Four ways to get through a hard moment
In a difficult moment?
Here are four science-backed strategies you can use:
1. Keep going.
Remind yourself of your ‘why’ — the reason you’re doing this thing, pursuing this goal, or in this situation. Focus on the impact that it will have, the way it connects with a greater purpose, or the people you are currently helping with your efforts. Turn it into a game or a challenge, something that you can win. Make a tiny bit of progress towards it, no matter how small it is. Studies have found that this feeling of making progress is the single most important factor for having a good day at work.
2. Take a break.
Step away from the task. When you are distracted from a problem, you often come up with those important breakthroughs. Your unconscious mind makes progress on the problem while you’re conscious mind is distracted (it’s called the ‘shower principle’, because so many good ideas come to us in the shower!) Rest and rejuvenate. Things are always a little bit easier to carry after you’ve taken proper care of yourself, had something to eat, or a good night’s rest.
3. Try a new path.
Sometimes, consistently pushing at a task in the same way just entrenches you in being stuck. What if you threw your approach out and tried something totally different? Can you go around the problem, approach it from a different angle, or see it from a new perspective? What if you stopped pursuing the “right” path, and found a new one that works for you instead?
4. Ask for help.
We’re not supposed to cope with all of our problems on our own; we need each other to solve them, figure out the right next step, and for support. Albert Einstein often talked about how important it was to bounce ideas off of his friends when he was developing his theories of relativity; he called his friend Michele Best “the best sounding board in Europe.” You deserve a sounding board, too! Every time you refuse to buy into the Old Happy myth that you have to do everything on your own, you’re also giving permission for others to do the same. Ask for help and offer help, whenever you can. Leaning on each other is what we are here to do.
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