After a really hard day, or during a really unpleasant time during the day, what do you do to keep your sanity? Or with what thoughts do you fill your mind during discouraging times? I ask these questions rhetorically, because obviously I am just leading into the part where I give my own answers. And as you may have guessed from the title of this post, I have been using my imagination to get me through tough times more and more lately.
I share this with the internet world at the risk of sounding like I am turning into a certain red-haired Canadian orphan, but so be it. Besides, I think Anne may have been on to something after all. However, I do differ with Miss Shirley in that I tend to visualize the future, rather than using my imagination to alter my perception of the present. And I have found it incredibly effective at distracting me from present anxieties. I have also found that it can be effective with couples as well as individuals. If Katie and I both had hard days, we may be driving together, sitting on the couch, or lying in bed and we will begin to imagine our future together. This can be anything from planning an elaborate and exciting trip to an exotic destination, to discussing the design of our future multimillion dollar dream house. A great deal of frustration has been assuaged as of late, just by mentally designing our dream bathroom.
Now I am not sure if we will ever have a home full of secret passages, a cave shower that rains from the ceiling, an indoor rock wall/foam pit room, and a giant library with rolling ladders and bay windows just like in Beauty and the Beast, or whether we will ever spend weeks living in a small town in Italy, or navigating the misty mountains of China... Whether we do or not, the practice of imagining it all makes us smile and escape from a less-pleasant reality for a while, and when we return to that reality, it somehow does not seem quite so dismal. I have also thought of quite a few other advantages of this coping mechanism over some popular others.
1. This is a 100% diet friendly practice. Rather than eating a pint of ice cream (or frozen cookie dough) to distract me, I get to do something that will not contribute to me having to go out in search of bigger pants.
2. Imagining the future is both fun and enjoyable while you are doing it, and afterwards. I can think of many things that bring pleasure during or after, but for me there are few things that help me feel better during and after the activity. For example, I feel good after I run, but not while I am running, or I am distracted while I am on Facebook, but feel lousy after.
3. It provides an excellent opportunity to slow down a little bit and not be so rushed. I feel like we need to do this more often. It helps to lower our blood pressure and imagining also opens up our mind to the practice of thinking, and pondering in an enjoyable way, and things can come together that we are not even thinking actively about, if only we will turn off the electronics and give our minds a little workout.
4. It prevents Alzheimer's Disease. Okay, I am actually not so sure about this one, but I would not be surprised one bit. People get Alzheimer's because the don't use their brain enough, so they do crosswords or Sudoku to keep sharp, but I think my way is better.
5. It fosters creativity. I could spend hours online looking at neat, original, creative, and clever things that other people have come up with. But in a way I feel like doing this does not help my own creative juices to flow at all, it just makes me wish I could be as talented as the other people who post such neat ideas and original room designs, or whatever. Instead of being an admirer, I feel like using your imagination will make you into a contributor. And it is more fun to think of something yourself.
So there you have it, a somewhat comprehensive argument in favor of using your imagination. Go ahead, give it a try right now. Turn off your monitor and take a few moments to design the kitchen or bathroom you would create if you had Bill Gates' budget. Don't worry too much about what is possible, just unleash your inner "carrots" and enjoy the ride...
No comments:
Post a Comment