Why writing a thesis can make you lose your mind
Writing a thesis can be surprisingly hard to do. One has come to realize it is mostly because the biggest reason behind doing this massive academic styled text is simply to graduate from a university. That’s the goal — and the problem.
In other words, one is only doing the thesis in order to achieve a goal — one puts off all satisfaction until it is done. Until it is done, it is in a sort of constant state of failure. Which is not a very good mindset to have.
Nonetheless, this is the major problem with any goal type of living and thinking. Whenever one is doing something for that future goal — not enjoying the actual doing very much — one is in a constant state of negativity until one achieves that goal.
Once the goal is achieved, lots of dopamine is released for a short time and then one is back to normal. Jesus what an antagonizing way to live life!
So in short one has a goal oriented way of thinking: Long process of negativity (failure) followed by a short peak of positivity (success).
Here are two alternative ways of thinking that are more sustainable:
- Goal oriented way but structured into many subsets of smaller goals.
So you get some smaller peaks of positivity and success once you reach those smaller goals. However, is that not the same problem as in the original way of thinking? One lives in a constant state of, albeit, shorter failures until there is success. Its just a miniature version of the original problem.
2. Direction oriented thinking
Employ a system that says, one works on something to simply move in the correct direction where one wants to go. It is not connected to success or failure, its main catalyst is simply movement in some direction. Then whenever you work, you get that feeling of success (dopamine) because you are moving in the direction you wish to move in. You don’t have to wait for that goal to be accomplished until you feel good because you are on the right path all the time.
One would think this direction oriented thinking is the optimal solution. Most of the time that's true. Find out for yourself! Thanks for reading.
