Our minds are more prone to zooming in intensely on parts—of things, of ideas, of conversations or dialogue, of sensation, of writing, of puzzles or equations, of problems—but when we’re presented with a whole task or idea or concept (called the gestalt or “big picture”), ironically, it can be hard to see those small, more manageable parts, much less figure out how to come up with a strategy or plan of action that doesn’t trigger our social anxiety or sensory sensitivities so that we choke up before we start.
