Hello, Sunshine!

As a parent I want to help my children sort their problems so they learn how to navigate themselves in a social world they live in. Also, for them to be happy and successful, I want to be a good role model. But what if I am not that good at sorting my own problems?

What kind of role model am I? I sometimes feel inadequate, frustrated and week. And then I feel bad about feeling bad. Hmmm.

Does this sound familiar?

I would like to touch upon one important topic that very few coaches and thought-leaders talk about. Problem-Solving. How to solve a lack of problem-solving ability. It’s part of the Mental Category of Needs on the Ladder of Needs.

Problem-Solving is something that we require these days from every child, student, employee and of course this is needed in all entrepreneurial space.

We treat people how ‘smart’ they are, how ‘street-wise’ they are, how ‘successful’ they are based on how well they solve their problems and move ahead in their career or a social circle.

But how do we make sure we increase our capacity for problem-solving?

One of the counter-intuitive ways to do so is to do the opposite. Yes, just do nothing. Relax.

Why?

Problem-solving is an executive function of our brain and is operated from a pre-frontal cortex. When we feel stressed, signals from external stimuli are interpreted by our reptilian part of our brain and are sent to amygdala to react. When we experience a lot of stress and feel overwhelmed, we can experience a so called ‘amygdala highjack’, that is when our defence mechanisms of flight, fight or freeze kick in and we no longer use our pre-frontal cortex to solve problems.

So a simple way to help yourself solve problems, is just relax. By relaxing, you allow your executive function of the brain sort out your challenges much faster than if you work harder or more intense to solve them.

Simples.

Now, I would love to hear from you. What helps you solve problems? How do you expand this ability? Please post a comment on Facebook and let me know!

Stay Enriched & Happy!

With love,

Darya