Think about writing my paper.
- Tantrum – But whyyyyy do we have to write this? We don’t wannna.
Me: We have a goal and completing this paper can help us achieve it. It’ll be okay.
Read the assignment sheet.
- Stress – *super-fast* We have to do thisandthisandthisandthis…!!
Me: *breathe* We’re on top of it. We’ve done this before; we can do it again. We’re good enough.
Create an outline.
- Overload – Nope. Too much. Must take break. Can’t.
Me: Hmm, we’ve done a lot. Maybe a break could be beneficial. Can we do anything to set up for tomorrow?
Take a break overnight.
Time to continue writing.
- Tantrum – Uuuuugh. Again?? Whyyy?
Me: Yep. Yesterday, we set it up so it will be super easy to start today. We can do it.
Reread outline and start developing supporting points.
- Time – Nope. There’s not enough time. There’s too much to do. We can’t do this. Abort!
Me: *Breathe* We’d like to complete this as much as we can to make our goal. Can we write something, so we’ve at least started?
Start writing.
- Critic – All of this is terrible. It makes no sense. Sentence structure? Atrocious. Others certainly have higher expectations.
Me: We’ve gotten this far; our work can’t be that bad. We know what we’re doing. Keep going.
Continue writing.
- Overload – We’ve done enough. *eyelids close, back aches, head bobs* Break time?
Me: It’s getting late. Our body is telling us it needs some sleep. Can Will we come back to this later?
Repeat previous steps in various unpredictable order.
I learn this process becomes faster with practice.
I discover the difficulties of having multiple stressors talking simultaneously.
I notice and respond faster as I navigate my internal writing process.
