Emotions: Bringing Clarity to Confusion

Often when we encounter new information that doesn’t fit with what we have previously known, we come into a state of confusion.  This new information can be caused by learning something new, academics, and a dance routine; or even by meeting a new friend.  We get an error message sent to our brains when we are not expecting one.  This new information may cause our brows to furrow, our stomachs may get queasy, and the world becomes an unsettling place.  The universe as we know it comes to a complete standstill.

As our world comes to a standstill our brain begins to process information in a methodical way.  We may try things by trial and error or develop different, or abstract, thinking. Essentially we begin to think outside the box.  Sidney D’Mello, a psychologist at Notre Dame says, “… Confusion drives problem solving.”  This forces students to engage and process material a lot differently then they would normally.

The downfall of confusion is when it persists in your everyday life.  When this happens, we become frustrated; and when we become frustrated, we become easy to anger.  Our frustration causes us to push even harder to overcome our goals and get what we desire.  If we keep pushing and pushing, getting frustrated (and maybe angry), and no results come forth, we begin to get bored.

We all get bored in life; whether it is an old, stale relationship, or bored in class, or even at work.  Boredom pushes us into more interesting situations to learn and grow as individuals.  We can use this boredom to take up new things as individuals, or even as couples, and learn to grow in many aspects (spiritually, academically, physically etc.).  With boredom some great ideas may just emerge.

Sometimes to eliminate unnecessary confusion, frustration, and boredom we need to acknowledge a few things within our selves; to calm our emotions and to keep pushing foreword. Here are some things that may help you thrive in times of confusion:

1. Acknowledge: We need to acknowledge our emotion; by acknowledging our emotions we start the process of accepting and calming our emotions.
2. Don’t accept the first chance of clarity: If an easy idea comes along simply reject it and say, “ That idea is great, but what else can we generate” This will generate extraordinary answers?"
3. Stay calm: Sometimes we just need to breathe and relax. Click HERE to read our article on diaphragm breathing to breath stress away.
4. Write: Sometimes journaling puts thoughts down on paper and creates a new sense of clarity.  We like to use journaling a lot for some coping strategies. There’s just something therapeutic about it.

It is okay to daydream, we create new ideas that may solve our problems, or… we may get bored and look for something new.  It’s all how we want to push forward and what you truly want to be your direction in life.  Life is not always good, we become confused, frustrated, and sometimes angered; but the great thing is… We can make it alright.