MANAGING YOURSELF OFTEN DENOTES TREATING EVERY ENCOUNTER, NO MATTER HOW PRESSING IT APPEARS, AS THOUGH IT HAS SOMETHING VALUABLE TO TEACH YOU.
To resolve problems that come to you, your brain is constantly thinking, sorting and analysing information, based on what you have seen before and what is happening now. Because of the way our minds are structured, it is quite easy to fall into the trap of limiting our options by getting stuck in a single train of thought if care is not taken. Managing yourself sometimes means reaching beyond the self to explore the perspectives of others and increase your chances of solving a problem and restoring your balance.
When a troubling issue runs you about with confusion, talking to someone who truly cares about you opens up new perspectives for you to explore.
In the face of a trying circumstance, seeking out people that you trust and feel comfortable with, people who do not have a personal interest in the situation and are not emotionally invested in it, and people who will not simply agree with you help to shed a new light on a situation. When you use them as sounding boards for the thoughts and feelings surrounding your experiences, you increase your options and your chances of solving a problem.
We can reduce our stress levels, remain flexible and open-minded by treating every encounter, no matter how pressing it appears, as though it has something valuable to teach us. You can start off with this practice in any situation in your life. For instance, an incident, like being cut off in traffic inconsiderately, could bestir you to the need to cultivate more patience with irritating behaviours and situations. It could also offer you an opportunity to be grateful that you are not in a hurry, and being in gratitude is being in a beneficial state of mind.
When you are focused on learning something from the other person or situation, your likelihood of getting angry, defensive and stressed is much more reduced.
To find yourself cut off-guard and on the defensive is an opportunity for you to pause and learn something from the other person’s feedback or behaviour. This practice supports you in managing yourself effectively and restoring a good measure of your self-control.
