Deal With It

I've had a little bad luck lately. You know those days where it seems like the world is working against you? It's usually nothing major, just a lot of little, out of the ordinary things that add up to make the day a little crazy (bad crazy, not good crazy). In retrospect, some of them are funny even though they weren't at the time.

I'm not writing this blog to complain though! I'll tell you some of the shenanignas, but not all.

I'm writing it because I think the way people deal with things is interesting. Sometimes, you need to have the kind of personality to just laugh it off. And sometimes, you need to force your mind into problem solving mode (even if it doesn't want to).

Yesterday I got pulled over for the 12th time. I have been able to evade an insurance hike for quite sometime, but now there will be no such luck.

As I drove away I came to the conclusion that I deserved it, and that there was nothing I could do at that point. It's funny because the mind goes into shoulda, coulda, woulda mode, but sometimes you just have to admit that you can't do anything about it. You just have to deal.

A situation that did warrant problem solving would have to do with a paper I had to write for class. I was running a little late, and some instructors count your paper late if you show up late on a due date. I park my car; here I am with a 3 page paper that has to be stapled to a 4 page article. I have four copies of each. No big deal right...wrong. When I opened the envelope I learned that nothing was collated. Throw in some gale force winds and the walk to my class became a sight to see.

I chased a few papers down, but I eventually came up with a plan. Instead of trying to also hold a stapler in my hand, I put it in my back pack and concentrated on collating. When I got in the elevator I put them all on the ground and stapled like a mad man. I got some weird looks, but I didn't know those people anyways. I finished just in time and turned it in without incident.

Sometimes you have to consciously choose a plan of action for your actions AND emotions. It's really hard to do when little things add up because then anger and frustration sneak up on you gradually.

Another thing to consider is the importance of grabbing a helping hand. When you feel yourself falling into a bad mood is when you need to cry for help! I was at that point yesterday so I immediately called my girlfriend. It's like magic, in a matter of minutes everything is OK and we have plans for queso and dinner.

So to recap... half of dealing with problems is identifying what kind of an issue they are.

Can you logically problem solve? Good, keeping your cool will help you solve the problem faster.

Maybe all you can do is laugh it off. Hey, it could have been worse right?

When things feel like they are piling up, call someone that makes you laugh or that you love.

Have a nice day!