Thematic vs Situational Problem Solving

“We are at a breaking point. Last year, we saw more incidents of emotional distress, student dysregulation, and mental health crisis among students. But we’ve been sounding the alarm for years,” said Jane Chapin,the union co-president. “Unfortunately, the administration’s response has been and continues to be Band-Aid approaches that treat each incident as isolated, specific to that particular school or that particular building, rather than addressing the systemic issues.” - The Boston Globe, 9/11/24

We are told that every situation makes different demands on how we problem solve and we often look to each situation in our life that is causing stress and thinking about the people and places and things involved. We spend time contemplating: What do I do now with this person…place…thing?

Breathe in…breathe out…and smile.

No matter where you are, there you are. That is the only consistent thing you can absolutely count on. Plan C Strategies #3 is IT’S NOT WHAT’S HAPPENING, IT’S HOW YOU HANDLE IT.

Plan C Strategies #4 is the key to switching out from SITUATIONAL: PROBLEM SOLVING, e.g. every problem in your life has a different set of solutions that you MUST figure out, to THEMATIC PROBLEM SOLVING, e.g. every problem is solved by focussing on your values and having your actions express your values.

Go through Plan C…

  1. Breathe in. Breathe out.

  2. Smile

  3. (say out loud) It’s not what’s happening. It’s how I handle it.

  4. Identify and define your values. What is the most important characteristics and personality traits do you have that speaks to the best of who you are as a 21st century human being.

  5. All of your actions are expressions of your values. Everything you think, you say out loud, everything you do with your body express your values.

    NEXT TIME YOU HAVE TWO PROBLEMS, USE PLAN C TO GUIDE YOU. HANDLE BOTH PROBLEMS WITH PLAN C STRATEGIES. Let me know how it works out for you.

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Embracing Serenity: The Mental Health Benefits of Breathing

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I Have What I Wanted… Why Am I Not Happy?