Reduce Overwhelm By Gaining Perspective

3 ways to lighten your load and unchain yourself from everyday frustrations.

Many years ago, a man was lost in the desert without water. Just as he was about to collapse from thirst, he saw what appeared to be a lake ahead of him. He wondered, “Is it real? Or is it just a mirage?”

With all the strength he could muster, he staggered toward the lake, and sure enough, his prayers were answered. The lake was full of pure spring water. Yet, even though he was practically dying of thirst, he couldn’t drink the water. Instead, he just stood and stared at the lake.

After some time, a passerby stopped near the weary traveller. He got down from his camel to drink and saw that the traveller looked distressed. He asked, “Why don’t you have a drink?”

The traveller looked at the man and said, “I’m dying of thirst. And there is way too much water in this lake to drink.”

The passerby smiled gently, bent down, scooped some water up with his hands, lifted it to the man’s mouth and said:

“Dear Sir, you have the opportunity to drink and save yourself right now. You don’t have to drink the whole lake to quench your thirst. You just need to take one sip. Then another, and another. Focus on the handful of water in front of you, and all your anxieties and fears about what’s left will fade away.”

This story leads to the first of three ways to gain perspective in life.

1. Perspective of Focus

Focus on one thing at a time—moment to moment. Take small, positive actions. Before you know it, everything will add up to something worthwhile.

If you’re struggling, start writing things down. Typically, everything seems more overwhelming in your mind. So, by putting your thoughts on paper or your computer, you can break tasks into smaller, manageable ones, making it easier to tackle them—one “sip” at a time.

2. Perspective of Space

When you feel overwhelmed, imagine you’re filming yourself. Slowly pull the camera back, making yourself appear smaller and smaller. Continue pulling back until the building you’re in fills the screen. Then, pull the camera back even further to capture the entire street and, finally, the town or city you’re in.

At this point, where are you? You’re just a tiny speck!

Through this process, you’ll realise that whatever just happened is not as significant as it initially seemed. It may feel important from your current viewpoint, but when you zoom out, you understand that, in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t important at all.

3. Perspective of Time

Imagine racing to an important meeting that could lead to a promotion. It’s raining heavily, traffic is slow, and you feel anxious and stressed. As you get out of the car, another vehicle splashes through a puddle, drenching you completely.

Now, freeze that moment. Fast-forward to tomorrow. What impact will that event have on you? In many cases, it’s insignificant. But if you’re still worried about it, fast-forward to next week. By then, the incident will likely have faded into the background.

To gain more perspective, fast-forward to next month or even next year. By that time, getting drenched before a meeting won’t seem unusual at all. In fact, you might even find yourself laughing about it.

Practice Gaining Perspective

Practice using all three of these perspective techniques. Instead of magnifying stressful events, try the opposite: focus on one task at a time, pull back the camera, and fast-forward the clock. You will quickly realise that situations that initially cause stress will fade away as you change your perspective.

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