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'Pretend you're someone that can X' works for all kinds of things, not just challenging tasks. People on the subway grating on my nerves? I pretend I'm someone
by gyardley 14y ago
'Pretend you're someone that can X' works for all kinds of things, not just challenging tasks.
People on the subway grating on my nerves? I pretend I'm someone patient. Need to bang out a particularly annoying task? I pretend I'm someone who's really interested in that task. Wife irritated by my sloth about the house? I pretend I'm someone who cleans up promptly. Feeling particularly miserable today? I pretend I'm someone who's naturally happy.
It doesn't work forever, and it doesn't work perfectly, but it works better than any other mental trick I've discovered.
- AznHisoka 14y agoIt might be a trick but if done over and over, can't it have a bad effect mentally over time? I can imagine it can suppress your real emotions which can lead to a mental breakdown when you can't suppress them any longer.
- gyardley 14y agoIn my experience the pretending changes, not masks, your real emotions. You start by smiling because you're pretending to be a happy person, and you end up genuinely happier.