.Crisis Management
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appeared the next day, when I was not consciously thinking about it. My subconscious had solved the problem because I had allowed it to work on it. The more I had thought about it consciously, the less chance I had of getting anywhere.
This technique can be applied to any problem, and used at any time, anywhere. Try it and surprise yourself.
Send It off in a bobsleigh
There are some things in life I think you have to be mad to try. They may be good for keeping mind and body together, but from my experience they can take the body apart first. One of these is going on the Cresta run at St Moritz. Travelling down a sheet of ice at 70 miles per hour holding onto a glorified tin tray is one way of spending your leisure time but is not for me. I am, however, often at the top of an imaginary bobsleigh run as this is a useful trick to stop a problem dominating your thinking.
No matter how hard we try, we can be frustrated by thoughts we can't get out of our heads. This can be an irritating piece of music or a worry we are not able to stop thinking about. It uses up mental energy, which should be put to a more constructive use, and can be exhausting by the end of a day. After you have tried Einstein's thinking technique (see Tip 37), if the problem creeps back then this tip can be ideal.
Whatever your worry - and it does not matter how big or how small it is as long as it is bothering you - imagine you are sitting in a bobsleigh. Your problem is in the seat in front of you, labelled with the name of whatever your stress is. Climb out of the bobsleigh and give it a push. Watch it move away from you, gradually gathering speed until it is out of sight. You will then notice you are not thinking about the problem and can move on to something else feeling better.
The first time I heard about this technique for relieving stress I was deeply sceptical until I had a problem that kept me awake at night. Whatever I tried I could not get it out of my head; I was becoming worn out and obsessed with finding an answer. Somewhat in desperation I used the bobsleigh picture, and found to my amazement that I was no longer turning it over in my mind. The answer

Obsessive thinking about work details is mentally draining. Imagine you are climbing out of a bobsleigh and leaving the problem in it. Watch it carry on without you, taking your obsession with it. Weird, I know, but watch the results.

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