How Not to Collapse When Problem-Solving Fails

 

Failure comes more often than we expect.

And somehow, it hits hardest on the days we feel the most prepared.

There was a day like that for me.

I tried my best, but when the result went off track, I suddenly felt smaller.

My thoughts kept circling around the same words:

“See, I’m not good enough.”

In that moment, I did one thing first.

Instead of collapsing, I separated the failure from myself - treating it not as my story, but as one outcome.

Because today’s failure doesn’t define all of me.

What helped me move again wasn’t a grand plan.

It was one small action I could take right away.

A single line of notes.

One revision.

One message sent.

That small step was enough to bring the flow back.

And finally, I decided not to hold it all alone.

Not pretending I was fine, but saying,

“I’m a little shaken right now.”

That one sentence lifted me up faster than I expected.

The way not to collapse when you fail is this:

Don’t blame yourself.

Restart with a small action.

And stay connected with someone.