Isn’t it frustrating that no matter how hard you try, the problems you have seems to be pushing you back over and over again? Don’t you know that some of these problems are just ‘fake problems’ that you have made up in your mind?
You cannot hold yourself back away from growth, so it is essential to address these fake problems, what triggers them, and how you can bring yourself away from the tight spot.
All things are doable.
On the contrary to what most people think, there is actually no such thing as a hard job that requires extraordinary talent. Although there surely are problems that seem more challenging than the other, the everyday problems we run across every day aren’t hard at all.
Some think some problems are too complex for them to handle because they self-construct issues at the back of their minds, which stops them from taking action.
Right under the cerebrum is the limbic system responsible for a person’s survival.
In days of yore, there was threat everywhere, and so the human brain has evolved to keep people out of trouble. At present, there’s little to no chance at all for you to stumble upon a pack of lions. Regardless, the limbic system remains in us, however, with a different job. It is now responsible for triggering emotional responses to non-existing problems.
Rather than facing your real problems head-on, you did nothing at all to feel safe and cozy. However, because you don’t take immediate action and let things work out on their own without your intervention, your problems build up together, creating a big actual problem that hinders your growth.
Now, how do fake problems keep you from growing? Here’s the catch!
When fake problems become real problems
Your limbic system (also known as the ‘lizard brain’) prevents you from doing uncomfortable things to preserve your well-being. This part of the brain devises imaginary situations that you’re likely to transform into actual problems that demand your attention to be solved.
But fake problems have no actual solution because you cannot fix something that does not exist in the first place. For instance, you’d like to read, but your problem is that you don’t have a cozy couch perfectly aligned light source. Do you think it is a real problem or a problem you just made up yourself?
Or suppose you want to study because you have an examination coming up, but there’s just too much noise that you can’t concentrate on. Would you stop studying and blame the noise if you fail your examination? Or would you take a look for alternatives on how you can minimize the noise or even completely get rid of it?
Even though the problem is actually there, fake problems arise because you reason yourself with the issues. Once you make it a habit to create counterfeit problems, you will be trapped in an endless loop where you’ll have difficulty finding your way out.
Some people run away from problematic situations, thinking that life should not have any inconvenience and that everything that’s meant for them will go their way naturally without many struggles. But then, they eventually meet someone who made it without many difficulties— this is where the lizard brain kicks in.
The fake problems you create are responsible for why you’re getting outpaced by people you initially thought were incapable.
Here’s another example.
To improve your physical and mental well-being, you have decided that you will commit yourself to daily exercise. You thought about availing of a gym membership, but then when you ask how much they charge, you find out that the membership fee was pretty expensive, not to mention that the place is overcrowded, and you also need to buy sports gear.
Don’t create a house of conflicting reasons if you truly want to go. Instead, get your membership without brainstorming to find more and more problems.
If you want to eat out, don’t think too much about whether there will be traffic outside, if the place is crowded, or if the waiter will be nice. If you want to go, then just go. Don’t create fake problems.
When you use fake problems, you just convince yourself with nonsensical reasons to prevent yourself from doing something. And most of the time, we do this knowingly because we are yet to be ready for those things. Otherwise, we would have done then without any questions.
Now…how do we fix fake problems?
Our mind is our greatest enemy and fake problems’ greatest friend. In order to resolve matters that impedes your growth, here are the proven ways you could follow:
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Ignore them
If your emotional intelligence is pretty high, then it will be relatively easy for you to understand that some of the problems you have are “fake” and that the reward you will receive from facing them head-on is higher than the risk.
You usually run before the break of dawn, but the weather is a bit too cold one morning. Run anyway. You want to cook, but you’re worried you will have to wash dishes afterward? Cook anyway.
Build up a habit of ignoring minor, nonsensical problems. Most of the time, they are just fake problems that you made up yourself.
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Give yourself a reward
Give yourself a small token to reward yourself for a job well done in fixing a fake problem. For instance, you’re problematizing the things you have to do to plan your finances. You have to gather all the receipts of your spending, your food expenses, utility bills, and all other miscellaneous to put in an excel sheet.
If you would imagine yourself getting a reward of spending what will be left after you calculate your finances, you’ll probably do the task, all hyped-up, without having any problems at all.
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Make opportunities
If your problem is not having a good space to read books, then spare some of your salaries to buy a comfortable pillow and a cheap lamp to have a place that may inspire you. You don’t have to dwell on what you lack. You can never find a comfortable place unless you take action. See problems as opportunities to build, upscale, and make things better for benefit.
Let me wrap this up with a quote, “Easy to spot a yellow car when you are always thinking of a yellow oar. Easy to spot an opportunity when you are always thinking of opportunities. Easy to spot reasons to be mad when you are always thinking of being mad. You become what you constantly think about. Watch yourself.”
Hence, when you focus on problems, your brain will always spot problems.
If your brain has been so immersed with problems in the past, your mind will be programmed to see problems in the future. This phenomenon is called relative comparison. And perhaps, this may be the reason why some people can’t seem to escape from troubles.
Trouble seems to follow some people around, chasing them down wherever they go. But in reality, it is actually them who are chasing the problem.
Fake problems are hard to distinguish since they are often disguised as real ones. Nevertheless, regardless of whether they are true problems or fake problems you make up yourself, the solution is within your hands.
