, so it’s possible you shouldn’t take advice from me on how to do so. But that also means I think a decent amount about the question, so if you also don’t know how to, perhaps its helpful to look at my notes.
I’ve found it useful to think of some feelings as like post-it notes. I have a lot of things to remember to do, and thoughts to remember to think more about, and problems to remember to address. And I have written too many of them in a todo list, and another todo list, and uncountable pieces of paper. So if a new thing arises that I really need to remember soon, I don’t have any place I can put it where I have faith that I will address it. Except one place I’ll definitely notice it: as a continuous discomfort in my own mind. That is, just feel continually troubled or guilty about it until I’ve done something better with the information. This works a bit like chanting a number repeatedly until you write it down.
To be clear, I don’t mean to do this. But I think I can sometimes stop being anguished by recognizing that it is serving that function, and just recording the information better, or giving up on definitely remembering it.
(I probably owe this idea to someone else, but I don’t remember who. Maybe John Salvatier or David Allen.)