Putting Problems Into Perspective

When you feel overwhelmed with jobs to be done, or find yourself focused time and time again on your health challenge, things easily blow out of proportion, and stress can easily set in. Wouldn’t it be good to get things back into perspective?

Many years ago as a student, I allowed essay writing to swell out of all proportion, so the essay of the month became a huge burden that stressed me out. At the same time, I was often away at weekends hill walking. One day, while relaxing at the top of a mountain, I suddenly realised the essay ogre had diminished considerably, and this experience repeated itself many times.

Looking back from my current vantage point I realise I tuned into the spaciousness of the countryside, which put my ‘insurmountable essay’ back into perspective as a ‘little essay to get on with’!

4 ways to gain perspective

Here are 4 ways I use to putproblems into perspective by creating space in and around them, starting with the quickest!

1. Draw a circle and a dot (less than a minute)

Take a piece of paper and draw a large circle taking up as much of the page as you can. Then think about your issue, and draw a tiny dot to represent it in the middle of your circle.

That’s it: simple and very effective! Notice how the charge on your issue immediately diminishes.

2. Notice the space (a couple of minutes)

Here’s a Sedona Method ‘polarity’ technique I often use to dissolve pain, and it’s equally effective for a challenging problem.

Think of your challenge/issue/worry, and repeat the following 2 steps.

1. Notice how strong your challenge feels
2. As best you can, notice the space that surrounds and inter-penetrates your challenge

Don’t worry if you don’t notice any space at first, just keep repeating the steps until you get an inkling of space, and then repeat the steps a few more times. As you allow yourself to notice more space, you’ll notice the intensity of your challenge diminish.

3. Hold the TAT Pose (a couple of minutes)

Holding the TAT Pose will ease your struggle with the issue, by gently releasing stuck points of view that hold the challenge in place. You can see the TAT Pose demonstrated here, or follow the instructions below.

Place your thumb and ring finger on either side of the bridge of your nose (near the corners of your eyes) and your ring finger on your third eye (between and above your eyebrows).

Cup your other hand across the back of your head, with your thumb lying along your hairline, at the top of your neck.

As you hold the TAT Pose for a minute or so, gently place your attention on the issue, and notice what happens. No forcing or reaching out here, simply relax and notice.

4. Have your Bars run (about an hour)

Having someone activate the 32 Bars points on your head automatically dissipates redundant points of view, leaving your head feeling wonderfully spacious. After having your Bars run you may wonder what that problem was! More about the Bars here.

The Delicious Nugget: Noticing or experiencing the space around a challenge or issue takes your attention away from the stuck points of view that hold the issue in place. You can resonate with the space of the outdoors, or use simple methods to allow the space that’s always there under the surface to rise into your awareness.