Memories and Emotion

Have you ever noticed that when you feel depressed, it seems as if you've always been depressed and that you will always feel depressed forever? And when you're flying high, you feel as if you have always felt great and you'll feel good forever?

I'm reading a book about memory now, and it says that studies show that memories associated with different emotions are stored in different places in the brain. Thus, when you feel depressed or unhappy, the memories associated with those feelings get stimulated. When you're experiencing joy, the memories associated with those feelings get stimulated.

I remember when my former workplace was about to hand out lay-off notices to hundreds of people and a trainer was brought in to help people realize what kinds of skills they had. He asked us to divide into small groups and think of times when we had accomplished something at work that we were proud of, and to think about what skills we displayed in bringing about that achievement. Then, we each got a chance to share that accomplishment with the whole group. We had, for the most part, come into this training session feeling gloomy about the impending job cuts, but we left feeling empowered because we remembered the times we had done well and realized we could do well in the future, perhaps in a new job somewhere else.

So, if you are feeling blue and only bad memories are surfacing, try to deliberately and consciously dig into your mind for some good memories. You may deliberately try counting your blessings. You may find that by focusing on positive memories you will trigger the feelings of well being next to those memories and lift yourself out of your depression.

Storyboard Anyplace Anytime

One of the key components of storyboarding is to imagine the pictures you would like to see accompanying the accomplishment of the goals you have set for yourself.

You don't need to put off storyboarding because you don't seem able to find the time. You can mentally rehearse your afternoon, your next day, the coming week, your holiday while riding the bus, waiting in the doctor's office or even while driving your car, as long as you don't close your eyes!

Include in the mental picture one of yourself taking time to write down your goals or an affirmation to accompany the pictures.

You do not need to storyboard every detail of your day. It's okay to zoom into those items that you really want accomplished but have found difficult
to find the motivation for.

I'm in the process of trying to get my finances ready for doing taxes. I can lament the hard work and frustration--my default pictures of taking care of little details like that--or I can picture myself loving doing it. And, you know, once I get the Excel spreadsheet up on my computer screen, it's kind of fun, certainly as satisfying as playing Solitaire on the computer.

Isn't it true that the dread of certain tasks is often far worse than how it feels when we actually do them?

Never Too Late

It's never too late in the week to try storyboarding the next day. You can even try storyboarding your afternoon by mentally rehearsing it in your mind, clarifying your goals and writing down your goals and an affirmation based on the pictures you rehearse about how great it's going to feel as you accomplish your goals.

Prepare as well to storyboard on the weekend. Saturdays often end up a blur of errands and chores for those of us who have full time jobs. How can you have a Saturday to dream of? You start dreaming about it. Yes, you can fit in the errands and the chores, but also carve out a big chunk of time to spend with your family or friends if you storyboard your day.