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Seems like a great excuse for GAS.
So, I really need someone to buy my Eastman T184 semi hollow (see classified adds) so I can buy a solution to my, possible, stress related guitar playing interruption.
@ewal - I regularly wake up in the night sweating with my mind full of what I haven't done / need to do, and I expect that most people with mildly demanding jobs/ family's /homes probably do the same. The reason that I posted is because, right now, for whatever reason, I just don't seem to want to play my guitar and i want to know if others ever have that feeling, and what to do about it. As yet I don't feel the things that you state and hope that I never do, but I thank you for sharing and, hoping that it is a distraction, I will definitely try not to worry.
If it's just guitar then it's unlikely to be a problem.
I've just got in from playing a gig, had fun night. But it's not always fun. Nothing to stress about.
But if you're not finding enjoyment generally then have a chat with an expert in these things. Losing general enjoyment and focus isn't what you want.
If the rest of your life is fine but guitar playing is not inspiring you, just stop playing the guitar.
If neither your finances not other people depend on you playing then just don't, it's bound to feel like a dead end occasionally under those circumstances.
Doing other things for a while is not only healthy for you, it's healthy for your guitar playing. You'll come back to it having absorbed new ideas without even realising it.
i learnt along time ago all the so called coping methods are useless in managing stresses for me the only solution is to make a change. Something when stressed that is often hard to do. But ultimately my stress is always less when I have pushed my self to break the vicious circle.
i think people me included at times just get stuck in a loop.
Where we want the perfect outcome and everybody is happy so we stay in the loop rather than go against that.
Note it wont be the perfect solution to please all but just do it the outcome is always far less damaging than you expect.
ultimately change things up at work talk to your boss tell them this ain't working same with family.
health get it sorted if needed take the time drop stuff that makes the health worse and tell people that's why you are doing this.
i walked away from a situation with my sister last year where she no longer speaks to me 12 months down the road. I know it was the right thing to do took me a lot to do it and one level it does not make my world complete. What I do know and can live a whole better and rationalise if she cannot see the damage she was inflicting on me and people around her. That's her problem not mine and my stress level is way less for not being in her recurring mess.
i naturally fall into being a people pleaser in all aspects of my life. Which ultimately leads to stress. It's taken me time but now I am still a people pleasure I have just learnt there are times you have to change and remove yourself from the equation
The other side to a lack of interest in playing is boredom with what you are doing with the guitar
My solution to keeping guitar playing over the years has been writing music:
get a multitrack program for your computer, and compose. The way that chord progressions drag out different solos and arrangements from you is much more interesting than just playing the old standards.
Also: can I ask what kinds of guitar you play
Sometimes I don't feel like playing electric, but I also play acoustic, so can vary what I play quite a lot
new page each time you site down.
it is surprisingly effective at clearing our brains . Almost like cleaning the cache of a computer.
also it takes longer to write them down than to think about them, so it slows that thought and worry process down (you know the one where all sorts of thoughts just keep rushing into your brain) and many of them just disappear or go away.
you can choose to, or not to, look back at them at any time if you wish. You can decide if you want to share them with anyone close or not at all.
yoU may find that they become a great source of lyrics for songs ! many great creative thinkers and writers, and musicians, have gone through periods of worry, stress, angst, depressions etc. And that has been key contribution to their outputs
wish you well
when the guitar thing happens to me, I just put thinlizzy songs on, put a whole load of gain/overdrive on , put the headphones on an just pretend . Sometimes works for me
I am booked to go to the Northampton Jam next month so I need to practice and maybe focussing on the song list will be an incentive.
I did post primarily to see if others experience losing interest in playing guitar for relaxation (i don't gig so it is only playing for pleasure) and if so what they did about it. I probably hadn't really thought that I should sort out the stress as I figured we all get stressed, so the replies have also made me consider this.
Could be just the common case of loosing lots of daylight this time of year, could be more. Or both together.
Even if it’s not this, it’s really worth checking and eliminating the possibility.
And when things start to turn back the other way, which they will, your desire to spend time with the guitar wilol come back. If it’s upsetting you now though, don’t feel you need to push it.
I can see so clearly that a serene state of mind....perhaps several days into a holiday.......is conducive to wanting to get home to play a guitar or search for an inspiring new guitar. And that the absence of that enthusiasm might be a warning sign. In fact.....the absence of enthusiasm to go on holiday might be a warning sign.
I have now concluded that I might be beyond awesome (forgive me) at handing out this kind of advice to other people but hopeless when self diagnosis is required. I cannot feel serene unless all of the small group of people around me are safe, warm and content. And that is not going to be the case for a while.
I can say with certainty that alcohol is not the answer.
Here is one practical idea. If you have an acoustic guitar around, persuade yourself that during your period of low interest, it would very sensible to maintain your calluses, and to strum or fingerpick for a set period every day, maybe while you are watching the News or something. When your enthusiasm returns, this will surely help.
There are worse things to try than the Headspace meditation app. I might not practice more but it helps with general emotional wellbeing. And counselling is always worth trying.
My band, Red For Dissent
My point here is that you should be sure that what you're calling 'stress' isn't actually depression. From what you write, I would suspect that it could be. I had a similar situation thinking that my work related stress was all that was affecting me. I found out that the stress had led to depression which was impacting all parts of my life including my guitar playing. Go see a doctor and talk it through. There's no stigma these days and, in fact you'll be joining a very big club!
Just hang in with the guitar playing and don't try to force issues. It will come back. Good luck brother!