Moving Away To Gain Perspective, The Art Of Reflecting From A Distance

Sometimes it is worthwhile to get away to gain perspective and temporarily distance ourselves from what is close to us, to better decide, to clarify ideas, desires, emotions. Achieving it is not always easy, since most of us are very attached to that immediate reality so full of stimuli and pressures. However, carrying out this exercise can be highly beneficial.

There is a fact that, without a doubt, is curious. People are skilled at distancing ourselves almost every moment, but yes, we do it through that hyperactive but wandering mind, the same one that is often lost in its own maze of worries, ruminant thoughts and memories. These types of mental processes do not help, are not useful and often put us in states of great exhaustion.

Daniel Goleman reminded us in his book Focus of the need to train attention. Thus, and as striking as it may seem, one way to achieve it is to apply another type of distance. We refer to that in which the brain is capable of raising the anchor of the useless and immediate mental rumor, to place itself in a vantage point of silence in which to look where it is important. 

Let’s see how to get it below.

“The control of emotional life and its subordination to a goal is essential to spur and maintain attention, motivation and creativity.”

-Daniel Goleman-

Walking away to gain perspective, the key to making a better decision

From the field of psychology, a new term is emerging that is worth taking into account: we refer to self-distancing. It is an interesting concept that reverts, for example, to better stress and anxiety management, more effective decision-making and even an exceptional way of enhancing the creative process.

This technique already has several studies, such as the one carried out in the Department of Psychology at the University of California in 2018. Doctors Michael Duckworth and Al Kross pointed out that the simple fact of resting the gaze in a relaxing but attractive setting helps us to psychically distance ourselves from immediate reality to connect with ourselves. It is an autosuggestion strategy .

Therefore, walking away to gain perspective does not necessarily imply having to pack your bags. It is not necessary to travel several kilometers to establish a physical separation from our daily life and our environment. Sometimes learning to train mental distance will undoubtedly offer us a great number of almost unexpected benefits.

The art of seeing the world in the second person

If there is something that we often influence from the field of psychology, it is the need to learn to be present. Also in the importance of tuning in with our thoughts and needs. Now, sometimes, it is necessary to move away to gain perspective and one way to do it is by seeing ourselves and the world in the second person.

And what is the point of it? We will wonder. It is an ideal mechanism to reduce the noise of emotions. It is being able to speak to each other with kindness, but in a direct way. In turn, it allows us to analyze our internal world with objectivity, calm and full awareness. To achieve this, nothing better than going to a quiet place and having an internal dialogue that can follow these guidelines:

• What are you worried about ( we’ll say our name )?

• So what do you think is the best for you now?
• What can you do to fix it?
• Remember that you deserve to be happy, you have to be brave. Everything is going to be fine.

Self-distancing is a way to deactivate egocentric talk for a moment and thus evaluate our reality in a more calm emotional state and distanced from the central “I”.

Psychological distance as a tool for well-being

Who chooses to move away to gain perspective does not need to put many miles in between. Sometimes not even going to the other end of a continent helps us avoid worries and problems; that is clear to us. Now, what will really help us is to exercise psychological distance.

This term, that of psychological distance, has several studies that support its benefit in terms of mental health. Dr. Yaacov Thope, professor of psychology at New York University, did an interesting work in which he explains the following:

• Sometimes it is necessary to move our ‘I’ beyond the here and now. It is about bringing our mind to a state of calm that allows us to relativize moments of stress and high pressure. It is also a way that certain circumstances, behaviors or stimuli do not affect us too much.
• This psychological distance in turn allows us to have a healthier dialogue with ourselves. That is to say phrases like ‘do not let this affect you’, ‘think that it is the best for you, decide something that generates well-being’ …

To conclude, sometimes walking away to gain perspective reverses directly in our psychological balance. We can do it mentally and, in fact, if we train in this practice we will be able to handle stressful situations much better from day to day. However, and as we well know, from time to time physical distance, such as a trip, is also as therapeutic as it is enriching.