My coping strategy made me stronger.

A man worth listening to when he spoke was Albert Einstein. Fortunately, he left great lessons for us, such as his wise phrase “we cannot solve problems by thinking in the same way as when we created them.” Following his reasoning, we can ask ourselves, what strategy to use to face problems?

Within a large number of possibilities, There are two quite solvent strategies or so the people who use them estimate it. On the one hand we are going to talk about the famous strategic Problem Solving. On the other, the paradox of the streetlight. Are you up for this trip?

What strategy to use to face problems?

Facing problems successfully will make you learn. It is always said that failure is a good school, but doing things well is also a good school. Thus, if we get the solution right, apart from the success of solving the problem itself along the way, we will surely receive very valuable lessons.

How to face problems with strategic Problem Solving

Strategic Problem Solving is a model applicable in any field and with different levels of difficulty. To put it into practice, we must know its three basic steps: the definition, the objective and facing the strategy of the problem itself.

Definition

The first phase is the definition. Before looking for solutions we must know what exactly the problem we are facing is.. Therefore it is good to understand its nature.

An appropriate way to define a problem is to ask ourselves what it consists of, where it is, when it appears, who may be the culprits, how and why it happens… That is, It is good to spend time identifying every detail.

Goals

Once the problem is defined, we must know the objectives. So that, instead of remaining in the permanent complaint for not finding a way out, we have to ask ourselves what result we would want. For example, if in six months we have a job interview and we know that they are going to ask us for a certain knowledge of a foreign language, our objective will be set at the level they ask of us. Maybe later we will like the language and want to know more, but that is the initial objective.

Take a look at your problems and view them as challenges instead of threats. Thus, by understanding an obstacle as the first and not as the second, you will be using a source of motivation that produces much less stress and more satisfaction.

Face the problem strategy

Once we are fully aware of the problem we have, it is time to establish a strategy to solve it. We know our objectives and the magnitude of the obstacle. It’s time to think about the method.

That is, you will reach a point where You will have to see which strategy is best to achieve your goals and overcome the problem. Here are various techniques that this method proposes:

Take the problem to the limit. Sometimes for something to get better it has to get worse first. They say that after the storm, calm comes. Maybe going to the limit and hitting rock bottom can be a solution to gain momentum. For example, when there is a fire many times it is not worth saving anything because the price we can pay to do so is too high. We’ll have to wait patiently for the firefighters to put it out and maybe then throw everything away to rebuild it from scratch.

Backward Planning. Another proposed strategy involves performing the solution path in reverse. That is, imagine that everything is solved, and begin to study how you got to that point, then the previous one, and the previous one, etc. That is, as if you were rewinding a VHS tape that provides you with the strategy to follow. For example, mathematicians use this strategy a lot to do proofs: they start from what they want to prove to see if they can arrive at what has already been proven.

Look into the distance. You can go beyond the problem. To do this you have to visualize your ideal life and project your mind on it. This way you will find strength and encouragement to overcome uncertainty and find the freedom to see the best solution.

The streetlight paradox

This problem-solving technique comes from a book called “The Art of Making Your Life Bitter.” In it, Paul Watzlawick, with a lot of wit and humor, presents us with certain mistakes that it seems that we all make at some point.

In the lamppost paradox, the author tells the story of the drunk who looks for his key next to a lamppost. A police officer sees him and helps him search for a while. But there comes a time when the authority asks him if he is sure that is where he lost the key. At that moment, the intoxicated man answers that no, he went further back, but it is too dark.

Sometimes, When analyzing a problem, we must know if we are looking in the right place for solutions.. There are many times when we get blinded by a “streetlight” over and over again. Maybe one day it was useful and served us, but it doesn’t mean it will be reusable forever.

However, our brain works this way naturally. Search for mental resources from the archive that were once useful. That is why it is important to try to go beyond simple problems, analyze them in their proper measure and find the best solutions, which we do not always have to know or have in hand, no matter how much experience there is at our disposal.

Now, you now have new tools to face problems. However, a knife is of no use if the person holding it does not use it. It is your turn to put them into practice using knowledge, ingenuity and good spirit.

You might be interested…