Do You Ever Suffer a Loss of Brainpower? Here’s what not to do

 In Negative emotions

I recently found out that my Facebook account had been hacked, and someone had started a campaign that was charging my PayPal and credit card $250 a day. And I was locked out of my Facebook account so I couldn’t notify them of the problem. Verifying my account turned into a headache because I don’t get a cell signal at home so they couldn’t text me a verification code. And figuring out how to contact Facebook about the hack was a challenge in itself.

The point of my story is that I was totally frustrated and upset!! What I’ve learned from Positive Psychology is that when we’re in the midst of frustration (when we’re the schmuck stuck in the muck) we suffer a loss of brainpower. We can become overwhelmed by our survival instinct and have a hard time thinking clearly.

I knew that during this time, it was better if I did NOT – 

  • make any decisions
  • try to solve problems
  • attempt any activity that required focus
  • have an important conversation

I knew I needed to give myself permission to feel my emotions, and that my resilience would help me to eventually recover my brainpower.

After a few hours and a few conversations with myself, it was easier to calm down and believe that it would all get worked out.

When life happens, and your survival instinct gets you upset, it’s so helpful to remember what NOT to do. Besides the list above, what are other activities you know you should avoid when you’re upset?

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