Resolving Nagging Problems
Is there anything more annoying than a problem that refuses to resolve itself? We all have nagging or lingering issues that never seem to totally go away in our lives, but there is an art to negating or minimizing their impact. Ultimately, you have to ask yourself some tough questions in order to get a handle on what exactly you are dealing with and why it is not resolving.
When looking at your nagging problem is it something you can A) accept, B) change, or C) Ignore? Determining where on the spectrum your lengthy problem falls is the most important step to lessening the stress and moving on as much as you can. Remember, there is no “one size fits all” for problem solving, but there are ways to be more efficient getting to a resolution.
4 Tricks for Solving Nagging Problems
1. Be honest with yourself. How much of this problem is on you and would go away if you would let it? Certainly, life has its moments when it is simply unfair and there is nothing you could have done differently to avoid the situation you find yourself in. However, more often than not we are active players in our own destiny, and it is important we are accountable for that. Own the situation and try to see the value in it no matter how hard that is.
2. Your past is not a barometer for future outcomes. Just because you found a resolution to a similar situation one way in the past does not mean it will work that way in the future. You have to be flexible in your approach to dealing with problems. No two problems are exactly the same and the sooner you realize that the easier it will be to find resolutions quickly.
3. Look at things differently. Finding different perspectives than your own is important. Fights and disagreements are often the result of both parties being too hell-bent on their own opinions that they don’t take time to see the bigger picture. Different perspectives help you to see a problem from all angles and come up with the quickest and most efficient way to solve a problem. You never know, someone’s different perspective could be just the information you needed in order to make peace with your situation.
4. Think it out. We are reactionary creatures and sometimes jump immediately to the worst possible conclusions before even thinking about what is really going on. Before going into full-blown panic mode and putting a match to a small problem, take a moment, breathe and take a moment to analyze what is really happening. It is amazing how many “issues” we have in life that wouldn’t be a blip on our radar if we just took time to see the bigger picture and actually think our way through things.