How to deal with confusion
The more you try to think about something, the more your brain will fixate on it. Let your feelings and thoughts flow uninterrupted.
You are at your reading table, staring at your books; you feel drowsy and confused. It’s neither the first nor the last time you’ve been in this situation — trying to figure out what subject to read and on what topic to focus. Or
Perhaps it’s your friend’s birthday party, and you just went inside your room to your wardrobe to try to figure out the best outfit to wear — it seems to be taking forever to figure it out. Or
Your proposal for employment was accepted by five different companies; their pay is good with less stress. Which one will you go for?
Confusion is everywhere, and we probably have come to a point in our lives where we feel like we don’t know what we are doing or what to do.
What is confusion, and what confuses you?
Confusion simply means being lost in your thoughts. It is a situation in which people are uncertain about what to do or are unable to understand something clearly or a feeling that you have when you do not understand what is happening or what is expected.
Being confused is not all that bad. Confusion does serve a higher purpose.
Think of it this way: When you feel confused, it is a sign that your mind is expanding a little more. It is a sign that you are allowing your heart, mind, body, and soul to make room for something that wasn’t there before.
What confuses?
Confusion can be triggered by so many things. Life challenges are not the only cause of confusion; some medical conditions such as dissociative disorders, electrolyte imbalances, liver failure, toxins, etc. also confuse. For this article, we are going to consider only the life changes that lead to confusion.
1) Similar things to choose: We can get easily confused when we have the choice to choose a particular situation or thing. For example, if you are allowed to go to the grocery store to pick out any pair of shoes you would like to wear, you probably will get confused because of the variety of shoes that you will find there.
2) Capability
In the case of going to the grocery store to buy shoes. If you have enough money to buy as many as 10–20 shoes, will you buy every shoe that catches your eye because you have the money? Or can you just pick the ones you want and go home?
3) Exposure
Still at the grocery store. You get familiar with the kinds of shoes you see there, but then you get notified by the counter that some other shoes are kept on the other side of the store. When you got there, you were like, “Wow, these shoes look more decent than the others.” What will you do? Or you have been in a relationship with a person for a while. You travel to somewhere different and get noticed by some other person who seems more humble, caring, and easy-going. What will you do? I have heard of a relationship that has lasted for a while and they are about to get married. The boy has already been introduced to the girl’s family, and vice versa. The boy happened to meet someone different; they seem to be getting along very well, and the boy claims that she is his soul mate. If you were in that situation, what would you do?
How do I deal with confusion?
1) Focus on what you know.
When you are faced with different varieties of things, it can be easy to get confused about what to do. Instead of contemplating what you don’t know, why not just consider what you do know first and use that as a starting point in your journey to getting things done?
For example, while growing up in school, I remember being confused about what career course to study in school. I mean, I was good at biology, which is a medical subject, and I really liked to be a doctor then, but I also looked at computer science as a good course because I like getting things done on a computer, but my issue is that I don’t have a laptop to start with, and I also liked becoming a teacher because I sometimes put my classmates through things we were discussing in the class, and I kind of enjoyed doing that.
What did I do? Instead of pondering the options, I had at the time, I just focused on doing what I already knew and enjoyed, which was putting my classmates through their paces. I later asked for help, and I was later put through.
The lesson here is that I do not allow other thoughts to leave me confused; instead, I focus on what I already know and enjoy, which helps to release the burden of being confused.
2) Write it down.
Your head can become flooded with thoughts while trying to decide on things that you may have many considerations about. The best thing to do is consider writing it down. You will discover a whole lot of things that weren’t a consideration in the first place.
3) Talk to someone.
Have you ever been so very confused that your head is filled with a whole lot of considerations and thoughts that you might have thought of or read somewhere? Yeah, it can be quite frustrating to sit there all by yourself instead of going out and talking to a friend or someone that you think can handle the issue well.
This will help free your mind from considering things that don’t matter in the long run.
4)Be Patient
Patience is the bedrock of most great achievements. A little patience can bring about great achievements.
Going through a stressful and confusing situation often brings about the pressure to start something or make a choice immediately.
What can you do?
• If the situation is immediate, work with what you know and follow your instincts. If the situation does not require an immediate answer, ensure you ask for help instead of immediately dictating what you want.
• Take a deep breath and relax.
5) Weigh the pros and cons of your options.
Have you ever thought of the consequences of dating an aggressive person before going into a relationship with that person? Yeah, we can indeed feel the urge to date that person because of the love and care that person has for us.
Anyone can be nice to us because of a particular thing they want, or they can intentionally do it to impress us. Remember, the way a person treats other people reveals a lot about them, and it turns out that they will treat you the same in the long run. Trying to be nice and caring does not mean that the person truly loves you. Examining the options is always important.
Try to always weigh the advantages and disadvantages before venturing into something new or different. If you still feel uncertain, try to look at it from another perspective by meeting someone you think is good in that area.
6) Distract yourself temporarily.
You know the burden of always trying to figure out what to do in a couple of days. You’re probably trying to figure out your next move in your business, relationship, career, etc.
It can seem overwhelming to figure it out in just a couple of hours. instead of pondering on that thing and making it more complicated while not taking a break from your thoughts.
Go out with friends and family, try recreational activities, listen to music, and find other things that will keep you distracted from thinking about such things at a particular point in time.
7) Get some exercise.
Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean that you should go for vigorous activity every day. A little exercise can help; after all, we want to get over challenges and changes in life.
“Even short bursts of exercise in the morning or afternoon can help regulate your sleep patterns.”– unknown
Regular activity is an investment in your mind, body, and soul. When it becomes a habit, it can foster your sense of self-worth and make you feel strong.
When faced with mental or emotional challenges in life, exercise can help you build resilience and cope in a better way instead of resorting to alcohol, drugs, or other negative behaviors that ultimately only make your symptoms worse.
8) Consult a medical professional or doctor.
If you keep getting confused about little matters, you might want to see your doctor.
Not all confusion is caused by merely life issues; some might be a result of some health conditions such as fever, low blood sugar, infection, a rapid drop in body temperature, depression, or other mood disorders, etc., as mentioned earlier. You should consult a medical professional or doctor when faced with too much confusion.
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