Thursday, July 2, 2009

Cranky Analysis: Problem Solving

From the APA web page on Controlling Anger Before it Controls You, I'm looking at the 3rd of 6 strategies for keeping anger at bay.


Problem Solving

Sometimes, our anger and frustration are caused by very real and inescapable problems in our lives. Not all anger is misplaced, and often it's a healthy, natural response to these difficulties. There is also a cultural belief that every problem has a solution, and it adds to our frustration to find out that this isn't always the case. The best attitude to bring to such a situation, then, is not to focus on finding the solution, but rather on how you handle and face the problem.

Make a plan, and check your progress along the way. Resolve to give it your best, but also not to punish yourself if an answer doesn't come right away. If you can approach it with your best intentions and efforts and make a serious attempt to face it head-on, you will be less likely to lose patience and fall into all-or-nothing thinking, even if the problem does not get solved right away.


When I read this one, and then when I read it again a few more times, it didn't sing to me. I mean, I live 24/7 with one very large, unsolvable problem. But, for the smaller problems in my life, I am a pretty good solver of them. It's something I recognize as a strength, in fact, my ability to find creative solutions to problems at work for my clients, at home for dealing with new MS symptoms and the like.

What's the bottom line, then, with this one? Well, not so useful for me. Probably helpful for plenty of other folks, though.



3 comments:

Diane J Standiford said...

I enjoy problem solving, I like the challenge. Skip is lucky to have you.

awb said...

Good to see you cranky, problem solving isn't my strong point. I can solve them, but I get mad. Hope your trip recharged your power cells for a bit, good to have you back.

Andy

Cranky said...

Diane - I feel the same way - working out a problem is a good challenge. Thanks for the kind words. Fortunately for me, it's a two way street. We're both lucky.

Any - The trip was a good break, but I did feel stressed when I got back, oddly enough. Glad to see you're back and am about to check out your latest post.