I relate to all those thinking patterns too, Alison. In fact, it's a little scary how quickly I could come up with examples of each of them.
I have to say, though, that the one I am most apt to be caught in is the "shoulds." The shoulds can paralyze me. I should: buy nutritious foods, groom the animals, clean the house, do more freelance work, wash my hair, organize my desk, write thank-you notes, sort my photos, run errands, finish my needlework... on and on and on until I'm chasing my tail because there's a "should" waiting for me in just about every room in the house and they stop me from doing what I want to or what I can. Because I "should" be going to the gym, there's no use in taking a walk around the block because that's so far below what I should be doing. It's a toxic way of thinking but I'm not sure how we get around it -- those mental to-do lists aren't exactly filled with things we can ignore, it's just filled with things we actually would like to get done.
And even as I write this, I see my shoes strewn on the living room carpet, and the counter waiting to be cleared off...
Comment Reply
I relate to all those thinking patterns too, Alison. In fact, it's a little scary how quickly I could come up with examples of each of them.
I have to say, though, that the one I am most apt to be caught in is the "shoulds." The shoulds can paralyze me. I should: buy nutritious foods, groom the animals, clean the house, do more freelance work, wash my hair, organize my desk, write thank-you notes, sort my photos, run errands, finish my needlework... on and on and on until I'm chasing my tail because there's a "should" waiting for me in just about every room in the house and they stop me from doing what I want to or what I can. Because I "should" be going to the gym, there's no use in taking a walk around the block because that's so far below what I should be doing. It's a toxic way of thinking but I'm not sure how we get around it -- those mental to-do lists aren't exactly filled with things we can ignore, it's just filled with things we actually would like to get done.
And even as I write this, I see my shoes strewn on the living room carpet, and the counter waiting to be cleared off...
May 6, 2009 - 8:11amThis Comment
Reply