Positive Affirmations and Mental Maintenance
polycounter
Serious question, do you practice positive affirmations? Have examples of rituals, advice, warnings you'd like to share? Bitterness and self loathing seems to be a trend in this business. With intense work schedules, limited job security, and fierce competition, how do you stay positive and out of the dumps?
Obvious answer is the work needs to be done whether you're positive or not. That much is certain. I'm not asking about how to deal with depression or how to get past hating your work, this question is about taking more control over your mental state in relation to art, interviews, and the dreaded layoff.
Obvious answer is the work needs to be done whether you're positive or not. That much is certain. I'm not asking about how to deal with depression or how to get past hating your work, this question is about taking more control over your mental state in relation to art, interviews, and the dreaded layoff.
Replies
by realizing the fact that living in a first world country we are many many times luckier than what could have been.
Wasn't my intention to create yet another depression thread here. I think mental health is more important than a general talk about depression. What I'm talking about specifically is positive affirmations, like pschying yourself up before an interview, daily routines and whatnot. Self help gurus talk about writing positive notes in the mirror to read in the morning and other corny stuff like that. Wanted to know if like-minded people wanted to share their routines, if any.
So do you guys write "TAKE NO PRISONERS" in blood on your mirrors too?
Great suggestion. This sounds like mindfulness, a branch of meditation/therapy. This is something I've dabbled with, and can vouch for the stress reduction effects. It's all about being aware of everything but not trying to dictate things. There's an example of the raisin meditation which is part of mindfulness eating. I've never enjoyed cooking/eating as much as I do now. It's like art now. Those exercises really helped to improve a shitty commute as well, one of my biggest stressers.
that's what this is about, stress reduction and mind maintenance. What's the average gamedev career length? 5-7 years, something like that? It's become very important to me to manage myself for long term success. That new Brigador article paints a nasty picture of burnout.
Freelance has been ideal for me, but it has the obvious drawbacks
Outside of that, I'd like to recommend these two books:
- The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Anchor
This book is about exactly what it says on the tin.
-Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to a Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success by Shawn Stevenson
It might seem strange that I'd recommend a book about sleeping in this thread, but sleeping well is very important for your overall health and state of mind. If anyone here has a problem with their sleep schedule or finds themself still exhausted after what should've been a refreshing full night's sleep, I heartedly recommend it!
These dev bros are smart. I've seen a few of their twitch videos last year.
There is really good advice here. I reckon diet and exercise are really important. This last year I cut out carbs, gluten, sugar, salt and dairy. Just meat, veg, salad and no more than 3 bits of fruit per day. Sugar will make you sleepy and the rest just clogs you up. 30 minutes to an hour of exercize every day also helps blow cobwebs away.
Learning new stuff really gives me a sense of accomplishment as well as private training. Students in the private sector are enthusiastic and grateful. Very different from established educational institutions where 5 out of 25 pupils are even interested (on average). Like you, freelance suits me better than employment even with the downsides. The endless quest to up the quality of my work is also something I never get tired of.
An earlier more popular article was written in February as well, did the same thing. I still haven't played Brigador, backlog is crazy long
Thanks for bringing this up, been thinking a lot about treating skills and education as a muscle. From some article about why learning seems to get harder as you get older (can't find it again). And it's just a huge reminder not to get complacent, not just to stay competitive, but to keep your learning muscles strong.
The Long Game Part 1: Why Leonardo DaVinci was once a loser:
1. Being up at 7:30 every morning and immediately stretching and having a full glass of water. I dont know why but for some reason a massive glass of water first thing in the morning is almost as good as having a cup of coffee. And sticking to a simple routine makes me feel better about the day. If I miss it for whatever reason it can throw my day off a bit. To be fair usually if I miss it its because I was up until some ungodly hour working on a project.
2. Make sure I take off in the middle of the day and step away from the computer to go to the gym or go for a long walk. Something to stretch my legs and get my eyes away from the computer screen.
All this being said, I think I could do a lot more too. Some of the comments regarding meditation in this thread seem extremely interesting and I think I might have to give it a try.
Without boring people with personal details, the last seven months have involved:
- studio closure / layoff
- backup gigs not working out
- extended unemployment
- financial troubles
- marital troubles
- health troubles
- death/cancer diagnoses in friends and family
- depression spikes and anxiety
- job searches, interviews, art tests, etc
- rejection letters
- this fucking election
(preemptive thanks, but not looking for sympathy. just making a point)Because of a searching and proactive approach to mental health these recent months, I've not fallen off the deep end. Methods discussed here and a greater focus on mediation, specifically Mindfulness, have enabled me to stay the course through a gauntlet that would have set me back before. It's been hard, but not overwhelming. That difference is the world.
In fact, I've gained ground! New job and new prospects, stronger relationship with family, better understanding of my shortcomings and how to manage/improve them. Minimizing sources of daily stress have worked wonders in pretty much every facet of life. Still struggle w the concept of happiness but I've never liked myself more or approved of my direction more than right now. So thanks to those who chimed in, hope you found useful tidbits here as well.
One other small note: used that app "Headspace" Mateus mentioned for the free trial and found it really helpful, especially when it's mentally hard to designate time to sitting quietly. turns out it is incredibly difficult to let my mind wander freely, as is one of the exercises. Surprisingly uncomfortable after years of rigid focus. Helpful regardless.
tl/dr
It's only until yesterday that I realized how much has happened and how different your mind can process the stresses of life with a few changes to mindset and behavior. It's really fascinating. Wanted to share this short update and encourage absolutely everyone to research methods for sustaining good mental health.
It's not about waiting until you're in the dumps to do something. It's about playing the long game. About sustainability and extended success in life. Best wishes to those seeking the same.
- Be positive in every situation and state of mind, and phrases speeched to the others.
That's what I try to apply in my daily routine / life seen as a poetic act *:
"...
Once a student ask his master to review his poem, that was something like this:
A butterfly
I tear off its wings
look, a chili pepper.
The master thought about that for a bunch of seconds then correct the student:
A chili pepper
I put some wings on it
look, a butterfly.
The lesson is clear: The poetic act* must be always positive, seeking the creation, not destruction.
...".
Alejandro Jodorowsky - Psicomagic - 1995
Long version is available for 4.99 on the app store (actually feel free to PM me if you are in a relationship and have issues reconciling your career or just want a fun story).
What's relevant to this thread is one of the things I personally needed to do to my negative thoughts: Talk back to them. I was raised in a decent family (we all love each other and all that) but my dad is one of the most negative depressing people alive. Take one part him, add in the artist's ability to torment themselves and also add in how rough this industry is to succeed in (freelance and studio) and you have a recipe for your mind to ignore all the good you've done and only see the bad. At the start of the year, that was me to a decent degree.
Once I started therapy and got into it, I've had numerous opportunities open up. I think my improved attitude in addition to right place, time, and experience came togheter to give me what's been a pretty great year. I haven't been able to go lately (she's on maternity and I'm on-site in New York a bit longer) but the lesson, the idea of talking back to negative thoughts persists and is helping me make life decisions and ignore negative thoughts that would hinder me from life.
Seriously! Go to therapy even if you don't have any major issues. Most insurance covers it to a degree and if you're like me, every other week isn't all that expensive (if Insured).
Dan Rose
also, on your subject of upbringing. I've talked to others irl and many people with healthy constructive upbringings who were taught proper coping mechanisms growing up. folks w warm families and good finances, safe homes, etc. people who've naturally have done this stuff to maintain good mental health all along. and that's great. unfortunately not all of us were granted the benefit of a healthy childhood (among other factors), so yeah, those of you scoffing at these types of discussions can eat it. growth is growth
To make it short, my personality tends toward depression, and I'm 38 so the prospect of finding a new job is more difficult. So obviously my first thoughts were rage and anger, especially since no one was really there to lend me a hand.
I simply changed my mindset, didn't sleep few days, worked till late to get at least some proper stuff to show, and finally, after 3 crazy weeks I might finally get a new job.
When things get dark, trust in yourself. Seek that little light inside and try to accomplish as much as you can.
That's all I can add since I don't have a magic method or anything.
I volunteer with game-development related organizations. Helping make others' game development dreams a reality helps me stay positive. I'm a judge and a mentor for the IGDA Scholar program (http://scholars.igdafoundation.org/), I'm on the Artist Advisory Board for the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment (https://themade.org/) and I also served as a mentor for Gameheads Oakland (http://gameheadsoakland.org/) this August.
Doing this work helps me stay grounded and gives me a sense of purpose.
I'm also really, really grateful for my wife, who smooths out the rough edges in life and pulls me away from the computer to watch sunsets and be present.
I drink a full 500ml pint of water every morning for years now. (it helps the digestive system)
(recently I've remembered my childhood living in an old house only with stoves and stuff for keeping warm, the really cold water that I used for washing my face in the morning kept me really sharp, that and running a 400m dash to the bus, in the morning cold)
So I started to pick up the Wim Hof method, (well at least the free course part) it consists of breathing exercise, stretching, (sometimes push-ups) then a cold shower.
I want to include a morning run also but I recently had pneumonia and the doctor told me I should breath clean air but I live in the most traffic polluted part of town and it's hard to have clean air around.
I can also highly recommend mindfulness. I got an audio book from audible with the free 1 credit of off amazon.
"The mindful way through depression" , made me realize and confirmed a few things, it also has 5 meditation guides. I feel the book helped me but I still want to go to therapy.
I'm a social person so I get lonely fast, so talking to people that are on the same page helps, if you can find a person who is willing to "GO TEAM!" with you I think it would be awesome. ( I have yet to find that person
The learning a new thing is what I used to love the most but now it just feels like I'm starting ANOTHER thing (as an excuse) I have yet to finish or master so I stopped doing that.
Podcasts also get me hyped.
Reading these threads get me hyped sometimes. (confirming others feel the same way helps)
tl;dr.
I bolded the stuff I listed. xD
@Pior , the being your own boss thing is the most attractive thing in the world but I have natural born allergies to papers and bureaucracy. SRSLY if one is not an accountant or the sly-mastermind of CEO-ing yourself through the fiscal world. How the f do you start making money without money? I mean, I can only see it as: "have money, build success", unless you're some con artist that can make 1k from 1$ (not you, just generally)
On the following :
I'm a social person so I get lonely fast, so talking to people that are on the same page helps, if you can find a person who is willing to "GO TEAM!" with you I think it would be awesome. ( I have yet to find that person
I know that this sounds great at first (and can work extremely very well in some cases, when a strong synergy happens between two or more people), but also remember that you can always hire people for some tasks. For instance, all comic book colorists hire "flatters" to get their color cutouts ready. Such contractors are not "friends", but they are contractually bound - meaning that there are no emotions involved and you get what you pay for, delivered at a given date. This can be extremely motivating and save you some precious time and energy.
@gauravcm good stuff. nice to get beyond your own little world. something I don't do nearly enough of. something to think hard about...
@Yoji I'm happy you found some benefit to the thread. I'm listening to a diff audiobook called "Practicing Mindfullness: An Introduction to Meditation" and it's more of a lecture format. kind of dry. information is solid, though.
Also check the "Wim Hof" method, This is a Dutch dude who can achieve feats of endurance by conditioning his breathing alone, It basically revolves around exhaling slightly less than you inhale. When your mind is in a stable state of power its much harder to lose your equanimity. If you are being influenced by bad vibes around you, then take a moment to realise that your self-worth is not dictated by others. Don't blind yourself to negativity, just practise balance.
Martial arts are very good, If you train your kata (form) you are basically actualising a thought into motion and it gives you good confidence that you have control over your body/reality when you nail it perfectly, That confidence is then transferred into all aspects of your life.
My brother told me about a phenomena called "leaky gut" which the majority of citizens in developed nations are experiencing, this is because there is so much sugar in practically every commercial food product that humans eat way too much of it, your brain lights up on sugar in the same way it does when taking cocaine. What eventually happens is the barrier between your gut and your internal organs gets compromised, chemicals which shouldn't be there get transferred into your blood and it effects your mind in a detrimental manner. So your diet is very important when it comes to influencing your mind.
Also these are a few mantras I live by, which seem to help me:
Breathe Deep - I've set this as my alarm reminder so when I wake I practise mindful breathing
Joy, Compassion, Love, Equanimity - The 4 sublime states of Buddhism
You are good enough - Cheesy but I tell myself this once a day as a positive affirmation
Hurt people hurt people - Cant break the cycle of negativity if you are not aware of your feelings, dont repress yourself
The most important thing is to "practise what your preach", It's all well and good knowing what to do but you have to condition yourself into experiencing it on a daily basis, when you chimp out and let your subconscious/ego/whatever get the better of you, reflect on how it happened when you are back in a state of control. Time is important to keep track of, one day you may practise 80% of what you set out to achieve, another next to nothing. Once you reach a consistent baseline drawn across a few months, you can affirm that you arent bullshitting yourself and are developing in a positive direction.