Put Things Into Perspective - 3 Simple Ways To Do It

When we are under stress it’s very easy to start exaggerating everything and lose the ability to see the real significance things have (or don’t have).

Using these 3 types of questions you can put things into a wider perspective and get back into a state of more clarity.

1 — Will this matter in the long run?

Look into the problem and evaluate it in the long run. Will this issue — that right now seems to be the most important and dramatic thing in the world — still be important in a few days or weeks?

Examples of question you can ask yourself:

• Will this be important in one or two weeks’ time?
• Will this change my life in one month?
• Will I remember this in one year?

“A problem well stated is a problem half solved.”

--John Dewey

2 — Is this important in my priorities?

Look into the present situation/problem and evaluate its importance compared to what you consider valuable in your health, well-being, or essential material needs.

Examples of question you can ask yourself:

• Is the argument that is making me angry right now important considering all the good things that person has done for me? Considering all we’ve built together?
• Is this small pain important considering the diseases that could affect me?
• If I cannot buy this product, can I just do the same using a cheaper one?

"There's no use talking about the problem unless you talk about the solution".

-- Betty Williams

3 — Is this important compared to other people’s problems?

Look into the present situation/problem and evaluate its importance compared to serious issues in other people’s lives.

Examples of questions you can ask yourself:

• If I cannot buy the latest iPhone model, does it matter compared to people that are losing their jobs?
• Is this small problem in my house really important considering the people who are homeless?
• Is this headache really important compared to the diseases some people are facing?

“Thinking too much just brings it back to me, me, me—but thanking takes my eyes off myself and my mistakes and puts them on others, on things bigger than myself. I can’t stand here very long without being humbled at how small I am and amazed at how big and beautiful our world is.”

– Elizabeth Musser

Perspective brings clarity

Learning to see things from a wider perspective will make you realize that things aren’t as bad or as important as you may think when you are stressed.

These simple questions are a practical way to assess if things will or not matter in the long run and if they have sufficient importance to justify the energy you are spending on it in the present moment.

When you are stressed or depressed, it’s easy to get things out of perspective and start worrying too much about everything. Your mind starts working in an infinite loop, and each “dramatic” thought is used to feed the next “more dramatic” thought. You will become dominated by overthinking.

Being able to stop and put things into perspective is an important skill you can develop to become wiser and calmer.

All in all, becoming a better person is also a process that needs to be put into a wider perspective. We just need to go step by step.

“We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday's burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.”

– John Newton