When we are struggling with something, often it is our breath that goes first. We really aren't great multitaskers. Correction - our Elephants are awesome multitaskers, our Riders suck. The Elephant-Rider metaphor is a favourite of mine from Jonathan Haidt. He talks of our Elephants as being our emotional being, and our Rider being the rational being. We like to think the Rider is in control, but the Elephant really does what it wants allowing the Rider the illusion of being in control when it suggests something the Elephant wants to do.
When we panic or get anxious, we try put the Rider in control. We try break a task down into steps. Riders are great at individual problems but useless at multi-tasking. One of the first things we forget to do is breathe. I think this makes the Elephant panic and stop doing everything. The Rider goes to work at solving the particular problem but everything else shuts down. Perhaps if we remind ourselves to breathe, the Elephant calms down and knows that everything ELSE is fine, the Rider is just trying to solve one problem.
Then the Rider can do their thing. Don't try solve anything while your Elephant isn't fine.
When we panic or get anxious, we try put the Rider in control. We try break a task down into steps. Riders are great at individual problems but useless at multi-tasking. One of the first things we forget to do is breathe. I think this makes the Elephant panic and stop doing everything. The Rider goes to work at solving the particular problem but everything else shuts down. Perhaps if we remind ourselves to breathe, the Elephant calms down and knows that everything ELSE is fine, the Rider is just trying to solve one problem.
Then the Rider can do their thing. Don't try solve anything while your Elephant isn't fine.
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