Thursday, 7 February 2013

Sometimes, stop struggling.

If you don't succeed at first (they say) try, try again. We're told that persistence always pays off, and that we can do anything once we set our minds to it.

Now while there's nothing wrong with determination, there are times (and days) when you're not going to achieve your objectives no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you grit your teeth.

It would, for example, be plain daft to struggle on with a tree-felling task if the only tool you had was a steak-knife. Better to put the whole thing off until tomorrow then come back equipped with a chainsaw.

The same principle can apply to days when you just can't get things together. Whatever you do, you seem to be taking two steps back for every one you make forwards.

When this happens (and it will) there's nothing wrong at all in postponing the task until you're on better form again.

No sense in flogging a dead horse. Every sense in realising that we all have limits.

Please remember this next time you have one of those days.

6 comments:

  1. i get it, but it just seems that for me every day is a day like that...

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  2. Excellent! I wish I had known this years ago and not heroically and stupidly fulfilled arrangements and tasks however awful I felt. And it never achieved much except I was living up to self imposed high standards of duty whatever you call it.My moods/depression/anxiety didn't approve as a result of keeping up the struggle. I think I thought at the time that I would be in danger of never doing anything at all if I based it on how I felt as I felt low almost everyday!
    I still do but cope with it better thanks in large part to moodscope and I do cancel things now and feel a big sigh of relief for doing it and the positive result lasts.

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  3. It's sunny here today. I hope it is where you are dennisthemenace anonymous and you feel happier because of that. When I write my blogs, I sometimes come away thinking how intense and miserable I sound. Hence this attempt to be a bit more light hearted. You actually saw the funny side of one of Jon's blogs once which made me look at it differently and I laughed too after that . Am off to meet a friend for coffee even though I'd rather stay in sunny or not.

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  4. it is so true what you say. I had one of those days yesterday where I just could not even organise my thoughts never mind anything else. Sometimes not sure whether its the depression or a side effect of the meds. I have two school going children so there are some things that can't be put off to do another day, but I now give myself permission to do things at a much slower pace when I am having a bad day and find this helps.

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  5. When everything seems too much how about making a small list and just do one of them or promise yourself that you will try and put a tick next to one tomorrow. Most things can wait - if your shelves are dusty they will just have a little more dust on them tomorrow....

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  6. I agree Sally. Just because everything (or the most important things) can not be done one day, doesn't mean you shouldn't achieve even the littlest of things that you probably normally would not even acknowledge

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