Problem Solving, Overthinking And Stress

I suppose this thread could easily go in the education and learning section but it seems best to put it here due the fact that stress is a major impairment to good health.

To start, I like to solve puzzles. They are good exercise for the brain and even fun but sometimes...... not so much or at least until I made a few discoveries about myself that turned things around somewhat.
Lately I have been “playing” with an on-line block puzzle game (app) which entails a single rectangular block which is “blocked” by several other rectangular blocks from getting to the exit of the board. The idea is to move the other blocks in such a way as to clear a pathway for the trapped block to the exit. Simple except that there is a movement counter which has as it’s base a “perfect” number of moves. The closer to perfection, the more stars a person gets when the puzzle is solved.

Note: Until recently, there were times when I would get stuck and have to either start again or keep plugging along. For every move the counter also moves thereby causing this perfectionist a lot of anxiety the further away from the perfect mark I get.

One morning I “got stuck” on one puzzle and basically threw up my hands in total frustration. I hit the start again button and just sat there staring at it with no real intention on solving the puzzle. I guess it’s called brooding or pouting in some circles but it’s because I failed and failure really isn’t a mental option. Failure is devastating to me so here comes the anxiety.
After a few moments passed and for whatever reason I just started to toy with the pieces, flicking them here and there and not thinking of anything but some news that was playing over the radio when suddenly, there it was; problem solved and only one move over the perfect mark!
So, just for kicks I went on to another puzzle, looked at it and then disengaged and allowed my finger to do the work and again, problem solved without any conscious thinking to it at all.
In short, my brain knows the answers but I, by overthinking the problem, can block the solution.
I discovered that the real problem isn’t actually the puzzle but how much I consciously overthought each piece of the problem when I got stuck and logic just wasn’t logical.

It’s a given that we all probably know the saying “I’ll sleep on it” when it comes to problem solving because in fact, it works.
I call it “sleep storming” and I’ve used the method on many occasions whilst mulling over some research or study but to consciously tell oneself to stop thinking about a problem and allow the brain to subconsciously resolve the situation without sleeping is a learning experience all by itself.
It’s like finding a new “switch” on the wall. I’ve found that I can switch off or stop consciously thinking which, like the block puzzle, allows the solution to come forward without the stress involved.

Now, am I saying that I am going to stop consciously thinking about the problems I might face? Heaven forbid but when I catch myself in a situation whereby overthinking a problem is the problem, I know how to solve both of them.

Oh yeah, for those interested in good brain exercises, the app I am using is a free Apple app called “Unblock Me” by Kira games.

 

Pleased to hear you're doing this form of exercise as its just as important - if not more - that we give our brains some
challenges on a regular basis. When I'm able to function again, I'll get back to doing just that

 

@Bobby Cole
After my TIA (small type of stroke) that caused the vertigo and other visual damages, all caused by high blood sugar ( and the cigarettes), I have had to really work on staying focused. I'm not confused as though I can't find my way to the store, it's in playing Scrabble or whatever, I just get lost in the thought. So, I really appreciate what you just posted, because I know that being stressed out about not coming up with what should be a easy solution, keeps one from getting to the solution. I'm much better, as this has been a couple of months ago, but I think I'll check out the app you suggested. Again, I'm not messed up, I just try to focus so hard until I lose focus all together.

 

At the public library the other day, I watched a girl of maybe school age, on the other side of the table where I sat, a girl Who had worked a large picture puzzle, and had started another one. It seemed unusual and out
of place. I don't think I had seen anyone.work a puzzle like that since my mother used to work them many years ago.

Speaking to your comment @Bobby Cole, I don't think I could handle that type problem. When I encounter a problem I can't solve or readily work out I sometime get something like clostiphoebia, like I'm under a house , stuck and can't get out. Usually happens at night, but not always. smouthers me. Not sure when this started, but a few years ago. Couldn't solve it anyway; not good at complicated problems, puzzles, or riddles. Your comments reminded of a feeling that gets me short of breath and anxious by only thinking about, sometime.

 

I totally understand you Bobby...I'm a classic over-thinker..it applies to everything. I love puzzles, of all types but I'm also extremely impatient, so if I haven't solved a puzzle in just a few minutes I walk away metaphorically speaking, because I would suffer anxiety and frustration over it..

..however with regard to the over-thinking of everything (even random events that pop into my head of no relevance to what I may be doing currently.. will get me over-thinking about why it happened, how it changed things, how I could have done something differently or not as the case may be) ..so if there was a Gold medal for over-thinking, I would get it...

 

Yes, I know the feeling and what you are going through. I had a minor stroke many years ago and lost some long term memory coupled with a loss of the ability to focus on logical problem solving.
Although some of the long term memory is long gone and will probably never return, I regained everything else.
Matter of fact, I had to take an IQ test about 5 years prior to the “incident” and when I felt comfortable afterwards, I took another and actually scored 11 points higher than the initial test. Of course, there’s a 5 point +- factor but still, I was and am pretty happy with it.

The thing is, I keep discovering what I call “switches” and “doors” and the last switch I found (the one in the OP) is an absolutely amazing feeling.
Just about an hour ago, I sat here doing a puzzle and watched or rather observed the puzzle being solved as if my eyes were connected to an audience watching a play. I didn’t think about how to solve it but simply enjoyed watching it being solved.
Now, I’ve been studying the human brain for about 15 years and can recite each section and the theory(s) that is assigned to it but like a house I have never been in before, I can know how many rooms there are and what they are for but exactly where the light switches are is another problem entirely.

 

It isn’t actually that unusual to get that kind of feeling Bill. I knew a couple of extremely intelligent people who couldn’t pass a classroom test because of that kind of anxiety you’re describing. One described her ordeal as simply going blank along with getting nauseous whilst the other, a gentleman, described his as going blank and at times, hyperventilated to the point of passing out.

Bottom line Bill is you’re not alone.

 

Ah, a fellow puzzle lover and yes, I too am guilty of overthinking on just about everything I touch.
The three most devastating letters in the entire alphabet to me are w-h-y followed by a question mark.
Those three letters will keep me studying and researching until I finally find the solution but to be sure, sleep storming has been a nerve saver on many, many occasions..
Simply put, whilst one is sleeping the prefrontal cortex is still working out the solution to a problem. Sometimes, after the answer has been presented, I’ll find myself sitting straight up in bed, almost cursing myself for not being able to figure it out earlier because it was so easy.

 

@Bess Barber
Your post hits close to home. We were using a rotary hammer drill to break up the rock and soil to plant one of our Palm Trees. My wife took over for a few minutes, then suddenly set the machine down and came over to where I was standing in the shade. She asked questions so implausible, I thought at first she was "conning" me. "What's that machine doing there?" "What are we doing?"

Soon enough, I realized, TIA. Told her we were going to the ER. She absolutely refused. Next day, we went to her Dr., who believed it might have been a TIA, and set up a brain scan. Nothing abnormal showed up.

The hammer drills vibrate fiercely, transmitting jolting percussion to the hands and arms holding it. She recovered completely in a few hours. This was ~ 6 years ago.
Frank

 

@Holly Saunders

 

I'm the same. Sometimes, we don't do ourselves any favours! However, when something goes wrong, it is a good idea to just go over it, and see if you can learn from the experience.
I do a lot of cross-stitch, which requires copying from a chart onto a blank piece of cloth. You have to concentrate, otherwise it all goes wrong and you have to undo it and start again.
I do wonder if I have a lazy mind. Is it that I can't solve puzzles or I just can't be bothered?

 

Perhaps you're impatient like me..or don't suffer fools gladly.....I have no problems solving puzzles I enjoy them , but I lose patience if they're too easy/ too long... or badly written..

 

Realizing that men and women work through a problem differently, I’m sure that we can all agree that everything that is presented to us requiring a choice is indeed a puzzle.
The real problem is how to approach the question at hand and what do we do with the knowledge we gain from it.

I think the book, “Men are Waffles and Women are Spaghetti” by Mr. and Mrs. Ferral might bring a little more light into the subject. The initial statement in the title is just about enough to explain the differences in problem solving between the sexes.
Men tend to solve problems piece by piece and women seem to look at the facets and then try to put them all together at once. Waffles, Spaghetti.

Now, which one is the better technique? Dunno, but I prefer to 1st, know the goal and then 2nd, take each facet of the problem and with reason, put them into the place they “should” belong. In other words, even though I have been known to do it, I neither like knee jerk reactions nor do I like to ponder too long over one piece of the problem.
I liken it to an artist painting a picture. A good artist will not spend a whole lot of time on one single part of the picture but will instead, paint a little here and then a little there until it all comes together. When an artist spends too much time in one area (overthinking or overpainting) he or she loses sight of the rest of the picture or rather, the goal.