Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is that when you are stressed or worried
Speaker 1: about a problem, think about who else might have addressed
Speaker 1: the issue in the past. See whether you can use
Speaker 1: their solution. Maybe you can't, but maybe you can, or
Speaker 1: at least you'll have a solid foundation to build on.
Speaker 1: Despite what many of us think, our problems are seldom unique.
Speaker 1: In a world of eight billion people, someone has dealt
Speaker 1: with what you're dealing with. Someone might even have come
Speaker 1: up with an elegant solution, or at least something that
Speaker 1: will make if easier. So if you've just had a
Speaker 1: new baby and you're headed back to work, you might
Speaker 1: be worried about how to handle pumping, But guess what
Speaker 1: other mothers have dealt with this too. If your spouse
Speaker 1: loves TV and you love silence, rest assured that someone
Speaker 1: else has navigated a marriage with wildly different noise tolerances
Speaker 1: and maybe even hit their fiftieth anniversary. Someone else has
Speaker 1: definitely gotten laid off from a job after a decade
Speaker 1: or probably longer. You are absolutely not the only one
Speaker 1: someone else's child has struggled with this same high school
Speaker 1: math class. Not only are you not alone in your troubles,
Speaker 1: the wonderful truth is that humans love to give advice.
Speaker 1: You absolutely don't have to take it. It won't always
Speaker 1: be applicable, maybe there are slight differences, but if it
Speaker 1: is a new to youth situation, someone else's hard one
Speaker 1: wisdom just might be useful. So ask around and seek
Speaker 1: it out. You can certainly ask people you know. This
Speaker 1: is how I have found math tutors and voice teachers
Speaker 1: and karate studios. That said, seeking specialized advice is actually
Speaker 1: one of the best uses for social media. If you
Speaker 1: are having triplets, you might not know many people in
Speaker 1: real life who have had three babies at once, but
Speaker 1: there are absolutely online groups for parents of multiples who
Speaker 1: will teach you how to deal with road trips and
Speaker 1: birthday parties and everything else. If you are a family
Speaker 1: member are dealing with a new food intolerance, there is
Speaker 1: no doubt a Facebook group that will have ideas about
Speaker 1: where you can still eat at the airport. Indeed, many
Speaker 1: of these groups probably have frequently asked questions for newbies
Speaker 1: who are just navigating a new situation. You can spend
Speaker 1: some time reading and get yourself up to expert level fast.
Speaker 1: Our circumstances are seldom so unique that we have to
Speaker 1: figure out everything ourselves. We can often help each other out.
Speaker 1: Ask who else has solved your problems. They will help
Speaker 1: you solve your problems too, And of course you should
Speaker 1: pay this courtesy forward. If you have experienced an issue
Speaker 1: that someone else seems to be struggling with, consider gently
Speaker 1: offering yourself as a resource. You do not want to
Speaker 1: force yourself on anyone, particularly if they are going through
Speaker 1: a stressful time, but there are gentle things you can say.
Speaker 1: Maybe it's a note saying welcome to the neighborhood if
Speaker 1: you need help getting settled. I moved in a year ago,
Speaker 1: and I'd be happy to help with any referrals or
Speaker 1: being on crutches can be so inconvenient. I broke my
Speaker 1: foot a few years ago, and I'm happy to help
Speaker 1: with ideas for dealing with groceries or showering or anything
Speaker 1: else that is feeling hard right now. No one should
Speaker 1: assume that their experiences and solutions will be exactly the
Speaker 1: same as someone else's, but the truth is that they
Speaker 1: might be reasonably similar. Offering to be a resource. If
Speaker 1: that's helpful might be appreciated. We all like to be special.
Speaker 1: One of the cool things in life is that we
Speaker 1: aren't alone in many things. We may as well benefit
Speaker 1: from what everyone else has figured out. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,
Speaker 1: then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at i heeart media
Speaker 1: dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying
Speaker 1: in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i
Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
Speaker 1: your favorite shows. H