Heroes Not Zombies

I like the panorama function on the iPhone.

Here’s a shot I took yesterday standing at the viewpoint just above the village where I live.

There’s a long-standing philosophical concept referred to as the “view from on high” (or, variously, “the view from above“, or even, the “view from Sirius“) which I really like.

It refers to that ability we have to change our perspective. It’s not just about taking an overview so you can see better the context of whatever you are dealing with. It’s also a good way of managing stress.

When we are in a stressful situation it can become quite overwhelming. It can be difficult to “see the wood for the trees”! (another variation on this theme). Often the best way to defuse a situation is to pause, and see if we can put this issue into a bigger context. Doing that can reduce the intensity of the stress within seconds.

I think this works partly because it’s a way of changing our focus. Remember that what we focus on always gets bigger!