What an incredibly powerful post @axios! I've struggled with the feeling that my problems are significant and permanent for a long time.
Recently, I have been trying to put things into perspective. To do this, I close my eyes and imagine my 'problem' as an object. I then place this object in a box and start to take an overhead camera view of it. As I start to zoom out, I like to imagine that this box is sat in a forest.
I continue to zoom out, until I can only just see the top of the trees. My box is nowhere to be seen. It's a tiny entity, lost within a vast forest. I continue to zoom out. I'm in the clouds, then in space, then in a distant galaxy.
By doing this, I've come to realise that things aren't as big as they seem. My problem is now an almost meaningless spec in the grand scheme of things. When I return to my day, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted, and can take the necessary steps to get rid of my tiny problem.
Ricky Gervais once said, "When you're fed up or stressed about life, just remember, you will be dead & forgotten soon, so nothing really matters". It's a little bleak, but I can't help but smile and find a little comfort whenever I read it.
That's a great strategy @philnewton. It's amazing what you can do when you play around with the concept of space and your relationship to concepts in your mind.
I agree that the quote sounds bleak but it definitely does have that "fuck it" kind of attitude to it, which I've found quite useful many times in my life ;-)
Thanks for reading and sharing @philnewton!