Fight or Flight?

How do you escape reality when it becomes too much?

This is one-part rhetorical question. There’s simply no way of escaping reality. The answer lies in the latter part.

You just have to stay there and fight the fight.

Here are some ways to help.

First, reduce the stress

There are several ways of doing this. Repeat the mantra every problem has a solution.

If you’ve spent too much time poring over this, take a small break. Take a catnap, spend time with fun company.

Change your perspective

People climb the Kilimanjaro and Everest, conquering arduous terrain, roughing it out in hostile conditions willingly. Look at this as your adventure.

Lay it all on the table

Visualize this in your mind, and dump all the worries, the work on an imaginary table. This puts a welcome distance. It frees your brain to think of strategies to address this problem.

Break it down in parts

Separate problems instead of bunching all into one. This way you can target each problem with specific solutions instead of bunching your cerebral knickers in a Gordian knot.

Break it down in sub parts

Once you have identified each problem, break it down in smaller parts. This will make the humungous task less immense, and you will solve it bit by bit. On summit day of the arduous Kilimanjaro hike, they do it in the dark, so you will not see the immense peak ahead and give up. You look only the light of the headlamp to see your feet and the limited illumined path ahead.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Cultivate patience.

In this world of instant gratification, we all seek quick fixes. But a thorough solving of the problem is better than a band-aid quick fix with that unspoken threat of recurring problems.

Omit Drama

Take stock of situation, and look at it dispassionately with the perspective of a yogic seer. Do not get enmeshed. Drama’s a major energy suck. To resolve the issue on hand, conserve energy to use it wisely when needed. Save a bit of the drama though. Sometimes, a pity party for one helps refocus.

Take out the “My” aspect

Look at it as someone else’s problem. Often, we advise better when it is somebody else’s problem. This role play avoids unnecessary entanglement.

Be flexible

Understand there’s no one way of doing things. Be not afraid of failed solutions, and do not persevere on one thing.

First Pick?

Should you pick the toughest problem to attack first or the easiest? If you feel motivated with early successes, choose the easier ones first. On the other hand, if you choose the hardest ones to solve first, you’ve put the toughest ones behind. Or, you can mix it up with easy victories first. It’s like training for the marathon. Then, you can do the toughest ones in between, and finally wrap with with the rest of the easier ones for a cakewalk finish. Deadline is another important feature that will determine choice.

Take a break.

Sometimes the problem gets into a glitch, and you are stuck on one solution. This is the time to take a break. There are several choices.

.Exercise if you’ve been sitting for too long.

.Get up and move around, stretch, and take your eyes off the ball.

.Smell the roses around, hear the birds. Go for a walk.

.Do nothing, just hear your breathing flow in and out.

If you have other ways of self-soothing; music, hot bath for example, go for it! It’s not a distraction, but an encouragement to get back to finishing tasks ahead. It also serves to remind you what is awaiting once task is done faster and efficiently.

Make sure you stay nourished.

Always stock your pantry with nourishing food to feel strong and healthy. As you expend mental and physical energy, you need self-fortification. Junk food and soda make you ill at ease.

Get adequate sleep

Let go of all tensions, unplug smart devices, and breathe into your sleep. Park your problems outside the bedroom door.

Stay Organized

Use calendars, reminders, milestones, to-do lists to help declutter the mind. A simple whiteboard is a good thing to have with a check-off list for the day.

Revisit the problem

Avoid logjam. A reset releases you from a fixation in addition to relaxing the mind.

Celebrate mini victories

Pat yourself on your back, and use the warm glow to fuel the next solution. This can be a good addiction to have.

Take another point of view

Two heads are always better than one. Listen to other perspectives, but be careful not to let too many cooks in, they really do spoil the broth.

Let others in, delegate!

Sometimes letting others in to help can bring more to the table of resolution. Their unique strengths can lift you from sinking into a bog. You don’t have to do everything.

Take it as a challenge

Instead of looking at it as grunt work, look upon it as your own Everest climb.

Enjoy the process

Solving issues one by one is like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Once several pieces are on the table in position, it starts to go faster and gets very enjoyable.

Problem solving can be fun.

Give it all you got.

You will feel a sense of purpose, a higher self worth, and a meaning in what you do.

Offer Gratitude

Feel gratitude because you have the ability and the chops to solve issues, and this will spur you on.

One at a time or several at one go?

Solve issues one by one, instead of multiple in one go. This way your perspective will not get muddled. However, if you begin to fixate, obsess on one without solutions or at the cost of other issues, choose another. You want to avoid the analysis-paralysis conundrum.

Celebrate at the finish line.

Remember the time you reserved to celebrate when you have successfully tackled all issues?

Be prepared, you may feel a sadness and emptiness akin to mourning at the finish line. Instead, celebrate this victory, and remember life has a way of filling up your plate with more adventures you once used to refer to as problems.

©IK 2019