Thursday
Jul152010
Love Thursday: Introducing...the Crazy Box
Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 12:59PM
I've invented something incredible. It might change my creative life. It is the physicalization of the brain dump, the morning pages, the swamp, Anne Lamott's radio station KFKD.
It is the CRAZY BOX.
This is where I put the thoughts that need disposal. The thoughts that keep me inactive. I gave it four different faces, because the demons show up with different attitudes and it helps me watch for them.
I believe in the power of words, of language, of writing your desires and mantras on paper. So at first, it felt weird to give my negative thoughts space on paper, making these torturous thoughts visible. Will it make these devils come true? Will this become my future?
Here's the great thing: the Crazy Box is like a nuclear containment device. Even better -- a magical nuclear neutralization box. Once you slip the paper in, the box strips its power immediately.
Here's how I'm using it:
You write the thought down that makes your shoulders slump, makes you feel "less than," makes you feel discouraged and like giving up. Yeah, that thought.
Or the secret blasts of megalomania that derail you from the actual work. I know I'm not the only one who has them.
Get them out. ALL OF THEM. The really specific ones, the ones about your best friend being smarter/prettier/more successful than you, the ones that know all your deepest shame and remind you of them often, the ones that short-circuit your enthusiasm into apathy.
Write it down, put it in the box, let it go.
Once a week (or day or hour, depending on how quickly your box fills up), I empty the box by the trap door on the bottom, and take it outside.
BURN IT. I happen to have a cauldron in my backyard for such purposes. Now, you might not be a earth-mama-hippie-writer-nerd-with-a-yard, so use whatever disposal method you prefer (I enjoy the purifying energy of fire).
It helps to have a few friends nearby as witnesses, to make sure everything gets released. I also wash my hands once I'm inside, to really really really get all that sticky energy off.
I warn you now -- as soon as I put this box into effect, I found myself grabbing for scraps of paper alarmingly often to write down mean thoughts in my head. That's okay. Tear up a ton of scrap paper and leave it close by. I think it's better to interrupt my workday five thousand times to expunge discouraging thoughts than to work straight through and let those thoughts sink into my groundwater. They are toxic and, eventually, they'll cause creative insanity.
How do you dislodge your crazy thoughts?
~ ~ ~
P.S. I work in public health, so when I say "Crazy," I don't mean actual mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. I mean the average, annoying, nagging thoughts that strip your energy and make you feel less than the divine creature in human form that you are.
P.P.S. Why is this a Love Thursday post? Because it's another way I've found to love and adore myself and my creative life.
It is the CRAZY BOX.
This is where I put the thoughts that need disposal. The thoughts that keep me inactive. I gave it four different faces, because the demons show up with different attitudes and it helps me watch for them.
I believe in the power of words, of language, of writing your desires and mantras on paper. So at first, it felt weird to give my negative thoughts space on paper, making these torturous thoughts visible. Will it make these devils come true? Will this become my future?
Here's the great thing: the Crazy Box is like a nuclear containment device. Even better -- a magical nuclear neutralization box. Once you slip the paper in, the box strips its power immediately.
Here's how I'm using it:
You write the thought down that makes your shoulders slump, makes you feel "less than," makes you feel discouraged and like giving up. Yeah, that thought.
Or the secret blasts of megalomania that derail you from the actual work. I know I'm not the only one who has them.
Get them out. ALL OF THEM. The really specific ones, the ones about your best friend being smarter/prettier/more successful than you, the ones that know all your deepest shame and remind you of them often, the ones that short-circuit your enthusiasm into apathy.
Write it down, put it in the box, let it go.
Once a week (or day or hour, depending on how quickly your box fills up), I empty the box by the trap door on the bottom, and take it outside.
BURN IT. I happen to have a cauldron in my backyard for such purposes. Now, you might not be a earth-mama-hippie-writer-nerd-with-a-yard, so use whatever disposal method you prefer (I enjoy the purifying energy of fire).
It helps to have a few friends nearby as witnesses, to make sure everything gets released. I also wash my hands once I'm inside, to really really really get all that sticky energy off.
I warn you now -- as soon as I put this box into effect, I found myself grabbing for scraps of paper alarmingly often to write down mean thoughts in my head. That's okay. Tear up a ton of scrap paper and leave it close by. I think it's better to interrupt my workday five thousand times to expunge discouraging thoughts than to work straight through and let those thoughts sink into my groundwater. They are toxic and, eventually, they'll cause creative insanity.
How do you dislodge your crazy thoughts?
~ ~ ~
P.S. I work in public health, so when I say "Crazy," I don't mean actual mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. I mean the average, annoying, nagging thoughts that strip your energy and make you feel less than the divine creature in human form that you are.
P.P.S. Why is this a Love Thursday post? Because it's another way I've found to love and adore myself and my creative life.
Reader Comments (4)
Love this!
I love this! There are so many negative thoughts that come up and who knows what to do with them. Thank you SO much for sharing this idea. I am on it.
Plus, I was partial to this because I have that very same Goddess deck of cards. Love them.
I used to be a shrink, so I endorse your layman's definition of "crazy."
Oh yes! I need a crazy box.
Thanks Jessica, Caroline, and Tammy! I'm glad this wacky idea connects with you as well. I'm already finding an increased awareness of when I'm about to have a crazy thought. It doesn't stop them coming, but awareness is a huge step in itself!
Caroline, I cannot wait to see your version of the Crazy Box. And isn't Doreen Virtue the best? I consult these cards daily and they always make me feel better, more connected.