Getting out of the cognitive overload.
This blog is an entry of “Scribbles with The Quaint Space”, a weekly journalling initiative done by The Quaint Space on Substack.
Scribbles with The Quaint Space is an attempt to encourage you to record your thoughts, emotions and memories about various prompts that will be shared with you on a weekly basis through our Substack newsletter. Along with the prompt, Sharanya’s journal entry will be shared as well, so that you could use that as a jump off point, in case you don’t know where to start.
To get access to the Scribbles weekly journal prompt and questions, subscribe to The Quaint Space newsletter.
Happy Reading!
In my practice, I get asked a lot about what one can do when they feel stuck and can’t seem to get out of the rut. A lot of us struggle with being in the middle of so many things working in tangent, that we feel exhausted and mentally depleted. As though we have run out of all the resource that we need to do the things that truly matter to us. This leaves us feeling numb and at other times overwhelmed.
Multitasking is not easy and the cognitive overload of keeping up with the current pace of life, leaves us totally paralysed and soon we are out of hope for our future.
So what can you do to make this in-between space work for you? Keep reading.
I have struggled with this a lot but as time passed by and with a lot of journaling I've built a small quirky toolkit for myself to cope with this stage. Here are a few ways I rewired my idea of validation and what failure means to me.
Creating my Inner Dexter’s Laboratory
Building an internal safe haven helps not only for the appreciation and encouragement that is required to move forward, but also works as an experiment centre that reminds me that in an experiment not everything goes as planned. Every error made is not the end, but simply one more data point to consider in the process of experimentation. I think of it as being in the Dexter’s Laboratory cartoon that I loved watching as a kid. I visualise myself as the crazy persistent scientist giving my wildest ideas a try and the failures I encountered, simply become one less uncertainty that has revealed itself to me. It gives me enough information to keep going or sometimes, change course to build a different imagery of what I can do. Irrespective of the consequences, it allows me to have enough experience that gives the satisfaction that I gave it a go.
I didn’t fail but simply experimented with a new path.
My own F1 pit stop for celebration
I do this a lot to keep myself going. I have realised that the path I’ve chosen for myself is unconventional and not many around me understand the kind of work that goes behind every tiny progress I make. Most days require me to read, which to a viewer doesn't seem like too much work, and I honestly don't blame them for it. So I decided to create small pit stops of celebration for every tiny success that I have. This could be as simple as completely understanding an Economic theory that I had no clue about or simply writing my new blog. I also find it really hard to take time off work, so I even celebrate the days I managed to rest!
Nobody will truly understand how much effort you have put into the things you get done other than yourself. So why give up on an opportunity to celebrate those wins. Did you do something new that made you feel anxious before - go celebrate your win! You have my permission!
My Wall of Fame
As thrilled as we are to showcase our achievements to the world, we pay no heed to create a wall of fame for ourselves. Listing down the things that I’ve done in the past that I personally value has given me a whole lot of perspective about the kinds of experiences that most matter to me. Creating such a wall of fame for my own viewing is liberating because I don’t need to curate it as per the norms of an arbitrary algorithm, or simply put, to other’s standards of success. I get to define the experiences that I value, which need not be of any prescribed size. My wall of fame could be simple things like the pages I read in a day, the positive things I told myself on a bad day or the way I made someone else feel today.
Being in the middle of something means you are evolving at a certain rate, so it is important and fun to stop and see how far you’ve come. The wall of fame is a simple exercise to let the good things in my life always be at the forefront of my thinking even on the not-so-good days, which helps in shifting perspective.
Remember that a good experiment needs a list of strengths and limitations, so don't shy away from those strengths and proudly display them on your own wall of fame!
The Imagination Centre - This is my favourite
A pivotal shift in my perspective happened when I started believing in the good that could happen in my life. Certain past experiences had trained my brain to only think of the contingencies that could hinder my journey, the “what could go wrongs”. At every step of the way I always prepared myself with a list of things that could go wrong in plan. I convinced myself that it would soften the blow if I knew the negatives beforehand, but it was quite the contrary. I reached a place where I allocated most of my energy in pointing out the holes in my plan, that I was left with none to see how well my plans could work. It didn't soften the blow of failure, but sunk me further into the depths of self-loathing.
To pull myself out of this loop of negativity, I worked my way through narrating the unexpected goods that could happen. While some of it was extremely ambitious and wishful, I relearned how to let the good things into me, at least for a few minutes in a day. With practice (a lot of it!), I learned how to also include the positive outcomes or possibilities of what I do, which felt like looking into the whole picture and not just a part of it. The negatives and positives complemented each other, and when I made mistakes I learned faster instead of wallowing in the failure for too long.
A little bit like the saying - What if I fall? Oh darling but what if you fly?
I occasionally get back to that state of mind, however with a lot of work I now also have a voice that encourages me. It has taken years of work for me to get here. This time around existing right in the middle of this liminal space keeps me hopeful and I’m getting comfortable here, because it lets me do some wacky things simply to satisfy my passion. It has freed me a little from the traditional definitions of success and most importantly, it allows me to fail, because I know I can always pick myself back up.
I know you may be thinking that it’s easier said than done. It probably is, but I know it can be done through experience, slowly but surely.
Hope you enjoyed this read and found this article helpful.
To get access to the Scribbles weekly journal prompt and questions, subscribe to The Quaint Space newsletter.
I am Sharanya V, the Founder of The Quaint Space. I am a Certified Transformational coach and Psychologist specialised in creativity, imagination, art and play. I am also a full time researcher working towards the inclusion of imagination, play and creativity in organisations and for personal growth. If you are looking for one-one sessions, corporate workshops or just a chat about any of these areas get in touch with me here.
