Unrealistic Expectations and Insanity

I was thinking to myself the other day about mechanisms for coping with the stresses of modern life and I tried to decide which one is best. I came up with a few good ones, but what’s best for me isn’t necessarily available to everyone. So, considering availability and the cost effectiveness of each of the many methods that I have tried I came to the conclusion that having unrealistic expectations is the most available and efficient coping method. Insanity is a close second, but it has its own rather serious drawbacks.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. Having unrealistic expectations is a form of denial, but I’m not advocating that you deny anything. I think its best that I give an example. Say for instance I go in to an interview, if I go in thinking that I already have the job, then I’ll be much more confident in myself since I’m under the impression that the job is mine. This will also relieve the stress brought on by worrying constantly about whether or not I managed the impress the hiring manager enough or if I had the qualifications or experience to get the job. Then let’s say that I don’t get the job, what then? Using this method it would be best to just assume that since the company didn’t hire me that they are going to collapse or that the person they hired instead is gonna rob them blind and never do as good of a job as I could have done. Additionally, you can use the same method for a second attempt; that is if you don’t get the job with one interview you can simply say that the next interview you have will be a guaranteed job, all the while keeping your hopes in check. I suppose it’s a kind of a contradiction, cause you want to keep your hopes really, really high and at the same time make sure that you don’t depend on any of your hopes coming true.

Keep in mind though that it is important to be a realist sometimes. Having unrealistic expectations can be very useful for relieving stress, but overuse can promote a detachment from reality or turn an otherwise well rounded individual into an arrogant prick. The key is moderation. For the most part, I only recommend using this coping method for things that are not vital to everyday living but still cause a great deal of stress, such as the hunt for relationships. It is also pretty fair when it comes to the increasingly difficult hunt for jobs, as I have mentioned, but on that note, it should only be used if one is going to a lot of interviews and passing out a copious number or resumes and completing many applications.

I did mention insanity as an effective coping mechanism and in the words of The Joker, “Madness is the emergency exit. You can just step outside, and close the door on all those dreadful things that happened. You can lock them away... forever.” There are obvious advantages to going crazy in modern society. Depending on the type of craziness you may care for absolutely nothing or only a very small number of things. Also, in modern society you would be put into a mental institution, which would mean that you wouldn’t have to get a job, pay rent, own a car, provide food, or even cook for yourself. You may not even have to bathe yourself. The major drawback though is that you can only really do it once and once you’ve gone bonkers and been shackled up in the wacko basket you usually stay there for a real long time and if you don’t, then most all of your problems will be right where you left them. So unless you’re really willing to commit I don’t recommend this method.

Hopefully you’ve found what I’ve said to be at least interesting and at most helpful. Just remember that although it is important to be realistic, you can’t be realistic all the time, life is just too damn cruel to live like that.

Qoute of the Post: "The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry." -Ernest Hemingway