When I get fast food, I donโt eat the fries until I get home.
When I feel bad emotionally, I clean. I do the nastiest, most unpleasant jobs; since Iโm gonna be miserable no matter what, I might as well get some use out of it.
Thatโs interesting. I wonder if I can trick myself into doing stuff like that as a form of punishment. Generally I find myself unable to move so I just stare into space. Sometimes I have a hard time even moving my arms and legs to drive home from work. Or to get out of the car once Iโve parked out front. How do you manage to start?
Itโs a practice. Itโs about bringing your focus back to the present moment. When youโre sitting in your car your head is probably swimming in the world of what happens when you step out. But youโre not out yet, youโre in your car. Breathe and remind yourself of that.
Think of it like restarting your computer when it freezes. Youโve overwhelmed your system, itโs easier to reset than try resolve the issue through direct control.
I donโt force myself to start right away. After years of โwell I guess I might as wellโ I now more-or-less automatically start washing dishes, doing laundry, and tackling yardwork when my mood dips. I still need to make the conscious choice to tackle bigger jobs like mucking out the basement or turnjng the compost.
Do you feel that getting the worst jobs done also helps to boost your mood, because that awful thing you didnโt want to do is now done?
Not in that way, but:
A) my environment is usually nicer afterwards, which improves mood, and
2] if I was miserable due to fighting with my partner, seeing me do chores usually improves her mood, facilitating reconciliation
