What To Do When Nothing Seems to Work
Today was just one of those days.
I sat down at my computer bright and early knowing that I had a website security issue to resolve, but with no background on how to achieve it.
My chat with customer support was not helpful (he directed me to my IT guy, which is ME!). I waited until their customer service rep hours began, so that I could have an actual conversation (remember those?) only to discover that I was now talking with someone half way across the world with limited English skills. Subsequent efforts to reach a native English-speaking rep were frustrated by long wait times and continued pushes into the company voice mailbox.
In the meantime, I started to experience internet connectivity issues, which was compounded by slow computer responsiveness.
This was a real bummer, as I was spending far too much time updating my book website's 46 In 46 campaign.
All the while I felt my frustrations rise. I tried to figure out how to regain control and not my let circumstances own me. These are some of the things that I did that seemed to work:
- Take a deep breath - The first thing that I did was to take a deep breath. For me to "win" I would need to stay in control and not let the situation overwhelm me.
- Divide and conquer - I knew that things were bound to improve with time. I would just need to step back and figure out how to deal with each issue separately.
- Reschedule my day and find something else to work on - Until I could address the customer service issue and as I waited for the internet tech to come out, I would work on things that did not require these interventions.
- Stretch myself - While I did not have much in the way of troubleshooting skills, I felt that I could learn enough to rectify the situation.
By day's end I had...
- Resolved security issues
- A replaced internet modem
- Increased confidence and pride in my ability to overcome adversity
What do you do to manage your escalating emotions?