Being comfortable with disconfort
The current period of turbulence is making it more difficult to find a balance between our professional and personal lives. And it’s leaving us feeling guilty that we have to make the choice. At the same time, it would seem easier to tackle these situations by employing a paradoxical approach: not to choose.
Some scenarios (in particular the lack of resources) generate tensions that are difficult to reconcile, resulting in deadlock. You can’t find a “right” answer and you’re left feeling deeply dissatisfied. A paradox mindset, on the other hand, would make these situations more tolerable and help you find solutions more easily:
- Reframe the problem so you can shift from a binary choice to opposites that co-exist. So, rather than making the choice between family and work, how can you balance the two simultaneously?
- Learn how to put up with discomfort. Certain scenarios inevitably generate tension, such as seeing a teenager grow up. Accept that these stresses are all part of the process.
- Take a step back to boost your chances of finding a creative solution.
- Share your problems – perhaps you’ll be able to build on the input from the people around you.
Although a paradoxical mindset won’t solve every problem, it is a useful, effective way of thinking. Tensions are here to stay, and we have to learn how to manage them in the long term.
To go further
“Overwhelmed ? Adopt a paradox mindset”
by Ella Miron-Spektor (Knowledge Insead, May 5, 2020).
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