Authors, poets, and lyricists are always reminding us of an important fact: life may be complicated. We're besieged with worries ranging from family feuds to health troubles. That is why it is critical to have a sound strategy for problem resolution along the road.
Of course, you can't anticipate every zig or zag. You may, however, develop some habits and behaviors that will help you feel more balanced, focused, and confident—even when things go wrong.
Discover your problem-solving strategy. If your reaction to unexpected obstacles is to freeze, you should strive to devise a plan of action for the next time your plans alter.
Here are the five most effective techniques to issue resolution in everyday life.
1. Rearrange Your “Eggs” Into Several Baskets
Diversification is beneficial to more than just your financial portfolio. It's also wise to establish healthier coping mechanisms for oneself. In other words, have a variety of parts of your life that bring you happiness and fulfillment.
These can range from a pastime like working on a carpentry project in your basement to taking two exciting vacations per year. Being able to find solace in a range of activities or relationships allows you to avoid being completely crushed when something bad happens in one area.
If you lose your job, for example, you will surely feel numb, angry, annoyed, depressed, and a variety of other feelings.
2. Learn to Acknowledge, Name, and Analyze Reactions
Do you tend to ignore intense emotions or, on the other side, allow them to control your words and actions? It's critical to remember that feeling emotions is normal. You may, however, learn to accept them without allowing them to guide you.
Of course, this can be a difficult notion to grasp. Marcia Reynolds, Psy.D., writes for Psychology Today that she assists clients in reimagining their emotional connections by viewing them as "mind events" rather than catastrophic ones. In other words, they're controllable if you're willing to learn how to control their impact.
For example, you might find it helpful to write down your emotions in a journal. This allows you to delve deeper into emotions and break them down into their smallest components. Patterns may emerge over time, providing you with additional insight into who you are and fueling your desire to dominate your responses rather than allowing them to master you.
3. Wait Before Making Major Decisions
Do you have an impulsive personality? You are one of approximately 17% of adults in the United States who self-report impulsivity. Though some impulsive actions can be enjoyable, such as going out for a happy hour with new coworkers at the last minute, others can be disasters.
What is the technique for resolving impulsive problems? Make yourself wait.
That is, instead of doing anything straight away, give yourself some time. Instead of bidding on a house that is just out of your price range, take a step back and reconsider why you desire the house in the first place. Rather than quitting your work abruptly because of a major disagreement with your supervisor, take a few days off.
This isn't to say you won't end up doing what you set out to do. Sometimes your gut instincts are correct. Most of the time, you'll be grateful you didn't let your initial reaction take you to a regret-filled reaction.
4. Break Big Dilemmas Into Digestible Parts
There's an old adage that reads, "How do you eat an elephant?" "Take one bite at a time." It's a great reminder that breaking down larger difficulties into smaller bits is a good way to solve challenges.
Consider a financial crisis. Even if you've been a great money manager, you can find yourself in serious financial trouble owing to anything from a divorce to a health issue. What is your most likely first reaction? Most likely to allow your brain to consider worst-case situations.
Take a deep breath before assuming you'll wind up homeless or forced to move back in with your parents. Then, take the truth nuggets from your circumstances.
Is your savings fully depleted, or do you have some cash on hand to tide you over? What habits could you adopt to better manage your current funds? Is it possible to get a second or third job?
Peeling back the layers of a large problem frequently makes it appear less massive and provides insights into how to overcome it.
5. Taking a Learning Approach to Solving Problems Like Stumbles
Wait, you didn't realize they were failures before they were successes? That is correct. They simply did not let their failures get in the way of their success.
Is it possible to succumb to thoughts of failure? Without a doubt. It's difficult to get back on your feet after anything terrible has happened in your life. However, reframe failures as learning opportunities to solve problems that develop from them.
Write down what you learned the next time you fail big time—or on a lesser scale. Consider your failure.
What caused that to happen? Is it part of a pattern of problems that have arisen over time? How could you avoid doing something similar in the future?
For example, perhaps you continue to accumulate debt, like millions of other Americans, with individual debt loads of around $90,000. Use your reoccurring debt as a springboard to develop a fiscally better approach to problem resolution. Essentially, educate yourself on a method of problem-solving that does not require you to spend all of your money.
Final Thoughts
Do you have a go-to method for solving difficulties, or perhaps several? If not, begin assembling a personal care toolkit that includes problem-solving skills to help you move more easily through life's most difficult periods and situations. These five most successful techniques for issue-solving in life will undoubtedly help you reach your goals.
