Previously on...
In my previous post, I shared my journey towards obtaining the AZ-204 Azure Developer Associate certification. I discussed the challenges I faced and shared my learning strategies.
Context
After obtaining my AZ-204 certification, I decided to take a week-long break from blogging. Discovering the right learning strategy had been difficult for me, as trying to learn facts without what seems any context or doubt about what the questions will be like, made me anxious.
Taking a break meant interrupting a habit, and not resuming it after a short pause could lead to the formation of a new habit. I noticed that after a week of not blogging, I made another decision to stop blogging for another week. That process was repeated four times.
I felt conflicted. I had promised myself to continue blogging this year, but the process of learning and pushing myself towards the certification had reignited an old struggle. Everything seemed dull, and getting back into blogging felt challenging. My motivation had disappeared.
Fortunately, I had a scheduled appointment with my coach. During that session, we used Transactional Analysis to address the disruption I was experiencing. We found that the active state was not the adult ego state, but rather the rebellious child's ego state.
Identifying the root cause is one thing, but altering one's state of mind requires more than just realization. I devised plans to ensure that I would study for my next certification using the approach I described in my previous post. I committed to refining the learning process I had employed and vowed to continue refining it. After making this promise, my state of mind shifted back to the adult ego state.
Transactional Analysis
Let's start by taking a closer look at the concept of Transactional Analysis. According to Eric Berne, the founder of Transactional Analysis, we all have a Child, Parent, and Adult ego state.
The Child's ego state is emotional, impulsive, and creative. The Parent ego state is nurturing, caring, and controlling. The Adult ego state is rational, analytical, and problem-solving. These ego states work together in different situations.
For me, Transactional Analysis was a useful tool to help me connect with my rebellious child. It helped me explore what the problem was.
When I neglect my emotions and blog only on pure willpower, then it will eventually hurt me. I will get a bad feeling. When I do that for too long, I will associate blogging with a bad feeling.
I encourage you to read the following article, written on the site of Forbes about how to use Transactional Analysis to discover your authentic self.
Atomic Habits
At the start of the year 2023, I started setting small, achievable goals for my writing and made sure to stick to them consistently. Stolen from my habit of making software design decisions, is making the implicit explicit. By making them explicit, telling my intentions is helping me enforce my new habit.
James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, wrote: "When you do something once, it's not a habit. When you miss it twice, it's not a habit either. But when you do something twice in a row easily, you start to create a new habit".
However, it is still up to me, to protect my state of mind and health, and to ensure I have the will and energy to follow through with creating new habits.
Self-care or self-sabotage?
When we are under stress, it is common to enter the critical child state, where we view the world from a negative and self-punishing perspective. In this state, it is easy to cancel and not pursue my goals. Is that self-care then? In that emotional state, my main goal is to feel safe and secure and to ensure to keep away from the chaos.
Self-care is essential during stressful times. Self-care does not mean stopping. It's about finding a balance between taking care of yourself and taking action to achieve your goals.
Self-care can include a range of activities and practices that help you feel renewed, refreshed, and restored. Exercise, healthy eating, and rest, as well as emotional practices like mindfulness, meditation, and seeking support, are things that are working for me best.
I am glad that I have a new tool to practise to support my further endeavours.
Outro
Transactional Analysis is an important tool that I highly recommend mastering. I find it essential for staying true to myself, my vision, and my values. This has been a significant discovery and can be quite intimidating: making decisions based not only on what I feel and think is best but most importantly, aligning them with my mission and values: I want to stay focused on the road towards fulfilment.
Learning and growing is a journey, and it's okay to go at my own pace and make mistakes along the way. I will keep searching for the path that works best for me.
