Working Through Emotional Distress
Have you ever tried working while emotionally distressed? You probably know that it isn’t exactly a walk in the park, especially since feeling down makes distractions and procrastination much more appealing.
But the fact remains that deadlines and even some clients don’t care about what’s going on in your personal life. All they care about is if and when you’ll fulfill your end of the bargain.
I’m not saying that we can be like robots and never let our emotions affect our productivity. Yet it’s possible to minimize the effects of negative emotions, and even benefit from them.
Unfortunately, since we’re all different, and that guys and gals think differently, there’s no formula for working through mental pain. Personally, in times like these, I become selfish, cut myself off from the world, and just get working.
I become selfish because I know that if I don’t submit on time and to spec, I’ll be the one who suffers. I cut myself off from the world because I want to eliminate as much temptations and distractions as possible. I force myself to work because if I don’t, I’ll end up spending the whole day doing nothing. Only when I’ve finished what I need to finish do I grieve.
Again, that admittedly cold approach is what works for me. It may be different for you. How do you deal with emotional distress when you have deadlines looming?
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POSTED IN: Living as a Freelancer, Ramblings of a Freelancer
2 opinions for Working Through Emotional Distress
Laura
Oct 27, 2007 at 9:09 am
First of all, I want to say that this is an excellent topic. I don’t think I’ve seen it addressed very often.
I think your advice of forcing yourself to work is good for ordinary emotional distress. However, in times of extreme family distress (which shouldn’t happen very often) I strongly advice taking a leave. My father become critically ill this past January and eventually died towards the end of the month. I took the entire month off and I’m really glad I did even though I earned nothing ($0) for the month. It gave me time to be with him during has last days and plan his funeral after he was gone.
Rico
Oct 28, 2007 at 2:20 am
Laura, thank you for sharing your personal experience. I actually feel kinda stupid for disregarding extreme emotional situations, and for realizing that my recent emotional problems were virtually nothing to the stuff other people go through.
It’s always good to see someone knowing what’s really important in their lives. I hope I gain such wisdom as I age and earn more experience. :) Thanks again Laura!
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