I have not met anyone who has not been under some sort of stress which leads me to the question..What Do You Do When You Are Stressed?

Beat Stress With Stress

Now, granted, stress for some people involves nearly everything they do.  They could be down to their last sip of coffee and get stressed because they are going to have to make a new pot of coffee.  For others, stress is the need to close a huge contract in 24 hours or file bankruptcy which would mean having to layoff 24 people one week before Christmas.

There are different levels of stress, but one fact remains…we all have to deal with it.

Let the Brain Take Over

The experts in stress management usually suggest to pull back from the daily routine and do something very, very comfortable.  Something that does not tax the brain but keeps it busy doing something.  The act of attempting to do this triggers the need to solve problems.

There is a problem solving mechanism in all of our brains , but sometimes it does not seem to process a solution to a problem until it is solving another, non-related, problem.

Now, I know this does not seem to make a lot of sense.  Isn’t dealing with the issues creating stress a form of problem solving?  This is correct, but in those cases where the problem seems to have no solution or a deemed to have a solution that is unachievable, the problem solving process the brain goes through sometimes get’s bogged down with other issues it is dealing with..like, digestion, breathing, keeping your eyes open from lack of sleep which all might also be problems it is dealing with.

So, taking an hour and dealing with problems your brain seems to know the solution to, or knows there is a reward for solving the problem, can result in the brain finding the solution to the Bigger issue you are taking a break from.

The bottom-line…sometimes the solution to one problem comes from working to find the solution to another problem…so, take a break and work on something else that is less of a strain on the brain.

Sometimes Solutions Are Visual

I go for Video Games.  Not sure why, but usually in the middle of a fierce battle during Black Ops I will come up with the cost cutting idea we need to improve our profitability.  Many times during a survival run in Plants vs Zombies 2 I will come up with a new product or service we could offer our clients.  I have even come up with new ideas for our client’s problems during a four minute Sniper drill.

All of these video games have solvable problems which are relaxing to me but keep my operations project management brain focused on solving problems.  So, getting away from the more major, seemingly insolvable, problems I deal with I occupy my mine with other, sometimes more fast paced, problems my brain needs to solve for a short period of time.

For instance..I came up with this blog to write after getting my ass handed to me during the last epic battle during Batman Arkham City.  So, let me know how I can help.