[ArcheM]

In the past couple of months I've reached an unexpectedly positive state, and I thought I would share my "technique"... although I expect it won't be useful to a lot of people apart from me, because of my particular situation and especially priorities.

Well, what have I changed?

First, general health PA - in early summer I began going for long walks. However the effect wasn't that dramatic, but being able to escape from my worries helped.

Second, they say money can't buy you happiness... Well, not money per se, because my income hasn't changed, but I've become much more liberal with my spending. Usually it's useful things, so the increase in useful things around the house has had a positive effect. Even though recently I don't have any money left by the end of the month.

And finally I've unleashed my curiosity and artistic side. For me a giant source of anxiety has always been skills going to waste and unfulfilled creative ideas. So now I've got more than 10 hobbies between which I alternate around the week, roughly. For example, yesterday was a sculpture day (although not planned, it just ended up this way). Today, I think, will be music... after work and groceries, of course.

Speaking of work, this is made possible by having a poorly paying part-time telecommuting job, which is why I think my technique is barely for anyone aside from me.

Anyway, I wanted to explain why 10+ hobbies are important. With this amount I won't become great at any of them, but it's not the point. The point is that I want to touch those activities and intimately understand what it's like to be in them. But also, of course, the products might not be professional quality, but I try to make them "pretty for myself" so to say, so they are personally satisfying.

And lastly, to compare this to my previous approach. I used to think that I must succeed and become professional with a hobby and focus on one thing. That didn't work because I started to identify with that thing. So a failure or disappointment, not managing to reach a standard of quality, meant that I was a failure and disappointment. Whereas now a failure of one thing is likely to directly transition into success of another, unrelated thing.

What's more, with so many things to do, there's really no time to sit and procrastinate, which adds to feeling productive.

[Skeezyks]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm one of those people who focuses on one thing & feels like I have to succeed at it. And when I don't I typically crash big time! I should try to diversify too...