“You can’t eat a whole pizza without cutting it into slices first.”
Part of an occasional series about phrases that this therapist finds himself repeating, often.
As a clinician in private practice, one of the phrases that I frequently hear myself saying to older children and adolescents is this: “You can’t eat a whole pizza without cutting it into slices first.” This phrase typically shows up when someone might be feeling a bit anxious and overwhelmed, perhaps perfectionistic and pressured.
This phrase has even been trotted out to my own children. But … my now-adolescent son will argue with me about the nature of the pizza. Of course, teenagers argue about nearly everything, but he claims he can eat a whole pizza without cutting it into slices.
I say, “That’s not the point of the analogy. It is about taking things one step at a time.”
He says, “Doesn’t matter. I can do it. I can eat a whole pizza without slicing it.”
Deep breath.
There is a rationality to how our brains work under stress. Even when it feels irrational, there is a logic present. Remember that our brains have this internal survival mechanism which is “freeze-fight-flight”. When we feel a strong stressor, say a tiger running at you, then our…
