But somehow I still find myself emotionally hung up on something.

WTF!?

I always find that emotions can really get me in a rut, supplying me with a copious lack of motivation and killing any desire to do work. I came to Thailand nearly three months ago. At that time I was a bit bummed about how my last (albeit short-lived) relationship ended, and frankly part of my motivation for a year of travel was for the escape. I didn’t come to Bangkok with any plans to get involved in another relationship, but for some reason I found myself in one…and then another (both ended rather quickly).

I guess I’m a hopeless romantic! It’s one of the things that annoys me the most about myself: I wish I could just be happy on my own (I love being single, really), but there’s always that desire for romance. You know—always on the lookout for the next future ex-girlfriend!

Anyway, believe it or not, huge cultural and language barriers are NOT a great recipe for a successful relationship! So even though I was trying for escapism when I left for Southeast Asia, here I am carrying around emotional baggage with me instead. You know, when your new girlfriend suddenly stops returning your calls just before Valentine’s Day, it always makes for a great week!

Alright, alright! So what do I do?

So, I dunno how it is for you guys, but for me, whenever I have some emotional baggage—relationship or family bullshit, or some other kind of conflict, I find it hard to concentrate on anything besides the baggage. I just can’t be productive until the unfinished business is finished. And unfortunately this kind of conflict nearly always exists in life.

I think that, while I have tons of great friends out here, and we have a lot of fun times—my life is full of high highs and low lows—overall I’ve been depressed for about a year or so.

I have so much to be thankful for out here, and I genuinely don’t want to come off sounding “woe-is-me,” but I am at a point where I don’t know what to do anymore. My emotional lows have affected this site and they’ve been affecting my business, and it’s definitely well past time for a change. I want to be so much more productive—to do so much more with my life at this point…

So I’m having a little honesty moment and putting my problems out there for all to see. I’m putting it to you:

What do you guys do when you’re carrying around emotional baggage, or your life is filled with distracting “noise”?

• How do you remain productive and stay on top of your work?
• If you run a small business, how do you stay on track?
• How do you get closure in a world that usually offers none?
• What methods are there for re-igniting one’s motivation and creativity?

Here are two great replies I got from some great Twitter friends when I put this question out there a few weeks ago, but please add your own replies below:

Dorie Morgan (@brstngphnx) says:

“I build a little more time for me to process what’s going on. Maybe I get up a little earlier to write or maybe I eat alone.”

Rosy Villa (@rosyblue) replies:

“Go to a dark place, take deep breaths & forget what you can’t change. Then, write a list and try your best to stay with it. ”

Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful support. I’m hoping to make 2009 a really kickass year and get a lot accomplished professionally. I appreciate your help so that I can have the emotional energy to then give back to everyone else in our wonderful community.

Read the original article on Thrilling Heroics here: How Do You Stay Motivated When You Stumble and Fall?