The Only Thing That Will Get You Through Bad Situations
It's so bad, but you have to get through it.The only way out is psychological reframing.
The reality of how bad things are isn't going to change.
So if you can't change that, the only thing you can do is change your attitude.Military groups call it "embracing the suck."
It sucks. In fact, it sucks for all of us.
Once you can adjust to that, you can stop complaining and get going.
The faster you can adjust, the faster you can move forward.
So, it's not about avoiding the suck or alleviating the suck--that's often not feasible.The trick is to adjust quickly and make things happen anyway.
2 Minute Action
What's something that is going to suck no matter what you do?
- Working out.
- Dieting.
- Sales calls.
- Surgeries.
- Angry customers.
- Absent students.
- Car accidents.
- Being mugged.
- Having your business robbed.
These are just a few examples off the top of my head.I bet you can think of a few in your own life and take the next two minutes to mentally embrace the suck.Once you do, you will already be more resilient and ready for the next mission.
You're Not As Good (or as Bad) As You Think
There's something strange that our brains do.We tend to hyperbolize how we're feeling in one direction or another.Either we're having a great day or a terrible one.It's a good hair day or a bad hair day.Our team is either winning or losing.The truth is much more boring.If we just took an extra second to zoom out for a second, we might see what others see. The good news (and the bad news) is that it's never as good (or as bad) as it seems.The more we can look at ourselves pragmatically, the easier it is to see the world as it actually is. This means seeing our Facebook friends and co-workers as they actually are. This means our grip on the world is more founded on the truth, and we are less likely we are to make important decisions along the ebb and flow of our experience.What a fresh dose of clarity for our mental health that would be, right?
2 Minute Action
When was the last time you beat yourself up for something?How might you talk to yourself if you were one of your friends, instead?Using this little question/technique can quickly cut through the fogginess of self-reflection.Use it today, you might just learn something about yourself.