Let’s say that you call your sister and she doesn’t stop complaining about stuff that seems so stupid to you, she doesn’t even stop for a minute to take a breath. While she talks, you find yourself getting upset and resentful. You don’t want to get into an argument with her, but somehow you tell her what you think, and the next minute she blames you for being selfish, caring only about yourself. You hang up the phone feeling drained, blaming yourself for calling her, and blaming her for sucking the energy out of you.

Reacting to life takes many forms. You want to stop judging and criticizing, you hate yourself when you do, but it feels like you cannot really control your reactions. There are different bumps in the road. Each one of them individually doesn’t feel like a big deal, but together they throw you out of balance.

This is where the helicopter ride can help you.

One of my clients, a former soldier, shared with me that when he was in the Army he loved seeing the world from a distance during the helicopter rides. He borrowed this Army concept and he is now using it in his day-to-day life.

Take the helicopter ride: distance yourself from life and look at the picture from above. The ability to step back creates a space that allows you to see things in a different way.

If you take the ride while talking to your sister or immediately after you’ve hung up the phone or walked away, you may better preserve your precious personal energy. Observing it from a distance helps you keep things in perspective and stick to the facts so you can move away from? judgment and move towards reality. This way you don’t lose energy over it.

Stepping back allows you to evaluate or assess the situation objectively and correct it if needed. Then you’re able to let go and move on with your life.

The Bottom Line: Taking the helicopter ride when you are in a reactionary mode helps you step back and create a space for an objective evaluation.

Ask: If I were inside the helicopter right now, what would I see from a distance?

Affirm: I get into the helicopter, I observe myself from a distance, I observe, I evaluate, and I correct. I let go.