What Is a Problem?
Let Go of Problems: How to Stop Letting Them Control You
— Jutta
Today, I’m convinced my life is just an endless sequence of problems.
One problem ends, the next one begins.
A never-ending pressure, gripping me tight.
Do I have problems—or do problems have me?
It feels like they cling to me, like ticks on a forest walk.
I shake them off, but that doesn’t mean I’m safe.
They know exactly where to latch on again.
And then, there are these other moments.
Rare guests.
The “I don’t give a f#ck” feeling.
I don’t care—but in a liberating, almost redemptive way.
Nothing sticks to me.
- No worries.
- No fears.
- No problems.
It feels like I’m finally getting out of a terrible movie,
get up and leave the movie theater.
There’s nothing for a few seconds
- and that’s what makes it so good.
What Makes a Problem a Problem?
A problem is really just a thought that won’t let go.
Sticky, like gum, I accidentally step on—once it’s there, it won’t come off.
No, it’s not just a thought.
It feels more like a construct.
A compact package of beliefs, expectations, and collective fears.
Thoughts tangled together, embedding themselves into my system like a virus in the code.
So why do some thoughts stick—and others don’t?
Do I need problems like air and water? Doubtless not.
Do they distract me? Maybe.
Are they just a habit? Possible.
One thing’s for sure:
Problems love attention.
They push to the front row, demanding the main stage in my mind.
They take away my perspective.
Problems are impostors.
They act like they’re the center of the universe.
Like nothing is more important than them.”
My problems are impostors.
They push themselves into the spotlight,
pretending to be the most crucial thing in existence.
Which now makes it sound
like problems have their own will,
some kind of evil intention.
Okay, I get it, but that’s weird.
So who decides what a problem is?
What If Problems Aren’t Even Real?
I’ve noticed something:
Not everyone sees my problem as a problem.
And vice versa.
A lost balloon is the end of the world for a child.
Who cares, right?
On the flip side, my laptop crashed.
I lost 5000 unsaved words!…
Who gets to decide what is, and what isn’t, a problem?
It’s like we all live in distinct realities.
Each of us holds our own spotlight.
We look at something—and the problem grows.
We look away—and it disappears.
Don’t think of a pink elephant.
There it is. Fat, pink and in the middle of your head.
Try to get rid of an earworm. Good luck.
Here is mine, give it a try.
Problems work the same way.
Do they get stuck because I want to get rid of them?
Perhaps the solution is not to fight them - but simply not to resist them.
The Stage of Problems
Today, I’ll try to see problems in a very new way.
Not as enemies. Not as burdens.
Just as the stage design of my life.
As long as I see them as important,
as long as I give them this attention,
as long as I engage with them –
I let the problem steal the spotlight.
But if I turn off the lights—the stage goes dark.
No action. No drama.
Just silence.
And perhaps that is the real question:
Can I handle the silence?
Can I exist without a storyline?
What if my biggest problem… is that I need problems?
Maybe it’s time to ask myself
which performances I actually want to watch.
Jutta
See what you can do with an Earworm