5 Ways to Make Doing Something You Hate Easier

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I’m having trouble concentrating this morning because something is bothering me.

I am going to the dentist this afternoon. I’m sure this won’t be a groundbreaking statement but I hate going to the dentist. Most people I know hate going to the dentist.

Unfortunately, my last dentist appointment left me with some unpleasant memories.

Without going into too much detail, it involved an infected root canal and the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced. Even typing that last sentence made me shudder.

Thankfully today I am only going for a filling. A filling – not exactly a big deal right? Even taking that into account I still can’t shake this feeling of dread.

Since I couldn’t seem to think about anything else, in true writer style I figured I might as well write about it.

Here are my 5 tips to make doing something you hate easier.

Focus on it being over

The dentist said the appointment should take 40 minutes. All I can think about is how unpleasant those 40 minutes will be.

This is where I need to change my attitude.

Instead, I should be thinking how short 40 mins is, in the whole scheme of things, and how quickly it can go by.

Take my favorite soap, The Bold and the Beautiful (I know, I know shocker) it lasts for 30 minutes and it feels like it’s over in record time. My appointment is just ten more minutes. Forty minutes I can do that, no sweat.

Focus on the things that can go right

When we are worried about something, we tend to fixate on all of the things that can go wrong.

We rarely focus on the things that can go right.

Think of the task you are dreading. What could go right with it? Could it be over quicker than you think, could it run smoothly and effortlessly? Could there be positive results that you were not expecting?

Get fixated on the positive instead.

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Focus on a reward

I am going to a winery for my girlfriend’s 30th birthday tomorrow and I am really excited. I can’t wait. I have no doubt it will be a fun day filled with great friends, food, and wine.

On top of that, I have decided to take the whole day off from work. I plan to keep my laptop turned off all day tomorrow.

As I mentioned in my are you having enough fun post this week, I have been working a lot this year, particularly on weekends and my social life has really suffered.

Consequently, I think the best thing for me is to unplug for the day and simply enjoy myself.

Focus on the benefits

As much as I would like to ring up and cancel this appointment, that would be a foolish thing to do. When it comes to our bodies and our health, the truth is we need to address problems quickly.

If I cancel this appointment, I could face the risk of needing a much worse procedure later on. If I leave it, I could be up for another root canal. Not something I care to think about.

Best to get a small problem fixed today, rather than deal with a bigger one down the track.

Focus on the positive

To be honest, it’s not just the dentist that has me preoccupied. I got some rather bad news yesterday that will have a big impact on my finances going forward.

What I need to do is turn the two things that are worrying me at the moment (what I might consider negatives) into big juicy positives or at the very least come to terms with the thought that the negative fallout might not be as bad as I think.

There are always going to be things we need to do that we really don’t want to do. That’s just part of life.

Sometimes we simply need to bite the bullet, adopt the right attitude and get it done and dusted, then it’s back to doing the things that really make us happy.

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