Problem solving and mindfulness
Published on 28 Nov 2023, under:I wanted to write a little something about a change I noticed in the way I usually respond when I find myself unable to find a solution to a problem. A few weeks ago I was trying to solve this problem
After working on it off and on for a few days, I hit upon the key idea that solved it just as I was falling asleep.
I don’t think it’s a very tough problem, however I had quite some trouble cracking it. Luckily there was a hint, and I was able to make some progress, but I got stuck soon after. I started to feel a familiar sense of frustration and a strong desire to give up and look the solution up. In the not so very distant past, I would have succumbed and looked the solution up, and then immediately felt insecure about it.
This time, I told myself that I should put it away for the day and give it another shot later. I started working on it again the next day, when a different approach suggested itself and I was able to go a little further. This surprised me because my usual practice is to try the same thing over and over again and then get frustrated when it doesn’t work. Eventually, when the intrusive thoughts, “It’s hopeless”, “I told you, you’re horrible at math”, “stop fooling yourself”, inevitably won, I would give up and be depressed for a while.
Recently however, I am noticing that I have been able to avoid this mental road block. It’s not that the thoughts aren’t there, they are ever present, but I’ve been getting better at keeping at it even with the circling negativity. I have observed that if I acknowledge the negative thought (or just ignore it) and try again, more often than not, I find the solution to the problem, or I think of a different approach to finding it. It almost feels like the I had the answer all along, but I couldn’t find it because of all the cacophony in my head. But if I take a moment to relax, maybe do the 4x4 breaths technique, I find the way forward.
Another factor is the complete lack of time pressure. I have no assignment deadlines, or timed exams where I have to solve problems in a finite amount of time. I’m doing this as a hobby, and I can take all the time I need. Without all the anxiety to finish in time, it’s a lot easier to think of alternative approaches to problem solving. Sure, sometimes I feel insecure about spending whole days to solve a relatively simple problem, but hey, instead of giving up and feeling sad about it, I’m finding answers and feeling a sense of joy and accomplishment.