Getting Away To Take A Step Back, The Art Of Thinking From A Distance
Sometimes it’s worth stepping back to take stock. By distancing ourselves from what surrounds us, we will be able to make better decisions, clarify our ideas, our desires and our emotions. Achieving this is not easy because the majority of us are very attached to the immediate reality which is filled with stimuli and pressure. However, doing this exercise can be very beneficial.
There is a very curious fact. People are very good at keeping their distance and moving away at all times. We do this with our hyperactive and wandering minds. We refer to our mind getting lost in its own labyrinth of preoccupation, ruminating thoughts and memories. This type of mental process does not help us. They are useless and usually put us in a state of great exhaustion.
In his book Focus , Daniel Goleman reminded us of the need to work on our attention. As surprising as it may sound, we can achieve this by applying some distance. In fact, the brain is able to lift the anchor from unnecessary and immediate mental rumor and place itself in a silent space in which it will be possible to position the gaze on what is important.
Let’s see in the rest of this article how to achieve this.
Distance yourself to see more clearly: the key to better decision-making
In psychology, a new term is emerging and it is important to keep it in mind. We are referring to taking a personal distance. It is an interesting concept that allows you to better manage your stress and anxiety. It also helps to make better decisions and strengthen the creative process.
This technique can be counted on various studies such as the one conducted at the Department of Psychology at the University of California in 2018. Drs. Michael Duckworth and Al Kross have pointed out that simply resting our eyes on a relaxing but attractive setting helps us to psychically take a distance from immediate reality, which allows us to reconnect with ourselves. It’s a self-suggestion strategy .
For this reason, taking our distance does not necessarily mean packing our bags. It is not necessary to travel for miles to establish a physical separation between our daily life and our environment. Learning to practice mental distancing will allow us to benefit from many almost unexpected benefits.
The art of seeing the world in the second person
If there is one thing psychology emphasizes, it is our need to learn to be present. We must be able to be in harmony with our thoughts and our needs. However, to do this, it is sometimes necessary to move away, to take some distance from ourselves and to observe the world in the second person.
We will certainly ask ourselves what is the meaning of this? It is an ideal mechanism to reduce the impact of emotions. We can thus speak to each other in a friendly and direct manner. It also allows us to analyze our internal world with objectivity, calm and mindfulness. To get there, there is nothing better than going to a quiet place and having an internal dialogue. For this we can use these sentences as an example:
- What are you worried about?
- What would suit you the most now?
- What could you do to solve this problem?
- Remember that you deserve to be happy, you must be brave. Everything will be alright.
Self-distancing is a way to temporarily turn off the egocentric heckling and assess whether our reality is a peaceful emotional state away from our central “selves”.
Psychological distance as a tool for well-being
Those who decide to move away to see more clearly do not need to travel for miles. Sometimes just going across a continent will not be enough to allay our concerns and problems, keep that in mind. What will be of great help to us will be to take a psychological distance.
Psychological distance is a phenomenon that relies on several studies. These have analyzed its benefit to mental health. Doctor Yaacov Trope, professor of psychology at New York University, has done an interesting job in which he explains to us that:
- Sometimes it is necessary to go beyond our “me”, beyond “the here and now”. It is about making our mind travel towards a state of calm which will allow us to relativize vis-à-vis moments of stress and high pressure. It is a good way to prevent certain circumstances, behaviors or stimuli from affecting us too much.
- This psychological distance also allows us to adopt a healthier dialogue with ourselves. We can now say “Don’t let it affect you”, “think about what is best for you”, “choose what will generate well-being in you”.
To conclude, the fact of moving away and taking your distances can sometimes improve psychological balance. If we train, we can take this distance psychologically and better handle stressful everyday situations. However, as we know, physical distance (such as through travel for example), can also be very therapeutic and rewarding.
Our thoughts What is the main difference between being far away and feeling the distance? How to maintain feelings despite the kilometers?
