You have most likely already heard a similar saying that if you beat your head up against a problem, you’ll never find the solution. You are too involved with the problem itself to think ‘outside’ of the challenge you are faced with. You need to think outside of the box and go beyond the restraints and construct of your own mind.
Albert Einstein eloquently put it this way:
“We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.”
Different tools work for different issues that you may be dealing with, but the goal is to temporarily turn your focus elsewhere, so you can relax the mind and let your wisdom come through.
I am not necessarily talking about going into meditation in a cave for several hours. Meditating can be too stimulating for some people. It may also become more frustrating as you try so hard to clear everything out in your mind, reaching and yearning for the solution.
If this is the case, then your focus and intention of this meditation is to find a solution. So you are back to square one.
Meditating will most certainly help for some people who are highly evolved in that particular practice, but for many who live busy lives, have families, commitments and don’t necessarily have the time to sit for hours on end, there are other tools and techniques that can be just as powerful.
The Link Between Creativity and Problem Solving - Why Directing your focus elsewhere can be a powerful tool in everyday problem solving
It’s interesting how our perception can shift when we spend time being creative.
Life can hand us some very challenging cards at times and usually quite unexpectedly. This is why it is so necessary and important to have a weekly, if not daily, a routine where you are grounding yourself and giving yourself space to be creative, journal, meditate, visualise, read or just allow yourself to dream.
While I am at home with my baby, I like to paint when I can. Creativity has always been a big part of my life, from comic illustration, singing to spending time in the kitchen.
I have recently applied the method of working on several acrylic paintings at once, which has proven to be a great way for me to work, especially given that I have limited time spare these days, and like to work fast.
It has been quite liberating and fun!
Usually I would spend hours and hours on one painting, constantly adding layer after layer as I would go through my own layers, an unravelling of sorts. Even though this may sound like a good process, I would often find myself ‘overworking’ the image, thus losing the initial essence.
So depending on what the motivating factor is behind a method, there are certainly many ways to work and problem solve a particular subject.
The Power of Relaxation and Wu Wei (Effortless Action)
You have probably already felt within yourself how much better you are at handling stress and unexpected challenges when you are in equilibrium in your being.
Relaxation is an activity of your choice and the intention of the activity is to create a state of free-flow and harmony within your mind, body and spirit.
The ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism would describe this as Wu Wei, which in its most simple description of the concept, is a practice of inaction and letting go. The concept itself represents a more feminine approach, Yin, to create a state of free-flow spontaneity where you are reminded of the Oneness of The Universe, coming back into a place of balance.
Tools and Techniques
So let’s look at some tools and techniques that may be useful when attaining a natural state of Wu Wei or relaxation. This is the perfect time to go deeper within yourself and contemplate if you already know a few tools of your own that help you ‘let go’ and come back in wholeness.
Free Flow Journalling: Allowing yourself to write without the mind getting too involved. Letting your hand and pen do what it needs to do, not judging your writing or the words.
Gardening: Connecting to the earth, planting seeds, weeding etc.
Any form of creative endeavour: Painting, playing music, pottery etc will naturally encourage you to think outside of the box. Read more on the Power of Creativity here
Baking & cooking
Reading (So maybe not the news)
Walking in nature or being by the ocean
Being around animals
Lego/puzzles - I have tried and also heard of other people using Lego as a tool to activate creativity and relaxation. It’s quite effective.
Remember, the intention of these exercises is to try to not have a specific outcome in mind. It’s the doing of the non-doing that holds the key. Another helpful way to view it is to imagine yourself seeing through the eyes of a child. Be playful and explorative about it.
When you feel into some of these activities, you may already be aware of a deeper sense of calm, peace and ease. Take note of this and let yourself be guided to an activity that naturally relaxes you.
Which relaxation techniques have you already tried and know to work? Try to do more of these. They don’t need to last all day, but they do need to go for long enough so that you feel that something has shifted within you.
Conclusion
Once you have explored and experimented with a few of the different relaxation techniques, see how you feel when you come back to the challenge you were initially trying to work out. Once we take a mental note and acknowledge the shift, it’s more likely to ground in our being.
You may very well find that the well-needed ‘break’ may have gifted you a different perspective or a temporary solution that may lead to a bigger, better and more long-term solution.
Make a choice and act upon it, coming from a space of wholeness, truth and balance.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_8e850b812f4a4c7bbe196c48f7ef7a95~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_653,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/11062b_8e850b812f4a4c7bbe196c48f7ef7a95~mv2.jpg)
Comments