Creative Tension

A small trouble is like a pebble. Hold it too close to your eye and it fills the whole world and puts everything out of focus. Hold it at a proper distance and it can be examined and properly classified. Throw it at your feet and it can be seen in its true setting, just one more tiny bump on the pathway of life.

-Anon

People left and right of me take stress. And I can't say that I don't, I'm sure I do too, but I'm quick to vent it because I cannot be in that mental state for too long.

When people are in trouble, or have an important decision to make, many make the mistake of using the wrong venue to get to the results or solution. It's very important for a person, not to let 'worry' engulf their mind- Even if they think that they're doing work @ the same time; worrying while working sets you back by a lot, and other people like to thinking that they're simply 'thinking' about it withing realising that they're actually worrying!

Definitely, it's a universal statement to be optimistic. Optimism doesn't govern that everything will end well, but rather helps you make the best of a situation. Again, one should not be under the false notion that "Everything will be alright"- unless they have come to terms with the fact that whatever happens is for their best. Optimism requires creativity and an outlet for the diverted energy- do something else, do something better.

It's important never to focus on the result- "What will happen?" for the simple reason that the answer to "What will happen?" depends on "What you do". So, focus on the means.

Sometimes, you have to let go of matters. This is when you're holding on to them so tightly, that you're clenching the life out of them, and draining yourself of energy. Sit back and reflect briefly.
Many people complain about things that do not relate to the actual situation- this will only cause frustration within- because you're going around in a web, just entangling yourself. A glass of cool honey water does great wonders in such moments. In my case- warm.

One other thing to remember is, it's often easier to solve the problems of people around you, than yourself, this is because you are look @ their problem as if you're looking at a model of a city from the top- bigger picture. At the same time, no matter how helpful your suggestions are, you do not know the least of what they're going through.

Discover what Works for you- Create what matters!
Be prepared to deal with stress beforehand. Can't put two and two together when you're in deep waters. There is a fundamental difference between solving problems and creating desired results- the difference between a 'problem' focus and a 'creating' focus. Outline the skills and structure of the creative process and help yourself use those skills to develop a framework for planning and taking action successfully. This will help you create what you most want in your life.

• Determine and appreciate your “positive creative core”
  
• Know what you most want to create in life
  
• Craft powerful visions of the results you want to create
  
• Assess the current state of your results objectively and accurately- do not fool yourself
  
• Set up and use the energy of “creative tension”
  
• Make choices and take actions that support your desired results
  
• Build momentum and learn from mistakes and setbacks
  
• Finish fully, carrying tasks through to completion- I'm awful @ this!
  
• Celebrate your success with praises to Allah
  

All of these skills help you 'create' what matters, which increases your optimism and resiliency.


Develop resilience: Deal with adversity
After you've gone through the intense cycle of "Creating what matters" focus on the skills you need to keep going in the face of adversity. These are meant to sustain the results you create. They help you become optimistic and resilient in the face of setbacks and difficulty, inshallah.

For those obsessed with getting all this planning right, should read up on AQ (Adversity Quotient). AQ assessment uses the Adversity Response Profile (ARP). Developed by Dr. Paul Stoltz, author of Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities, the ARP gives you a snapshot of your habitual way of reacting to adversity. I haven't read too much, but it's pretty cool stuff, as long as one doesn't engross too much into it. A low or pessimistic AQ, which indicates a tendency to stall, quit or give up in the face of adversity is closely linked to depression. However, unlike IQ, AQ can be changed! Work on yourself to bring that positive change.

I read somewhere that pessimists are more often right, but optimists accomplish more. If you believe that an attitude of continuing to search for a solution, even when it seems quite impossible, will lead to a solution, then by Allah's Will, it will lead to a solution. Even in the face of a rigorous proof that there is no solution, a different way of defining the original problem can lead to a solution. Often we believe there is no solution but there is a fallacy somewhere in the argument we've used to convince ourselves of this. Creative thinking can jump across those barriers.
Most people believe that a problem is impossible to solve and use it as an excuse for quitting applying creative thinking techniques for solving it. Every problem has a solution. If you don't look for it, you won't find it, as simple as that.

Brainstorming .. finding solutions to problems
Brainstorming is a technique for creatively solving problems. One of the main elements of brainstorming is the lowering of the threshold for acceptance of ideas. I like to brainstorm with 5 people in my life whom I consider my mirrors. Someone else thinking for you helps you consider those angles that you cannot think yourself within the time @ hand. Be critical @ the same time. Do not criticise anyone's ideas right away. First hear everyone out, criticism and evaluation is the next phase. A genuinely silly idea can serve as excellent random input for stimulating the generation of good ideas. This again stems from positive thinking. It can also be possible to modify a silly idea and make it usable :)

Goals- Solutions
A good goal is to produce a long list of ideas, including some silly ones. Aiming for this goal is more likely to produce at least one good idea than one would get if one aimed for a small list of ideas with none of them silly- that's diversity in creativity

I firmly believe one cannot solve all troubles, some troubles should be left to time.

[I bet this is the best post that demonstrates my digressed thinking... sigh, inshallah one day, I'll make more sense!]

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Addendum:I realised I didn't add the physical health aspect of dealing with stress... In a nutshell, besides eating healthy and keeping fit, there are two important checks one should be aware of that impact your positivity:
- To never slouch, especially when you're sitting in prayer. Keep your back straight @ all times. One of the key benefits of sitting upright is alertness of mind.
- To walk with quick and firm strides. This builds up confidence and helps you stay on top of things. Also, walking properly helps you build on righteousness, and improves the way you deal with people.