Thank you, Sam and Allegra, for sharing your thoughts on this!
I tend to get overwhelmed with the amount of tasks I want and need to do, and to make said tasks so big in my mind that I can’t approach them. 😆 Shrinking my goals and/or making tiny ones to start has been helpful, though, so I was happy to hear it mentioned.
Oh my gosh, me too! I talk so much about this on my Divergent Creatives course because, honestly, I have lost so much time in my life to overloading myself with too many things to do, then collapsing under the overwhelm, whilst also procrastinating about doing *any* of the things because I'd convinced myself it would take HOURS and, when I finally made myself do it, took about 10 minutes. I have learned some techniques over the years, but it's taken some considerable time!
I’m really enjoying this conversation and will be listening to it in stages while looking after my noro-struck toddler - but couldn’t help but comment with an immediate contribution re PDA/anxiety really showing up as we’ve put away dedicated time for creativity. If I may offer an IFS/parts view of this - those creative parts may be seen by our parts system as particularly vulnerable and tender parts, so often protective parts (like those Managers that can tell us that it’s much more important to research car insurance or costume ideas for world book day for our kids - ie to get on with our “real to do list”) as well as parts that can try and distract us by making us feel suddenly really tired, and for our autistic friends yes I see PDA also as protective parts that step into and grab power when we’re feeling anxious about a situation. Does that make sense in your lived experience, Sam?
What can help is regular practice of connecting with Self to discern if what we’re sensing is genuine fatigue, alertness because something feels off (those situations when I’m bloody grateful for my PDA to show up) or if we’ve got protective parts stepping in for admirable but perhaps not the most helpful of reasons. I could talk more about this at length but wanted to leave it here before I forget (which I usually do - thank you brain fog!).
Yes, I think you’re right. I have disengaged from my book idea because I am fearful I can’t do it justice, or that I can’t figure out the structure in my head.
I know agents will only commission it if there’s a tidy book proposal to submit that fits a uniform structure also, and my brain can’t comply.
I guess it is protective of my emotional fragility, but it’s also something I can’t nurture or coax myself around 😭
My creativity lately has been completing “extreme” dot-to-dot pictures! Reduces my need to think hard but gives me a “doing” outlet.
Erm, excuse me, I need extreme dot-to-dot pictures in my life!
Amazing, what makes them extreme?! Are they pictures of extreme sports, or are they regular pictures that go up to extremely high numbers? 😁
Extremely high numbers!
Awesome!! 🙌
Thank you, Sam and Allegra, for sharing your thoughts on this!
I tend to get overwhelmed with the amount of tasks I want and need to do, and to make said tasks so big in my mind that I can’t approach them. 😆 Shrinking my goals and/or making tiny ones to start has been helpful, though, so I was happy to hear it mentioned.
Omg the procrastination is so exhausting. I could do the task a million times in the time it takes me to psych myself up to do the task! 😭
Oh my gosh, me too! I talk so much about this on my Divergent Creatives course because, honestly, I have lost so much time in my life to overloading myself with too many things to do, then collapsing under the overwhelm, whilst also procrastinating about doing *any* of the things because I'd convinced myself it would take HOURS and, when I finally made myself do it, took about 10 minutes. I have learned some techniques over the years, but it's taken some considerable time!
I’m really enjoying this conversation and will be listening to it in stages while looking after my noro-struck toddler - but couldn’t help but comment with an immediate contribution re PDA/anxiety really showing up as we’ve put away dedicated time for creativity. If I may offer an IFS/parts view of this - those creative parts may be seen by our parts system as particularly vulnerable and tender parts, so often protective parts (like those Managers that can tell us that it’s much more important to research car insurance or costume ideas for world book day for our kids - ie to get on with our “real to do list”) as well as parts that can try and distract us by making us feel suddenly really tired, and for our autistic friends yes I see PDA also as protective parts that step into and grab power when we’re feeling anxious about a situation. Does that make sense in your lived experience, Sam?
What can help is regular practice of connecting with Self to discern if what we’re sensing is genuine fatigue, alertness because something feels off (those situations when I’m bloody grateful for my PDA to show up) or if we’ve got protective parts stepping in for admirable but perhaps not the most helpful of reasons. I could talk more about this at length but wanted to leave it here before I forget (which I usually do - thank you brain fog!).
Allegra has just published this post, if this format is more accessible for you? 😊
https://open.substack.com/pub/gathertogether/p/rest-and-creativity?r=2pp93s&utm_medium=ios
Aw your poor little one, norovirus is horrendous!
Yes, I think you’re right. I have disengaged from my book idea because I am fearful I can’t do it justice, or that I can’t figure out the structure in my head.
I know agents will only commission it if there’s a tidy book proposal to submit that fits a uniform structure also, and my brain can’t comply.
I guess it is protective of my emotional fragility, but it’s also something I can’t nurture or coax myself around 😭