Relationships Tips

Great Relationships: How to Solve Problems and Have Fun Too


I recently came across this quote:

"There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to notice and small enough to solve."

When problems come in our relationships they can bring a great deal of stress into our lives.

While problems do bring stress and are important to properly handle, our response to the problem is more important than the problem itself. How stressful a problem is can be determined to a large extent by our response to it.

Many of us have learned avoidance as a way of handling problems. "If I just ignore this, maybe it will go away" is what we think. If you hear an alarming noise in your car, just turn up the radio. No noise, no problem.

Richard Bach, author of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" and "Illusions," has this to say about problems: "There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. We seek problems because we need their gifts." What would it be like if, instead of avoiding problems, we were to lean into them and seek their gifts?

In order to lean into problems, we have to approach them in a different way. As Albert Einstein said, "You cannot solve a problem with the same level of thinking that created the problem." We need creative problem-solving skills that allow us to not only learn from the problem, but have fun and strengthen us as well.

Here are three creative ways to approach problems.

Movie solutions

Often the difficulty is that we have only our view of the problem with which to work. So what would it be like to get a variety of different perspectives on the solution to the problem? Here's a simple three-step process for getting a different perspective.

Hold a problem in your imagination for a moment.

Think of a favorite character or a movie you have seen that you strongly related to.

Ask the question, "How would this person have approached and solved this problem?"

You may get solutions from this exercise or only a different way to look at the problem. Either way is a win. Use your own judgment about the appropriateness of the solutions.

Question solutions

Motivational expert Tony Robbins offers us five questions for approaching problem-solving in a different way. They serve to help us reframe our approach to the problem. The five questions are:

What's good or great about this situation?

What's not perfect yet?

What am I willing to do to solve this problem?

What am I no longer willing to do to solve this problem?

What actions can I take that will help me solve the problem and enjoy the process?

Crazy solutions

Lastly, let's look at a process that I typically use to help parents solve power struggles with their teenagers. It's applicable for our purposes as well. Here are the six easy steps.

Identify the problem.

Identify one or two solutions that you have tried that just don't seem to work, and then discard them.

Come up with crazy, ridiculous, absurd, outlandish solutions that you would never do, but are absolutely fun to think about.

Come up with creative alternative solutions to the problem. Sometimes the seed for these creative ideas are in the crazy ideas. Other times you have simply been able to step back far enough from the problem to be creative.

Once you have your creative solutions, take massive action toward solving the problem.

Pay attention to the results you are getting. If it's working, you can keep doing it if necessary. If it's not working, repeat steps three to five until you get a solution that works.

What we have looked at are three simple approaches to creative problem-solving. Have fun trying them out in your own life.

For more tips and tools for a great relationship visit relationship coach Jeff Herring's SecretsofGreatRelationships.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Relationships, communication theme of Friday's Warner Robins council retreat
Macon Telegraph (blog)
After ending at 7 pm Friday, the retreat will continue Saturday from 8 am to 3:30 pm OV Brantley, a former attorney for Fulton County governmental bodies, told council members their internal relationships are important to strong operations and images.

and more »


PsychCentral.com

Optimal conversation lowers stress in relationships
Times of India
Young couples who easily engage in rewarding conversations with their partners, experience less relationship stress and higher satisfaction, say researchers. According to research from Kansas State University, young adults who have optimal conversation ...
Going With the Flow of Talk Brings Couples CloserPsychCentral.com

all 12 news articles »


CBC.ca

Depression Linked To Adolescent Bullying
Medical News Today
"Often the assumption is that problematic peer relationships drive depression. We found that depression symptoms predicted negative peer relationships. We examined the issue from both directions but found no evidence to suggest that peer relationships ...
Depressed Adolescents More Likely to be BulliedPsychCentral.com
Depressed adolescents likelier to be bulliedTimes of India
Depressed adolescents more likely to be targets of bullying: StudyHealthJockey.com
U.S. News & World Report -Expatriate Healthcare
all 46 news articles »


Cara Dorris '15: The fiction of relationship?
The Brown Daily Herald
Most people will tell you that there are two types of relationships at Brown: rigid, Facebook-official romances and hurried, efficient and occasionally chronic hookups. Though there are exceptions, most of us brag that we're too busy, even too selfish ...

and more »


Healthy relationship examples crucial for youth, experts say
Maxwell Gunter Dispatch
In the race to stop domestic violence, educating children before they date can provide the awareness for healthy relationships when they become adults. In the crucial years before youth start dating, parents and peers impact children's perceptions of ...

and more »


The Link Between Obesity and the Early Mother-Child Relationship
The Atlantic
Instead of focusing on the body's energy balance, the researchers suggest improving the mother-toddler relationship, often called attachment. The researchers explored the effect of maternal-child bonding during the preschool years on the likelihood of ...

and more »


Relationships Art Exhibit at the SCAHC Gallery in Sussex
NorthJersey.com (press release)
In the Relationships Art Exhibit, the Sussex County Arts and Heritage Council is asking artists to explore, well, relationships—any relationship. And what seems to be a traditional subject for art can prove to have numerous possibilities when viewed ...

and more »


Love Triangles: And Kitty Makes Three
Patch.com
When pets and relationships collide, there are better answers than dumping one of the feuding parties. This shorthair cat is available for adoption from the Santa Monica Animal Shelter. For more information, contact Sharon Hardy, owner of Sweet Potato ...

and more »


Jamie Kennedy Talks Relationships, Valentine's Day Plans and Playing 'Cupid ...
Hollywood Reporter
As for his research of the role, the actor joked, "I went to Zales," before admitting, "I think I've been in enough relationships that that was my research." Not that he claims to know what he's doing. "Being in all of my relationships, I'm even more ...

and more »


At NRC Hearing, Signs Of Improving Relationships
Fox Business
However, it offered several hints that personal relationships on the five-member commission may be improving less than two months after they boiled over at a pair of congressional hearings. The tensions have raised questions about the nuclear safety ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2010