Let’s Talk About… The Big Picture

How can you worry about small problems less? How can you start focusing more on the big picture? And how does focusing on what matters help to improve your wellbeing?

That’s what I’m talking about this week here on… Let’s Talk About Mental Health — the weekly podcast that helps you look after your mental health. So, get comfortable, and Let’s Talk About Mental Health…

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This podcast episode was originally released on 2 July, 2023.

Hello and welcome to Episode 186, and thanks so much for joining me as I talk about the big picture and mental health!

I’m Jeremy Godwin and I share practical tips you can apply immediately, based on quality research and my own personal experience following a breakdown in late 2011 that changed my life. Each week I look at how to improve one specific aspect of your wellbeing. 

In this episode I’ll be talking about what the big picture is, why it matters, and how to find a sense of perspective for yourself. 

Before I start, a quick reminder that from this episode onwards you may hear ads in the middle of the episode and that’s because, quite frankly, I had to make some tough decisions since everything’s just getting more and more expensive! You can also choose to become a subscriber on Spotify for just $8 Australian Dollars a month (which is about $6 US Dollars) and you’ll not only get ad-free versions of my show but you’ll also have access to my episodes a full week before regular listeners! You’ll find details in the episode description.

So, now, let’s talk about the big picture!

Introduction

A few weeks ago I was talking with someone and I said words to the effect of, “The things we think matter mostly don’t matter at all… we’re probably not going to remember the details of the stuff that happens every day in five weeks, let alone five years!”

Now, that was followed by an interesting discussion about whether or not that’s a cynical way to view things — I don’t think it is; for me, it’s just being realistic — but regardless of how you view that idea it definitely warrants a bit of thought and consideration… and luckily I had picked the topic for this week — ‘the big picture’ — a few months ago, so I made a quick note of that conversation and I resolved to come back and dig into a bit deeper while talking to all of you lovely people about it (which might seem like an enormously-nerdy and philosophical thing to do, and if so then feel free to call me nerdy and philosophical since that’s clearly what I do for a living!).

I feel like one of the reasons that so many of us find ourselves struggling with our mental health is that we all get so caught up in the day-to-day minutiae of life (which is just a fancy word for ‘small details’ — but it just so happens to be one of my favourite words to say… refer to my earlier point about being a nerd!). But when you allow yourself to take a step back and observe things in a much more thoughtful way, you begin to realise that if everything matters then nothing matters… which, I’ll admit, is a bit of a head-trip and so my sincere apologies if you happen to be listening to me first-thing in the morning while you eat your cereal. 

Now that’s not to say that nothing matters, because that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Big things matter, and little things matter. Of course little things matter; life is a collection of small moments that build over time, like loving and caring interactions with certain people that add up to create a shared history, punctuated by the odd big thing, like a major life event. But the point here is that not all little things matter… and when we look at the day-to-day stuff that goes on in our lives, most of it is unimportant, mundane and devoid of any significant value or meaning. Yet we seem to pay more attention to the insignificant stuff, like what someone said on social media, than we do to the stuff that actually matters.

And so my central message today is this: start paying more attention to the stuff that actually matters and let go of the stuff that really doesn’t, because that’s how you find greater happiness and satisfaction in your life. I’ll explore that idea in more detail shortly, but first let’s go through some definitions and let’s talk about…

What the big picture is

The “big picture” is a symbolic term that refers to the broader, overarching narrative or framework within which smaller, more detailed elements of a situation, subject, or problem are contained. That probably sounds a bit dull and complicated, so let’s think of it this way: it’s a sort of ‘master plan’ idea; it’s a bit like pulling out your camera and switching from a close-up to a panoramic view, where you get to see everything in context. If you do that with a flower then the ‘detail’ might be just one petal, whereas the ‘big picture’ is the whole of the flower as well as the entire meadow or field it sits in.

When you’re thinking about the ‘big picture’ in your own life, it’s all about understanding where you’re going and why. So, each little decision you make, or each action you take, is a piece of this massive puzzle that is your life’s journey. It’s about who you are (and who you are not), what you stand for and what you’re aiming for.

But then the ‘big picture’ is about so much more than just our own individual lives. It’s about the society we live in, too, not to mention the planet we all share and our place in both space and time in the context of the wider universe. It’s about understanding those big trends that shape our world, like cultural shifts, history in the making, the way our economy ticks along, and even political shenanigans. For instance, when we talk about the big picture of climate change, we aren’t just talking about whether you recycle your bottles or if you cycle to work. It’s about everything, from government policies and economic systems through to technological advancements and how we think and feel about looking after the environment.

The idea of the ‘big picture’ goes even further, with philosophical stuff like, “What’s the point of life?”, “What’s reality all about?” and “How do we, as tiny humans, fit into the massive universe?” That’s the big picture at its biggest, really, but then again… who knows?! There is most likely an even bigger picture than that… but, frankly, I think we’re at the limits of how much my brain can handle at the moment!

So my point here is that unlike whether or not your bus was five minutes late this morning, or your irritating neighbour shone their headlights into your house at four in the morning (like mine does on a regular basis!), the big picture is the exact opposite of all that mundane stuff that we think matters, that we allow to distract us, but which really doesn’t mean anything at all other than to be noise that we either tune into or tune out from. 

So, then, that leads to the next part of today’s topic; now, let’s talk about…

Why looking at the bigger picture matters

And I’ll tell you why it matters: because it puts the mundane crap and the loud noisy nonsense into context. It’s the thing that serves to remind us that there’s much more to life than just going through the motions day-in and day-out. It’s the thing that reminds us that, with time, effort and perseverance, we can do and be anything we want. And it helps us to get out of our own heads, and out of this default mindset of “me! me! me!” that our ego wants us to focus on, and instead it forces us to think about something bigger than just ourselves… and, to be blunt, that’s something that is sorely needed now more than ever in this self-obsessed, almost-narcissistic world that we live in. 

Looking at the bigger picture helps us to understand the impact of what we do, to make choices that make sense, to aim for things that are truly worthwhile, and to find some sort of purpose and meaning in our lives. And, you know, it just might make us a bit kinder and more understanding towards one another, as it can help us to remember that we’re all just muddling our way through this big, complicated world together.

It also involves looking at opportunities to push beyond fear in order to grow and evolve as a person, or to achieve something we want to do; for example, my decision to switch on advertising in my podcast is a big-picture choice, because I need to think much more strategically about how I continue to grow this show in a sustainable way, and paying for the behind-the-scenes costs out of my own pocket is the financial equivalent of burning the furniture to stay warm… eventually you’ll run out of fuel and then you’ll realise that you’re cold and you’ve got nowhere to sit! 

When we’re talking about the ‘big picture’ in relation to you and your mental health, we’re essentially thinking about how external factors and broader context can influence your internal world — your thoughts, feelings, and emotional wellbeing.

Imagine your mind as a sort of greenhouse. What’s growing inside is heavily influenced by the environment outside. If the weather’s rough or the sun’s blazing, it’s going to have an effect on your plants, isn’t it? The ‘big picture’ is like the weather conditions for your mental greenhouse.

So, when we talk about external factors, we’re talking about everything from the social, political, and economic climate to the people around us, and even things like cultural attitudes towards mental health. For example, if your job is stressful and your workplace doesn’t actively support and encourage work-life balance, or (worse yet) it it’s a high-pressure and toxic environment, it could very likely contribute to anxiety or burnout.

We also have to consider big life events, like loss or major changes, as part of this ‘big picture.’ These things can be like unexpected storms hitting your greenhouse, causing a lot of upset. But just like storms, we can learn to weather them and, sometimes, they might even leave us stronger than before.

So, the ‘big picture’ of our environment influences us internally. It can shape your thoughts, emotions, and your mental health in general. Recognising this can make a huge difference, because once we see these influences, we can then take conscious steps to protect ourselves, like seeking support, making lifestyle changes, or advocating for societal change. And it also means we’re better able to look at things objectively and see what actually matters versus what really doesn’t, so then we can put things into context and make smarter choices about where our emotional energy goes.

You know, I’m not perfect at this and sometimes I get caught up in the little things that just don’t matter; someone cuts me off on the road while driving and I’ll be seething about it for an hour, or I make a mistake and I obsess about it for days on end. For example, in last week’s episode I bit my tongue twice when I was speaking (which really hurt by the way!) but I soldiered on and kept going, however when the file came back from the audio editor I found myself thinking that I should have redone it… and, honestly, it’s a kind-of ridiculous thing to obsess over! I mean, first of all I guarantee you that at least half of you didn’t even notice it, and even if you did I’m fairly certain nobody cared! But it’s just me being a perfectionist, even though there is nothing wrong with stumbling over a word every now and then. Here’s my point: nobody cares! Seriously! Nobody pays as much attention to you as you do, and so hardly anyone (if anyone at all) is paying such close attention to you that they see and hear all of your perceived flaws! Which means that most of the things you torture yourself over, or get mad at yourself about, are just a waste of time. 

When you put things into context, and choose to focus on the big picture instead of the little details that won’t matter tomorrow, you can be much more objective about things, which helps you find peace of mind. It’s a perspective that can give you a much better understanding of your mental health and help you to feel more in control. It’s not always easy, but having a perception of ‘the big picture’ can play a huge role in navigating your mental health journey.

So, how do you do that? How do you gain a sense of perspective in the big picture? 

Well, before I get into that let’s take a quick break to hear from the amazing brands who help me to pay the bills around here!

AD BREAK

And welcome back! So, now let’s get back to what we’re here for and let’s talk about… 

How to find a sense of perspective for yourself 

So, bearing in mind that I’m talking about a fairly enormous topic here, one that’s fairly philosophical in a lot of ways, my first tip is to actively focus on creating balance in your life — and by that I mean creating a balance between your day-to-day life and the big picture, as well as generally aiming to be balanced. So what does that all mean? Well, let’s think about it like a movie (and bear with me while I walk you through this). In every good movie there are a bunch of different scenes, right? Some are big and dramatic, others are just tiny, seemingly unimportant moments. But each of these scenes contributes to the overall story. That’s a bit like our lives, with all of our day-to-day tasks and the bigger, life-changing events being scenes in the movie of our lives. Now, imagine if we only paid attention to those small, minute scenes; if we only focused on brushing our teeth, doing the laundry, or picking up the groceries, we’d miss out on the big stuff. We might not see the love, the adventure, the heartbreak, the recovery, and everything else that makes our movie worth watching. On the flip side, if we only ever think about the dramatic, high-intensity scenes, then we’re going to miss out on a lot of life’s little joys and achievements; after all, there’s a certain satisfaction in driving with the windows down on a sunny day, or finally mastering that thing you’ve been working on. That’s where balance comes in. We need to be aware of both the everyday stuff and the grander scheme of things. Yes, it’s crucial to deal with daily tasks and responsibilities, but let’s not lose sight of the overall plot, our dreams, our goals, and what makes us tick. At the same time, while reaching for the stars, let’s not forget to enjoy the process, the journey, the day-to-day scenes that fill our lives with subtle but beautiful details. So, when you focus on finding a healthy balance between the day-to-day and the bigger picture, it’s like being both the actor living in the scene and the audience appreciating the whole story. OK, next…

Consider your place in the bigger picture — and yes, yes, I know, this is another very-philosophical bit of advice (it’s a bit hard to avoid in a topic like this one!), but the thing is that we need to step back and be curious about things — including ourselves — from time to time in order to really get a broader and more objective sense of perspective. That means consciously thinking about yourself, what matters to you, and what’s going on in the world and how it relates to you as well as how you relate to it. You might find yourself pondering on your personal values and goals, learning more about global issues, or digging into philosophical or spiritual questions. It’s a bit of a journey, but it’s a journey worth taking. It helps us to understand life a bit better, find some sort of purpose, and realise how we’re all connected in the grand scheme of things. Journalling is a great way to do that, plus I talked about how else to do that in Episode 138 about values and Episode 163 about life (and all of my past episodes can be found at ltamh.com, which is linked in the episode description). OK, next… 

Educate yourself — and by that I mean to actively learn about the world beyond your immediate surroundings, physically and mentally; often we end up in our own echo chambers where we’re surrounded by people who look and talk the same as us and who have the same, or similar, beliefs… but all that does is reinforce the same narrow perspective, rather than challenging us to think about all the different possibilities. The fact is that no one system, no one country, has everything figured out and there are thousands — if not millions — of ways to arrive at the same outcome, so learn about different ways of being and doing. That could involve reading about global news, studying history, exploring different cultures, or learning about different philosophies. The more you understand the world, the more context you’ll have for your own life and the more informed your life choices will be. Travel is a great way to do this; if you can, visit new places, meet new people, and experience different ways of living, which can all offer new perspectives and help you to appreciate the diversity and interconnectedness of the world. Another way to do that is with my next point… 

Engage with art and culture — and it’s funny, in a way, because I said from the start of today’s episode that this whole discussion is a very philosophical one (because it is!), and it’s a way of making sense of our ordinary, day-to-day lives in the context of the wider world around us, so that we can find our own sense of place in our lives… and, really, isn’t that just what art and culture is all about? Do artists not express their opinions and viewpoints and interpretations of not only their lives, but also their place in the world and the world itself? I’ve often found myself at an art gallery looking at a piece and wondering what the hell the artist must have been taking to interpret the world through that lens, but that’s the thing: we all interpret the world differently, and our perspectives are unique, and when we look at the world through someone else’s eyes, often we see ourselves reflected back. We human beings have been creating art and expressing ourselves since the dawn of time, and it’s both fascinating and awe-inspiring to see the many different facets of life reflected in such broad and diverse ways. So, you may find that reading literature, watching films, visiting museums, or listening to music from diverse cultures and perspectives can broaden your worldview and help to deepen your understanding of the human experience. And so can my next point, which is… 

Get involved in philosophical and ethical discussions — I mean, if today is anything to go by (not to mention almost my entire podcast back catalogue!), then I am clearly down for a philosophical chat at the drop of a hat! For me, it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than chatting about the price of Coco Pops! That doesn’t mean I want to talk like this all the time (most of the time I just want to watch random things on YouTube and giggle like a child) but participating in debates or discussions about big, existential questions or ethical dilemmas sometimes can be really inspiring; it can push you to consider viewpoints outside your own and build a much greater understanding of the complexities of the world. OK, next… 

Seek out diverse experiences — which means looking for opportunities to step outside your comfort zone. That could be trying a new recipe or restaurant, taking a class in a subject you know nothing about, or even just taking a different route home. Mix things up as much as possible; maybe you might try having a ‘yes’ day once a month, where you spend the day saying ‘yes’ to things you might usually decline (within reason, of course!), and that can potentially lead to new and unexpected experiences. Or maybe you want to take some time away on your own, or even go on a silent retreat, as a powerful way to reflect, gain insight, and view your life from a new angle. You can also do that with my next point, which is… 

Meditation and yoga — and practices like these are tailor-made to not only promote mental wellness, but also encourage you to focus on your connection with yourself, others, and the universe, helping you to gain a broader perspective. As can my next point…

Get outside — because even just spending time in nature can be incredibly healing and inspiring; nature has a way of making our problems seem smaller and reminding us of our place in the larger ecosystem. Go for hikes, watch a sunset, or just spend some time in a local park. Or, and this is my personal favourite, spend some time looking up at the night sky. When we first moved to the countryside I found myself going outside and just staring up at the night sky for ages (because you can see so much more once you’re away from the cities), and for me it’s quite a spiritual thing; there’s nothing quite like the vastness of the universe to make you realise the scope of the ‘big picture’ and just how insignificant our day-to-day problems are by comparison… some may find that cynical, but I find it truly comforting and it’s been one of the most effective ways that I’ve ever found to help me put things into context and, more importantly, to let go of the stuff that just doesn’t matter.

And you can find more practical tips for focusing on what really matters in my latest video, available now on YouTube and Spotify.

Summary and Close-Out

Because when it comes to the big picture and mental health, what it all boils down to is this: It’s easy to get caught up in the details of our daily lives and lose sight of the beautiful tapestry that we’re all part of. But, understanding how we fit into the bigger picture — how the world around us impacts our thoughts, feelings and actions — is crucial. Why? Because it helps us to realise that we’re not just passive pawns being moved around the chessboard of life. We’re the ones who can make our own decisions, react to changes, and adapt our strategies based on the wider game. Recognising this not only empowers you to take control of your own life, but it also helps you to develop empathy for others, appreciate the interconnectedness of our world, and ultimately, strive to make a positive impact.

The choice is yours, as it is with all things related to your wellbeing… so, what choice will YOU make today? 

Each week I like to finish up by sharing a quote about the week’s topic, and I encourage you to take a few moments to really reflect on it and consider what it means to you. This week’s quote is by Benjamin Disraeli, and it is:

“We are not creatures of circumstance; we are creators of circumstance.”

Benjamin Disraeli

Alright… that’s nearly it for this week.

Next week I’ll be talking about evolution. Continuing on from this week’s philosophical theme, I’m mindful that a lot of what I talk about in this show involves encouraging you to consciously focus on your growth and development. Why? Because it’s how we grow — or don’t grow — as human beings that tends to influence how satisfied we feel in our lives. So, next time I’ll be talking about what evolution is (and what it isn’t), why it matters, and how to be more intentional with your personal development.

I hope you’ll join me for that episode which will be released on Sunday the 9th of July, 2023. 

Follow or subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to stay up-to-date with new episodes, and remember that I also create weekly videos with extra content; you’ll find my videos on YouTube and Spotify.

And if you’d like even more tips to help you look after your mental health then sign up for my free newsletter Thursday Thoughts plus follow my two Instagram accounts, @ltamentalhealth and @itsjeremygodwin, where I post extra content daily. 

And if you become a supporter on Spotify or Patreon you’ll receive ad-free content as well as early access to episodes. 

You’ll find all of those linked in the episode description and in the transcript at ltamh.com. 

Thank you very much for joining me today — look after yourself and make a conscious effort to share positivity and kindness in the world, because you get back what you put out. Take care and talk to you next time!

Jeremy 🙂

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Let’s Talk About Mental Health.
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