Breaking self-imposed constructs & rationality
It's not that deep.
Hey everyone!
So after 29 weeks, I'm sending this newsletter issue on a Monday instead of the usual Sunday.
I had an issue ready to go yesterday and then I thought to myself, “Is this really a Sunday newsletter? I feel like this should be a Monday newsletter”.
Immediately I decided that I was overthinking this minor detail.
But I wasn’t.
Within a few minutes, the thought rushed back into my mind and this time, I decided to give it more attention.
If there was a part of me that felt that this should be on Monday then I should just send it out on Monday because my Sunday streak was just a self-imposed rule. It does not need to be sent on a Sunday.
It is a construct created by me and I should always feel comfortable breaking free from it.
This dilemma might sound trivial, but I know I’m not alone when it comes to feeling constrained by our own self-constructed ideals.
I pride myself on being a rational person but being rational is still based on feelings. A rational decision is based on a cocktail of feelings that trump a decision backed by another cocktail of feelings.
Yesterday, I thought I was being rational by not giving the Monday possibility a chance but then I realized it’s probably rational to actually give it a chance. Either way, rationality is clearly just a construct.
The point was to explore a reversible decision and explore how I’d feel about it after.
Recently, this is something I’ve been doing in other areas of my life too, including decisions with my podcast, photography, and studying.
I’ve been trying to lean into these knee-jerk feelings to explore how I feel after making them instead of resisting them for the sake of self-imposed rules, concepts of rational thinking, and consistency constructs.
I believe that the most important feeling that should come out of these decisions is self-satisfaction. Trying different things and leaning into our feelings allow us to enjoy the present more and find meaning in what we’re doing.
I’ve not fully felt the weight of this, but I’m starting to get a taste of it.
That’s all from me, I hope you have an amazing week ahead. If you know friends who might benefit from this newsletter, please share these issues with them. Thank you!
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About Me
My name is Arun and I'm a 4th-year medical student at King's College London. I'm also a certified personal trainer and lifestyle photographer.
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For thoughts about this newsletter, please drop an email at hello@arunjayaraj.com
Nice one. Are habits we cultivate also considered as self-imposed constructs?