The "not feeling its"
(And what I try and do about them)
Today’s installment is less about making and more about what gets in the way of it. ~JRC
We all feel a little less-than-inspired at times. But occasionally, such lows can grow into a semi-stalled state of sad unproductivity. These emotional doldrums - the "not feeling its" - are often hard to define, making them particularly challenging to address. Beyond simple procrastination, it's that vague malaise that nags at us but never fully reveals itself, a sneaky kind of self-sabotage where we start letting the little things derail the big stuff we know we should be doing.
Why do we feel so off? What’s the cause? Is it outside or inside of us?
Perhaps it’s a lack of rest or being a bit overburdened. Or we're troubled by events in our lives or the lives of those we love. Regardless, it's a big, messy world, and if we aren’t prepared to handle it, the angst soon compounds and saps our energy for anything and everything.
Taking care of ourselves certainly helps. So does learning to compartmentalize negative feelings. In setting some issues aside to focus on the tasks at hand - getting a few small things done and then moving onward - often makes shelved challenges more manageable when we return to them.
But occasionally, no amount of rest or self-help strategy can suppress the decline. When it's too much, it's too much. The downward spiral begins to pick up speed, and for an unlucky few, burnout becomes inevitable.
Fortunately, an expansive middle ground between fulfillment and demise affords us many chances to recover and carry on. But we have to recognize our state to do something about it. Alas, we are often alone in determining 1) something is off and 2) what will make us right.
Addressing what's holding us back is likely very individual.
I share this today because, as you might have guessed, I am suffering an extended bout of the not feeling its. So much so that I've begun to question what I am doing here, in my odd little shop, holed away from the world, making obscure things that few people appreciate. And writing a newsletter more-or-less consistently for three years now - twice a week, no less - what is that all about? These clearly are not positive thoughts.
If there ever was a case of the not feeling its, this is it.
Don’t worry for me, though. I’ve been here before. Lots. My solution has been the same for a long time. I must tackle the little things to return to the big ones. And this mostly means cleaning.
I’ve shared this tactic before; dealing with my messy shop is always a first attempt to right the ship.
All that clutter can be a severe physical obstacle to staying on track for me, even in positive times. And in the downtimes, it can be downright overwhelming. So I clean - often. It's a bit of a compulsion, cleaning, and some might say I go too far (I can’t deny it). But rather than getting in the way of me doing things, my cleaning habit serves to the contrary.
Sitting at my readied bench, after a good clean, I collect myself and start making - or writing - again.
Speaking of writing, it’s another antidote to the not feeling its. Prolific journalers undoubtedly do it best. Writing about what ails us is like a mental cleaning of sorts, not unlike the physical cleaning I do in my shop. It's a cognitive house clearing that works wonders for the spirit.
Yes, banishing challenges to the trash heap of this ever-growing collection of missives is another way I keep on keeping on.
What works for you? Is cleaning your space a means to cope? Do you journal or otherwise write down your problems? Maybe you talk with others who get it? (The latter is one I often neglect for some unproductive reason.)
Whatever works, I hope you can weave it into your days - especially when the not feeling its settle in and slow you down.
Until next time.
JRC