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Maybe you’re not trying

(usefulfictions.substack.com)
448 points eatitraw | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.198s | source
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lisper ◴[] No.45944544[source]
I think the "maybe you're not actually trying" framing is not very constructive. The author did try, making decisions and taking actions that seemed appropriate for her situation at the time. The problem was that because her attempts to solve the problem failed -- again and again and again -- she stopped trying. Which is a not-entirely-unreasonable thing to do.

I would frame it more like: just because you have tried and failed doesn't mean you can't succeed, even if you have failed again and again and again. Circumstances change. New solutions become available. New resources or new insights present themselves. Sometimes just doing nothing and letting time pass actually produces progress. But the only thing that guarantees failure is to give up altogether.

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1. jrjeksjd8d ◴[] No.45945004[source]
My therapist calls this "touching the hot stove". When you put a lot of effort into a problem and fail over and over, your mind "gives up" as a protective measure. You can drive yourself crazy trying to push forward and find a solution in a straight line.

It is sometimes useful to get outside input or take a break and wait for new circumstances.

Not going to lie, it is also very possible a husband going to law enforcement gets taken more seriously than a woman reporting stalking.