| This passage from raptitude post always sticks in my head, comparing 2 mental approaches to a disgusting part of a cleaning job he was squeamish about, basically practice to feel & observe the fear but do not resist or react to it: http://www.raptitude.com/2010/08/how-to-make-life-agreeable/ >...It usually involved holding your breath and averting your eyes as you scoop out the food-slime and hurriedly direct it toward the garbage bin, bracing yourself throughout, as if you’re jumping into icy water. It’s the same strategy a wide-eyed Fear Factor contestant uses as he chomps frantically on the June bug in his mouth — he doesn’t want to confront it, he wants to escape it. That method didn’t work for me, it just made me more aware of how awful it was. As soon as I tackled one sink, I began dreading the next room. I don’t remember when it clicked, but after not too many kitchens, I learned the secret: Let it feel like whatever it feels like. Just do it and let it have its way with you. Turn toward it, not away. Whenever I came to a gunked-up drain, I just scooped it out without rushing. I reached into the drain with no more reluctance than I would have reaching into a cookie jar. I looked at the mess with a stoic curiosity, allowing the swollen noodles and bread-mush to rest freely in my fingers for the two or three unhurried seconds it took to transfer them to the garbage can. As long as I wasn’t rushing or trying not to touch it, it was painless. It wasn’t worth trying to escape. |