Life can be busy, and often, when I work with clients, they can find that it’s a struggle to keep things in perspective. To see the good which sits alongside the bad, or the greys amongst the black and white.
When we are stressed, or experience stress for a significant period of time, it can affect our perspective, creating a negative bias. Therefore, we focus more heavily on the worst case scenario or the negative view point of a situation. Without meaning to, we zoom into all the things that do not work out, missing some of the wonderful things happening around us. This can leave us feeling that everything is wrong, and leave us blinkered to the balance.
Perspective helps us to understand situations from other positions, to consider other beliefs, experiences and view points. This gives us a better understanding and greater empathy. It reduces bias, judgement and reduces conflict.
How does perspective help?
Taking time to keep things in perspective allows us to:
- Develop a better understanding of things
- See a problem or challenge from different angles to develop a better knowledge
- To evaluate the importance of something
- To keep worries or thoughts in perspective
- Let go of judgement and focus on facts
- Keep things in a more balanced viewpoint
- See the strengths and weaknesses / good and bad / positive and negative
- Allows us to react rationally and considerately rather than impulsively
- Supports us to develop a more accurate idea of where things sit
- Be objective and unbiased
What are the benefits?
When we develop a clearer perspective of something it allows us to:
- Avoid judgement
- Reduce stress
- Respond constructively not impulsively
- Develop deeper empathy
- Gain greater clarity
- Personal growth
- Learning opportunities
Growing our perspective
An activity that we can use to help balance our perspectives is the ‘5 Why’s method’
You take a simple to moderate problem you are struggling with and ask ‘why’
For instance:
- Problem:
- Why is it happening?
- Why is that?
- Why is that?
- Why is that?
- Why is that?
Taking the time to sit with a piece of paper and consider each question carefully allows us to look at each part from different perspectives.
With time and practice, we can learn to take a deep breath and find a new viewpoint.
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