mentalhealthhqcicLife is full of challenges which come in all different shapes and sizes. The way we approach these challenges will affect the outcome.
The other day I was making some cup cakes and the mixture spilt all over the tin. When my daughter was putting it in the cases, we felt like the cases were too full but didn’t follow our instincts. This resulted in cake mixture going everywhere and the cakes not rising as well as they might have done. I was annoyed but didn’t want to make a second batch. Rather than throwing it all in the bin which was tempting, I made the best of it and ended up with 8 perfectly reasonable looking cakes.
So the way we are feeling at the time, our self talk and our approach makes all the difference to the outcome of the challenge.
Tips to overcome a challenge
- Pay attention to your small talk. Phrases like “you are useless”, “Why did you do that?” will not be helpful or productive. This inner monologue will drive you further away from achieving a positive outcome. Things like “There is a way round this”, “mistakes happen” are much more helpful.
- Take a breath and calm down if you are feeling irritated or upset. This will help you see things a bit more clearly. Remember, there are a lot of routes to a final destination.
- Try to be creative – I knew what butterfly cakes looked like, so I used the excess cake which had spilt to make the wings. Then improvised with my daughters help and made them look presentable
- Expect the best of the situation.
What Did I learn?
Firstly it gave me the chance to show my daughter about perseverance and not losing hope even when things don’t go as you plan. It also saved me a lot of work. While disappointing I still managed to give my friend a nice tasting homemade gift. I also learnt to trust my instincts when things don’t look quite right.
