How to Rethink Through Your Workplace Hang-ups

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As you head into work for the day your thoughts start running through what you are going to be working on for the day. A mountain of paperwork that needs to be delt with, and tasks that need to be done.
 
This week in particular might be a harder one, we have all been there. There might be a project/ task that does not sit right in your mind. You might be unhappy with the way a committee leans towards one decision or another, or you might not agree with the policy being proposed. Whatever the issue might be, something that does not fit comfortably in your mind.
 
This looming feeling exists as cognitive dissonance. Dissonance occurs in everyday life but can really impact your thoughts for the day if not addressed. Below are some tips and tricks to help understand your cognitive dissonance and how to work through all the fog and frustration it can cause. 
 
Now you may be thinking what the heck happens during cognitive dissonance. Well according to Festinger’s theory on human balance, cognitive dissonance suggests that humans crave cognitive consistency within their own mind. When that balance becomes interrupted, we all possess an innate drive that will alter our attitudes, behavior, or beliefs to regain harmony so that we may become “rebalanced”.
 
In the public sector you see it occur all the time. For a general example, when two parties clash on viewpoints, or a committee cannot come to conclusion. Each and every day the workplace brings cognitive dissonance theory into play. 
 
Now that being said, cognitive dissonance has positives and negatives. The negative side causes unbalance, this can lead to things like self-esteem issues and lower self-worth. People want to feel balanced in their lives. The positive effects are the promotion of self-growth, when things are imbalanced. Dissonance causes an individual to grow, the forces of uncomfortableness are factors of life. Think of all the life lessons you have grown from…they are all due to cognitive dissonance. 
 
With all that being said, there are certain ways to aid working through the stickiness of cognitive dissonance. The next time you feel yourself seemingly trapped try to remember these tips. 

1. You can regain balance by changing one or more of your attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs to make the dissonance resolve itself. An example would be changing your mindset about a situation, or tuning your behavior to more aptly fit the situation you are in. 
2. Acquiring new insight or information about the situation may allow new light to be shed on the situation. If it outweighs the dissonant belief, attitude, or action, the dissonance will dissipate. Work on finding new light.
3. Going above the situation: reducing the importance of the resistant cognition. Taking a step back, sometimes might be the best move, especially when situations are becoming too intense. Clarity comes from calm thinking.

Cognitive Dissonance exists in life because of necessity.  Cognitive dissonance plays as a check and balance system for self-growth, self-esteem, and interactions with conflicting viewpoints. While one cannot overcome cognitive dissonance completely, working to shape and understand the situation will allow you better outcomes in any tensioned situation you are a part of. 

Additional Material
Amazon Book link: Mistakes Were Made but Not by Me: Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris 
https://www.amazon.com/Mistakes-Were-Made-but-Third/dp/0358329612/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=cognitive+dissonance+book&qid=1612281292&sr=8-3

Further reading

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