Once you become aware of a problem, your mind will try and solve it.
It doesn’t matter whether you want it to or not. Your subconscious does what it wants, and, luckily, it wants to find creative solutions to all kinds of challenges — so much so, in fact, it can barely help itself.
That’s why communication is key — among teams, among friends, among lovers. Humans can’t consider what they don’t know, but everything they do know will somehow be factored into the equation, if only at a subconscious level.
The employee who flags overwhelm won’t be fired without warning. The friend bringing up group dynamic will get everyone to the table. Why is that?
Our brains can’t resist a good problem. No matter who brings up which issue, they want to latch on to it. They want to be part of the solution — and that’s why humans are, at heart, cooperative creatures. We love rallying together to quench our individual brains’ thirst for overcoming a challenge.
In Germany, we have a saying: Sorrow shared is sorrow halved. Similarly, a problem shared is a problem half-solved. Don’t keep the lid on for too long.