CREATIVITY IS A NECESSITY. If you’re trying to manage your mood or anxiety circumstances with worn and tired techniques, you’ve about reached your recovery limit. Shed what isn’t working. Amp up your game. Let’s talk about connecting the dots…
Our friend looks frustrated. My take is he knows there are more creative ways to manage his persistent depressive and generalized anxiety disorders, but he’s drawing blanks. Maybe he’d be interested in techniques like connecting the dots.
What you’re about to read comes from my almost ready to go eBook, 27 Rays of Hope: From 50 Years of Living with Depression & Anxiety.
Connecting the dots
I’ve always liked using the term “connecting the dots” when it comes to mood and anxiety disorder insight and recovery. It may sound overly simple; however, don’t let that fool you – it’s powerful.
The cool thing about connecting the dots is it uses life events in an evolving progression. It takes us back to whatever Point A we choose and works us through B, C, D, etc. – to wherever we want to stop.
It’s reasoned, real-world, creative, and easy to work with.
But there’s more. Approaching an issue using a connecting the dots model provides rewards along the way. Each connection, with its insight, reveals a portion of the big and necessary picture. That’s gratifying and encouraging. And the best part is the individual involved, though they may be led by a facilitator, does the connecting and draws the conclusions. Their life, their image.
I’m sure you’ve worked connect the dots drawings. It’s always fun to watch the image being formed, isn’t it? When it’s complete there’s a real sense of accomplishment. It’s like, “Hey look, I did that.”
And what’s really important to keep in mind is the simplicity of connecting the dots can become how you look at life and consider its assorted goodness and misfortunes. It can be a wonderful perception and solving model.
So if you ask me, an ongoing connecting the dots “world view” can make a huge positive difference in your life.
Connecting the dots in action
“Connecting the dots: It’s creative – fresh. I could use some new techniques.”
Here’s an example of connecting the dots in action…
Several years ago, a client and I had just begun to chat on the phone. I could tell she was in distress, so I asked her what was up. She said she felt “weird, kind of wired inside.” It seemed she was more concerned about what was driving the sensation than the feeling itself. So, I needed to help her, well, connect the dots.
To get her started, I suggested we go back twenty-four hours and review her activity in chronological order. Perhaps we’d come upon something that would ring some bells. Well, it didn’t take long before we heard the sound of glorious chiming. Turns out she’d had a loud and upsetting exchange with her partner earlier in the day.
And how did we know we’d arrived in the right neck of the woods? As soon as she began discussing the encounter, she became agitated. Now we had something to work with. She’d connected the dots and was well on her way to connecting even more.
Now, you may think having to really work at identifying one’s distress is pretty lame. However, if you’ve been in the midst of acute emotional, mental, and/or physical alarm, you know a cluttered mind makes reasoning difficult.
Nonetheless, we now had the bulk of the dots connected. And we could begin finishing the image with additional exploration – even more dot connecting.
Having used connecting the dots many times personally and clinically, I can tell you it’s a great technique that can be relied upon anytime our insight and recovery need a boost.
Fact is, if my client had a connecting the dots world view, she probably wouldn’t have called me.
Take life dot by dot
When you’re facing the mysteries and crises of your mood or anxiety circumstances, slow down a bit and work on connecting the dots. You’ll be amazed at what you come up with. Again, it’s reasoned, real-world, creative, and easy to work with.
And it’s all you.
Doesn’t it make sense that trying to manage your assorted misery using worn and tired techniques is a losing proposition? Do some shedding and amp up your game.
Give connecting the dots a go.
Plenty more Chipur articles where this came from. Just peruse the titles.
