Week 34 – Make your work match your emotions

I know this blog is all about shifting my emotions from negativity to finding positives in my situation, but this is not always instant. This causes a vicious circle

To break this cycle, and give myself the best possible chance of feeling better, I need to get things done. Every piece of work I complete is a small achievement, which makes me feel good and reduces the overall pressure I am under.

I can still be productive, even when I feel down, if I select work that meets my mood:

Step 1 – Understand the effects of my negative feelings:

• Feeling worried – all I can think about is how much of a mess I am in
• Quick to anger – my irritation when things go wrong is out of proportion to the situation
• Distrust is high – I don’t share information, opinions or perspectives
• Work alone – I don’t think I have the time to delegate to others because it is quicker to do things myself than explain what I need 
• Quick to judge – I am much quicker to categorise things as problems, I look for the problems and mistakes
• Less collaborative – I don’t want to work with others, I don’t think I have the time to process their ideas or adapt to their ways of working
• Less creative – I am too stressed to absorb new information, so with fewer sources I will have less things to connect so I will have few insights

Step 2 – Accept you are under pressure and concentrate on work that fits your mood

• Work alone, don’t try to work in sync with others
• Concentrate on gathering information rather than trying to create new ideas
• Analyse existing ideas – look for gaps, find the things that are missing
• Remove the “noise” – do as many small tasks as possible to take them off your backlog and reassure yourself you are making progress

By remaining productive even when you are feeling negative, you are creating the best possible chance for improving your mood, as you can celebrate your achievements, and generate the positive chemicals in your brain that will make you feel more positive:

• Dopamine for energy and motivation
• Endorphins for pleasure and pain relief

Good luck, I hope things get better for you soon

For more articles in this series https://sunriseirrigation.flywheelsites.com/category/reframing-the-negatives-to-positives/

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