When You Get Stuck…Leave The Problem And You Will Get It

Like most people around us, we as humans stumble and are stuck all the time – stumbling in our thoughts, feelings, physical challenges, and creative ideas. When we stumble upon something, the first thing we do is try to deal with it directly; we try to deconstruct the idea, lighten the feeling we have, or try hard to impose ourselves on a way of thinking through creativity.

Sometimes this method works and we find solutions, and often it does not. When the unexpected doesn’t happen, the best thing we can do is get away from the idea or the problem. But it is also the most difficult to accept, as most people hate problems and things hanging without solutions. Oftentimes, we are faced with a strong desire to continue to solve the problem. However, what happens to most people is just the opposite, the solution lies in when moving away from the problem and leaving it, the solution comes.

Some research papers in various fields show that finding a solution to a problem does not happen when you are working on, but when you move away from it.

And this is exactly why we reach moments when we find the solution and say “aha…I got it” and that happens while walking, taking a shower, or driving a car. Also, this is why some of the best physical achievements for athletes occur after they have taken a vacation or a long break. Almost every athlete has a high-performance story that happened after a vacation or on a long trip where they were exercising in minimal training during that holiday.

Now the most important question is when to back out and leave the problem?

Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to this question, nor is there a device you can wear that says “Back, back off, your efforts are in vain!” But all you can do is consider the following two points:

– In what circumstances does this stumble happen to you?

– At what point do your attempts become in vain?

For most humans, a good time to walk away from this stuck is when you feel like you’re overly stressed and out of nowhere. Rather, let it go smoothly and as normal. You can think of it as a cartoon thermometer: at the top, there is extreme stress and pressure, and at the bottom, there is flow and fluidity. The closer you get to the first, the more likely it is that walking away is best, even if you have to keep trying, and most of us almost do.

It is true that sometimes you have to keep going and think to come up with a solution to the problem. But these cases are exceptions that prove the rule. Leaders among humans and who are responsible for others, keep thinking about solving the problem and alternatives until they reach the most appropriate solution. But for most people, what usually happens is that the further away you go, the more you are done with the problem – and you relieve yourself, too.

It is hard to walk away and find a solution to the problem you are facing when every cell in your body asks you not to stray from the solution and work on it. But usually, this is a good sign that you should do it and stay away from the problem even a little bit until you see the solution.