What Is The Size Of The Problem?

Why do we ask, “What is the size of the problem?”

Most people think: If I know the size, I know the effort to work on it.
This is a common misunderstanding.

When do we talk in everyday life about sizes?

People all the time think in sizes. Why? For the brain, sizes are important parameters for planning resources (like time, food) and behavior (like sitting, walking, running). This is an old and proven connection between the brain and the organism.

• The size of a wild animal leads to the decision between admiring (little bird), hunting (rabbit) or running away (lion).
• The width and depth of a river helps to decide between going through the water (knee-deep), swimming (slow water) or taking a boat to get to the other side.
• The height of a mountain lets people decide to go for a walk or to take survival clothes to get safe to the top and later down again.

Why do we talk about problem sizes?

The brain does not discriminate between a real thing or a possible event in the future. Everything is taking place in the present. That’s why from the present moment on, a set of tasks seems to be as big as a mountain. From the affective concept (“plan, act and solve”), the brain does not subdivide between single steps. It connects a whole set of tasks to a big bundle. A big bundle of tasks has the height of a mountain.

• Tax return – “this will cost weeks of work”
• Moving house – “how should I do that?”
• Reconciliation with the quarrelling (Spelling error: “quarrelling” should be “quarreling” – Reconciliation with the quarreling brother) brother – “what if he doesn’t want”?
• Ongoing family conflicts – “it will become more and more painful”
• Misunderstandings that lead to problems – “I am feeling small and helpless”

What is in terms of sizes the difference between a challenge and a problem?

In terms of sizes, a challenge can be planned. If someone takes a challenge (like Iron Man) he is able to divide the many tasks of preparation into single steps.
On the other hand, if someone faces a journey as a problem, he will try to avoid this journey.

• A challenge is visualized as a set of single steps. It can be planned and leads to a certain goal.
• A problem is connected to needs, arguments, bad feelings, negative experiences and negative imaginations of the future.

Why is the dimension of a problem crucial for its solution?

The dimension of the imagination of a problem will influence the willingness to divide it into single tasks – to make it become a challenge.

How does the size of a problem influence the duration of psychotherapy?

The “size of a problem” is for both patients and psychotherapists often one of the number 1 criteria for the number of therapy sessions.

The DSM-V as catalog of diseases and disorders delivers the “sizes” of problems (such as OCD, Anxiety disorder). Health insurances and psychiatric practices often count the number of therapy sessions in relation to the size of the diagnosis. OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) seems to be a heavy and long-lasting problem. So, it “deserves” a high number of therapy sessions.

The estimated number of therapy sessions creates images in the patient’s brains (Use “patient’s brain” instead of “patient’s brains” – creates images in the patient’s brain) about the size of their problems.

So, it becomes “true”. But it is just a construction.

Can everyone can change their inner pictures of a problem?

Yes, if you decide to treat your issue as an electrical task for your brain, it can everything re-wire in every way.  You will have a small challenge connected to some patience. And you will be able to change a lot by changing a little bit.

What other questions are important about the size of a problem?

• We can ask why the brain needs numbers, times, weight to find orientation in this world.
• How work external dimensions as anchors for inner experiences?
• It is interesting to discuss the difference between a thing and a problem
• How can I change the size of my problem?

What is the difference between a thing and a problem?

The size of a thing is measurable. You can see a thing. A car has a size, a weight, a number of doors. A swimming pool has a width and a depth. A stone has it’s (Use “its” instead of “it’s” – A stone has its) size and weight.

Why do we measure problems in physical dimensions?

We measure problems in physical dimensions, because the mind cannot work without images. Every word, every sound or smell is connected to at least one image. The brain organizes itself in experience networks.

What means imagination?

Imagination is the brain process of establishing images and connecting them to moments, situations, persons – and also to problems.
The size of a problem is a hypothetical dimension with real life representation.
So, the brain can develop other hypothetical dimensions with – other – life representations.

How can I change the size of my problem?

Creativity leads to change the size of a problem. If you thought in the old patterns, you would get a big and even growing problem again. If you ask the question: What will happen if I imagine I can move “my big problem mountain” with a coffee spoon?

How to move a problem mountain with a coffee spoon?

Remind yourself that a “problem mountain” is just a mental concept. If you imagine your brain shrinks that mountain, it will show you how to set it aside with a little tool like a coffee spoon – and it will show you first tiny steps in real life to change something.

Ask yourself now: “How big is the main Problem of a Depression?”

Think about that and take a look at “The World’s Fastest Anti-Depression Book”