Does anyone else have troubles problem solving?

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In high school, I missed the return bus ride at the end of a doctor's appointment more than once. It wasn't solved efficiently. One time I called my dad to pick me up instead, otherwise I could have just called and tell the bus to pick me up later since I missed the first. I read about the divide and conquer method of problem-solving, but the example I read of troubleshooting a non-starting car is very straightforward and logical, but I don't understand the deductive logic of solving a missed return bus ride. Or, at least I don't know how to think logically under pressure. Does anyone else have deductive logic problems?

I have both deductive and inductive logic problems. it is like there are shorts in my neural pathways. I know you're gonna ask, "Bermuda shorts?" which is both jokey yet not far from the truth.

You are a nut!

well, you know that confectionary commercial, "sometimes you feel like a nut- sometimes you don't..." at least I can be my own almond joy - I am mounds of fun at times

Edit: Double post, forum glitch.

Last edited by ChameleonKeys on 30 Sep 2013, 7:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

This made me think Bermuda triangle, which is perhaps more apt when describing my own issues with problem solving.

In reply to the OP - I have similar issues with problems if they involve dealing with other people to solve them. If there is a solution that doesn't involve interacting with anyone to fix it then I'm fine but as soon as I'm presented with a situation that requires me to deal with people then I become stressed, unsure of myself, and potentially flustered. I become so caught up in all of the unappealing possibilities and uncertainties that I don't do anything and situations go unresolved or I make a funny decision based on my own comfort needs. I once walked home from an appointment in another town simply because I was going to catch the train home and the line was unexpectedly closed due to an accident. There were busses replacing trains but no sign in place to explain where to catch the bus and if my ticket was transferable etc. There were too many people everywhere and I couldn't stand the chaos. I could have asked someone of course, but it seemed easier to walk. It took me all day and my feet were killing me but it was a lovely walk and I didn't have to talk to anyone. I solved the problem, just not the way anyone else there would have.

I have been known to stumble upon a baroque or circuitous quasi-logical or para-logical method of problem-solving akin to accident.

I don't know what kind of problem this is, it might be logic but it's not word involved, not sure =
But when I get an email I have to print out and the email has an email inside of it with attachments, it can take me an hour to get it straight, sometimes I'm nearly in tears from it. It seems SO simple, I feel so dumb. If there's emails inside of emails inside of emails, forget it!

if emails are nested, separate each part first, then work on each part in its own window, like in word.

I am good at problem solving . . . in a sense . . . and terrible in another really big way. I cannot for example, think of what to do if I miss a bus, or panic if I cannot remember what I did with something, and also I am a terrible mathematician. On the other hand, I can solve situations with ideas others do not usually consider, but those are very few and far in between.

I've had a lot of problems in this area. I've embarrassed myself so many times by getting all anxious and asking someone for help with some problem only to have them point out some really obvious solution or cause that most people would have seen right at the beginning.

Yeah, I can have real issues with this. If I'm clear on the various parts of the problem and have some inkling of what kinds of tools (metaphorical or literal) might apply, I'll usually do fine, sometimes much better than average. Otherwise I can be completely lost. Pressure certainly can complicate things.

Even in my late teens I could have serious issues dealing with things like a missed bus ride home. I've managed to learn reasonably well how to deal with that kind of concrete problem, but unfortunately I couldn't tell you exactly how I learned it. I guess I mellowed out a bit to the point where I could at least begin to think clearly about the whole thing. "Crap, missed the bus? Oh well, let's look at the schedule, if that fails, look for other options like try to get a taxi or call someone for a ride..."

Well, now I have learned a lesson from my previous bus incident. That is, I needed to call the bus service first, since my dad could have been unavailable or on a call somewhere, and my mom would be working.

I literally "Wrote the Book" on trouble-shooting.

Well, one of them, at least.

Would you believe ... an 8-page hand-out detailing the trouble-shooting process for process-control systems?

Yeah, well, I can do (and have done) that kind of thing in fields I do have a somewhat complete understanding of, sure. Where I flounder is where there are lots of parameters I don't understand.

Then there is http://xkcd.com/627/

I am quite good at problem solving so long as it is a problem that I can work through by myself and implement in my own way and at my own pace. The moment I have to coordinate with others, I find it remarkably difficult to solve problems. If I missed a bus (at least when I was much younger), I would become agitated and uncertain how to proceed. I suppose now I have enough experience to realized problems like that are reasonably minor, but I still get anxious if I have an appointment and it seems like I will be late.

I think what happens with me is that I have so little confidence in my ability to properly interact with others that I go into a sort of mild panic mode whenever a situation where I have to interact becomes unpredictable. When my mind races in panic I can't stop long enough to adequately assess the situation and work out a functional solution. I suppose if I didn't care how I came across to others, I might not panic, but I get anxious that I will screw things up and end up creating exactly the situation I am trying to avoid.