Outsourcing Your Stress
I thought I was very clever when coming up with the title, but a quick google search reveals that other people have as well. *lol* Oh well, they may not be talking about precisely the same thing.
As our lunchtime Volleyball game was cancelled today, I ended up reading some of the Psychology Today blogs instead and came across these entries which prompted a synthesis of several disparate thoughts I've been having lately.
When reading the ideas below, they may seem to make a great deal of sense. But as with everything in science, they always seem a lot simpler after you figure them out. Explaining a theory to someone is easy once you've formulated it, but formulating it can take a long time.
It all comes down to some articles that I read last year on vitality and ego depletion (At the time I was looking specifically at delayed gratification and combatting procrastination). In other words, the idea that the energy required for self-regulation is limited and that self-regulatory activities consume greater or lesser amounts of this energy.
In a way, what I'm looking to do is kind of like the inverse of what I'm doing with food - in that case I'm trying to reduce energy (read: excess fat) in two ways: by decreasing intake (eating less) and by increasing expenditure (exercising more). Likewise, if I want to have more mental energy available for self-regulation, I can go about it in two different ways: by increasing intake (i.e. available resources; see the second paper cited above) and, more recently, by DECREASING EXPENDITURE.
When I read those articles a year ago, I was seeking ways to augment or increase the amount of mental energy available. But my reading today brought forth the idea which hadn't occurred to me before: namely, that of decreasing expenditure.
Effectively, I realized that I'm wasting a lot of mental energy unnecessarily every day. On what? Precisely the kinds of things mentioned in the articles above. For instance, Mental Storage of plans and lists takes a great deal of energy to maintain. Then there's also the storage of information for each person I know pertaining to Impression Management, which I engage in to a greater or lesser degree with practically everyone (except Sheila, Chibi, and Buru) due to my anxiety, and that itself consumes another substantial chunk (No wonder socializing tires me out!). As does Unproductive Worry - worrying about things that I can do nothing about at the present moment.
So in addition to my quest for ways to increase my available stores of mental energy (via things like adequate sleep and authenticity to core values), I am also starting to look at ways to decrease the wasteful expenditure of said energy. So not only can I add more RAM, I can also decrease the amount being used unnecessarily. ^^
As the blog above suggests, I can start by finding a good system to which I can outsource or at least delegate some of my memory responsibilities. I won't have to remember my June 10th dentist appointment, or my June 26th haircut, because I'll have them written down. I won't have to mentally go through two weeks worth of plans multiple times every day (volleyball games at lunch, Buru's work schedule, get-togethers with friends, deadlines for work, etc.) because I'll have them written down. Same goes for grocery lists, ideas for presents, possible blog entries, what to eat for dinner, etc.
This also gives me a rational explanation for why I intuitively feel that the resolution bracelet that Sheila is making me will work so well - because it's basically externalizing the personal development that I have undergone over the past several years. The kanji on the beads each represent an improvement I'm in the process of adopting, a new way of thinking, or a resolution that I've made to myself. As a result, I don't have to keep quite as much information in my head - I can glance down at my wrist to remind myself.
After all, when I'm studying multiple languages, learning about toxicology, listening to CBC Podcasts, writing computer programs at work, getting better at cooking and baking, learning how to script in Linux, becoming more knowledgeable about fashion, engaging in psychological self-analysis and personal improvement, and socializing with numerous friends...I'm already using up a great deal of mental resources. And those are things that can't really be outsourced.
So I think I really should try to delegate some of the less-critical tasks to a computer or notebook so that I can focus on the more critical ones. Between that and improving my mental energy stores, I should have plenty of energy to implement additional elements of self-regulation and become a more responsible and capable adult. XD
That said, if you have any suggestions to share regarding how you personally manage such aspects of your life, please reply or e-mail me with your comments. Perhaps a calendar application that can e-mail/text me reminders. The bracelet will help too. <3
As our lunchtime Volleyball game was cancelled today, I ended up reading some of the Psychology Today blogs instead and came across these entries which prompted a synthesis of several disparate thoughts I've been having lately.
When reading the ideas below, they may seem to make a great deal of sense. But as with everything in science, they always seem a lot simpler after you figure them out. Explaining a theory to someone is easy once you've formulated it, but formulating it can take a long time.
It all comes down to some articles that I read last year on vitality and ego depletion (At the time I was looking specifically at delayed gratification and combatting procrastination). In other words, the idea that the energy required for self-regulation is limited and that self-regulatory activities consume greater or lesser amounts of this energy.
In a way, what I'm looking to do is kind of like the inverse of what I'm doing with food - in that case I'm trying to reduce energy (read: excess fat) in two ways: by decreasing intake (eating less) and by increasing expenditure (exercising more). Likewise, if I want to have more mental energy available for self-regulation, I can go about it in two different ways: by increasing intake (i.e. available resources; see the second paper cited above) and, more recently, by DECREASING EXPENDITURE.
When I read those articles a year ago, I was seeking ways to augment or increase the amount of mental energy available. But my reading today brought forth the idea which hadn't occurred to me before: namely, that of decreasing expenditure.
Effectively, I realized that I'm wasting a lot of mental energy unnecessarily every day. On what? Precisely the kinds of things mentioned in the articles above. For instance, Mental Storage of plans and lists takes a great deal of energy to maintain. Then there's also the storage of information for each person I know pertaining to Impression Management, which I engage in to a greater or lesser degree with practically everyone (except Sheila, Chibi, and Buru) due to my anxiety, and that itself consumes another substantial chunk (No wonder socializing tires me out!). As does Unproductive Worry - worrying about things that I can do nothing about at the present moment.
So in addition to my quest for ways to increase my available stores of mental energy (via things like adequate sleep and authenticity to core values), I am also starting to look at ways to decrease the wasteful expenditure of said energy. So not only can I add more RAM, I can also decrease the amount being used unnecessarily. ^^
As the blog above suggests, I can start by finding a good system to which I can outsource or at least delegate some of my memory responsibilities. I won't have to remember my June 10th dentist appointment, or my June 26th haircut, because I'll have them written down. I won't have to mentally go through two weeks worth of plans multiple times every day (volleyball games at lunch, Buru's work schedule, get-togethers with friends, deadlines for work, etc.) because I'll have them written down. Same goes for grocery lists, ideas for presents, possible blog entries, what to eat for dinner, etc.
This also gives me a rational explanation for why I intuitively feel that the resolution bracelet that Sheila is making me will work so well - because it's basically externalizing the personal development that I have undergone over the past several years. The kanji on the beads each represent an improvement I'm in the process of adopting, a new way of thinking, or a resolution that I've made to myself. As a result, I don't have to keep quite as much information in my head - I can glance down at my wrist to remind myself.
After all, when I'm studying multiple languages, learning about toxicology, listening to CBC Podcasts, writing computer programs at work, getting better at cooking and baking, learning how to script in Linux, becoming more knowledgeable about fashion, engaging in psychological self-analysis and personal improvement, and socializing with numerous friends...I'm already using up a great deal of mental resources. And those are things that can't really be outsourced.
So I think I really should try to delegate some of the less-critical tasks to a computer or notebook so that I can focus on the more critical ones. Between that and improving my mental energy stores, I should have plenty of energy to implement additional elements of self-regulation and become a more responsible and capable adult. XD
That said, if you have any suggestions to share regarding how you personally manage such aspects of your life, please reply or e-mail me with your comments. Perhaps a calendar application that can e-mail/text me reminders. The bracelet will help too. <3