Category: Extremes

What Makes You Come Undone?

Imagine this: your life is busy, but under control. Something happens, though, and everything spirals until you’ve come undone. One event, one that you could have otherwise handled easily, makes everything fall apart. What causes that?

For the most part, human beings are pretty adaptable. As long as the change is not too sudden, we can absorb remarkable changes in our environment.

Take the news, for instance. As recently as a few decades ago, we got our news from newspapers once a day, and a half hour of national news and an additional half hour for local news on TV. That was it!

Now, there are multiple 24-hour news stations, and tuning in to one provides an incredible amount of information all at once. An on-screen anchor is delivering an opinion, or conducting an interview. Chyrons appear regularly to recap what is being discussed. A ticker of other headlines runs across the bottom of the screen. There might also be weather alerts, sports scores, stock market updates, or additional information flashing somewhere on the screen.

It’s a lot to take in, but we do it fairly easily. Our focus can’t be everywhere all at once, but we figure out what is most important to us, and jump around as necessary.

However adaptable we are, there are limits. We can be overwhelmed, with our ability to switch from topic to topic swamped with information. And once we reach that saturation limit, it feels like everything comes undone and we can’t do anything. All but the most simple tasks escape us.

Are there triggers of this type for you? Sometimes it is just a matter of one random thing being one too many. But there might also be a recognizable action that causes you to struggle. Can you think of what yours might be?

Related questions: What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Is our attention fractured? Are we too busy? How do you find peace when you need it?

 

How Much Risk Makes You Uncomfortable?

Over the course of a lifetime, we all encounter extreme levels of risk at some point. What level of risk makes you uncomfortable?

Risk is all around us.

Sometimes, it is physical. Perhaps you enjoy the high speeds and twisty turns of a roller coaster. Or maybe jumping out of an airplane is on your bucket list.

Another kind of risk is financial. Taking on a large debt, like a mortgage or a student loan, can be daunting. Putting your money in the stock market, where you might lose it, may seem dangerous to some.

There are also other, more abstract, kinds of risk. Asking out someone, with the possibility of being rejected. Leaving a job where you are comfortable for one that might be worse.

Apart from these riskier behaviors, we also do small things are potentially bad or dangerous. However, the downside may be so small, we might not even realize the potential harm.

For example, think about eating some tasty, but unhealthy (or fattening) food. Too much of that can put you at risk for heart disease, not to mention obesity and the many health problems that come with it.

Or maybe you buy the occasional lottery ticket. A few bucks, even if you are unlikely to win, might seem like a gamble you are willing to take for the possibility of a big payout.

Most people probably find a threshold of risk somewhere between these extremes. Not everyone is comfortable with, say, rock climbing. But most people are willing to climb over a few boulders when out for a hike.

What do you find an acceptable level of risk? Has it changed over time, and if so, how? Is your comfort level different for you than it is for a loved one, like a child or an aging parent? Have you forced yourself to take risks that you weren’t comfortable with, because of a potential reward?

Related questions: How do you evaluate risk? When did you last push the boundaries of your comfort zone? What is uncomfortable but rewarding? What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

Too Hot Or Too Cold?

Extreme weather can be quite unpleasant. If you have to experience one extreme, would you prefer it to be too hot or too cold?

Share why if you wish.

Too Hot Or Too Cold?
  • Add your answer
Results

How Has This Summer’s Extreme Weather Impacted You?

Extreme weather events have been commonplace this summer, from brutal storms to crippling droughts. Have you been impacted?

As temperatures rise, the extra heat in the atmosphere translates to changing and unusual weather patterns.

For some, that means battering storms. These come with torrential rain that may lead to flooding, and some have seen tornadoes or hurricanes. Roads are being washed out, and homes or cars can be damaged or even ruined by rising waters.

For other areas, rather than receiving too much water, they don’t get enough. Above average temperatures and below average rainfall have led some previously fertile areas to experience droughts, ravaging crops and draining away rivers and lakes. Dry conditions lead to huge forest fires, and smoke from those fires can be carried by air currents for hundreds of miles.

Underlying all of this are record-high temperatures, which keep some people from venturing away from home at best, and leading to dehydration or heat exposure at worst.

This extreme weather impacts everyone, in ways both big and small. How have you been affected, and what may happen to you if temperatures continue to rise?

Related questions: How is climate change impacting you? What is keeping us from sustaining the planet? Climate change: How would you act if your house was on fire?

Too Much Or Too Little?

Does our society more frequently sufferer from the affliction of having too much, or from having too little?

Too much or too little what? That’s up to you.

Share why if you wish.

Too Much Or Too Little?
Results