1. Rushing to seek outside help before finding a solution yourself.
When faced with difficulties, if you tend to avoid challenges, choose the safe path by seeking outside help, gradually this habit of dependence can make you become dependent, waiting for others to solve personal problems. Moreover, constantly avoiding problems can cause your thinking ability to decline, stagnate, and become rigid because you are used to depending on the outside.
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Imagine you are studying math and you come across a difficult problem. You may feel confused, frustrated, and immediately think of skipping it or trying to copy the answer from your friend. However, instead of giving up, you decide to study the theory yourself, refer to textbooks and tutorial videos on the internet. After some time of studying and trying again, you finally solve the problem. Although the result will not always be correct at first, with each attempt, you gain a better understanding of how to apply the formula and improve your logical thinking skills.
Obviously, finding solutions to personal problems is not easy because it requires time, effort and sometimes does not bring immediate results. However, this “thorny” process helps you train your thinking ability, become sharper and broaden your vision. This habit also helps you accumulate more experience, improve your ability to think and handle problems more quickly.
2. Gossip
Controversial stories, rumors, and events that cause a stir in public opinion are attractive topics. However, if you pay too much attention to stories and events like the above, you can be immersed in negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, or become too critical, follow the crowd and give yourself the right to judge others, losing the ability to observe the problem comprehensively. Not only that, after a shocking event has passed, you continue to search for and approach other sensational events, day after day, you consider “gossiping” on social networking platforms a pleasure, an indispensable part of your life. This can be explained that when the brain continuously absorbs unhealthy information, it will gradually become familiar with a state of tension, conflict, and no longer be able to stay calm in many situations. On the other hand, if you only pay attention to what is being said behind other people’s backs, you will not be able to practice multidimensional and deep thinking. This makes the brain “lazy” to analyze because it is used to receiving information quickly. From there, you will lose critical thinking – that is, the ability to ask questions and evaluate information carefully. Then you easily believe what you hear and do not check its accuracy.
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Former US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.” So deep conversations about interesting ideas or valuable topics not only help you improve your communication but also promote your personal growth. Because communicating with healthy people can help you learn more, broaden your horizons and improve your problem-solving ability.
3. Say “no” to new opportunities
Some people tend to cling to what is familiar and comfortable because they are afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone. Many people feel anxious and are willing to refuse new opportunities just because they are afraid of having to start over. Suppose, you are working in a company with a “stable” position and environment, but suddenly one day, you receive an invitation to participate in a project or a new career challenge, you quickly give up that opportunity because you are afraid that your ability cannot meet the requirements of the new role. On the contrary, if you are brave enough to accept a new challenge, you will not only have the opportunity to learn more from the pioneers, but you can also expand your career opportunities. Even if you fail, you will still receive invaluable lessons than if you had never dared to try. And then, you will be surprised to realize that you have the potential to develop to an unexpected level if you are brave enough to face difficulties.
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On the other hand, refusing new opportunities can cause your thinking ability to stagnate. When we only choose to do familiar things, we will not have the motivation to develop and test new methods, thereby causing the mind to become stagnant, reducing the ability to solve complex problems.
4. Unable to control concentration
If you have difficulty concentrating on your work because you are distracted by external factors such as noise, your phone or notifications from social networks, you are having difficulty controlling your ability to concentrate and are easily distracted. This condition will reduce your productivity and prolong your task completion time. When the brain is constantly distracted, the level of cortisol – the stress hormone, will increase and affect the ability to receive, process and remember information. In the long run, you will have difficulty connecting ideas and seriously affect the development of thinking and spirit.
If you are easily distracted, you can try listening to instrumental music or soft, relaxing tunes to increase your concentration at work, stimulating the production of dopamine in the brain – a neurotransmitter that increases feelings of excitement and motivation. This will help you feel more excited and maintain productivity.
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In addition, you can apply Pomodoro, a time management method that helps maximize concentration. You work continuously for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. In addition, creating a quiet workspace and limiting the interference of distracting devices also plays an important role in helping you maintain effective concentration. For example, you can turn off phone notifications, close unnecessary tabs on your computer, or use an application to block distracting websites during work time. And finally, don’t forget to build healthy habits, have reasonable rest time to relax your brain, improve memory and concentration, helping you work more effectively in the long term.