Recently I’ve been discussing the need to reboot your thinking when you are in a dysfunctional state. The emotion of despair deserves special attention under this heading. Unlike other emotions, the emotion of despair always indicates a mistake somewhere in your thinking. And because it is so enervating, it requires a definite decision to “reboot.” […] The post Thoughts on Despair appeared first on Thinking Directions.| Thinking Directions
Some people muddle together values and emotions when they discuss motivation. These are two very different (though causally related) phenomena. Some people get confused about the roles of thought and action in forming values and triggering emotions. I thought I’d sort these issues out in one place. The terms A value (in the psychological sense) […] The post Distinguish Values and Emotions appeared first on Thinking Directions.| Thinking Directions
I recently answered a query on LinkedIn: New LinkedIn data shows that the number of “boomerangs,” or employees who left a company for a certain amount of time and then returned, is rising — and it’s even higher at top employers. We’d love you to weigh in: What advice do […] The post Clearing Emotional Baggage About Flip-Flopping on a Decision appeared first on Thinking Directions.| Thinking Directions
Stress is a real mechanical phenomenon. The picture with this article is a graphic showing a “finite element stress analysis.” It’s important to see how pressure on one part of the material can affect the strength of the material — and perhaps cause it to fail. It is also a real physiological phenomenon. If you […] The post Thoughts on the Concept of “Stress” appeared first on Thinking Directions.| Thinking Directions
Realizing this can be disappointing, depressing, and anxiety-inducing for someone whose expectations had skyrocketed in the pink cloud phase.Bahji, A.,| PsychMechanics
Yes, it’s possible to love someone without trusting them. Love and trust are separate psychological systems with separate functions. Love evolved so mammals| PsychMechanics
If you’ve been reading my newsletter for a long time, you know I advocate motivating yourself by values, not threats. In the simplest cases, this just requires introspecting your obvious emotions to identify the values landscape, meaning the values around you and the obstacles in your way to gaining and keeping them. (See my article […]| Thinking Directions
In the most recent article in this series on happiness, I mentioned that the next topic would be embracing causality. To be happy, you need to understand the causal factors that contribute to your present emotional state so that you can enact the causes that will create your future happiness. First and foremost, this means […]| Thinking Directions
Guilt is the emotion that you feel when you believe you have failed to live up to your own moral standards. It is perhaps the most enervating emotion. It makes you want to curl up in a little ball to block it out and avoid it. But that is the worst thing you can do. […]| Thinking Directions
It happens to all of us. You decide your priority, you sit down to work on the project, and for one reason or another you go nowhere. Maybe you’re not doing the work — you’re resisting it. Or maybe you’re doing it, but slogging along without much to show for your effort. When a general-purpose tactic like […]| Thinking Directions
