Tunnel vision is defined as one’s tendency to focus on a single goal or point of view. The more important the goal or the more threatening a stimulus is perceived to be, the more likely a person is to focus attention on it Ref.

‘Tunnel vision’, when the first time I heard this psychology term in podcast, the scene of my uncle driving us through a black and long tunnel on the high way repeatedly played in my mind. I clearly remembered how I worridely and tightly staring at the bright circular region in front of the way. You always thought you were getting out from the current dark, but sorry, it was just a turn then you were still stuck in the dark facing the same situation.

I realized for many years of my life, I was stuck in my own ‘tunnel’. I always thought: after I have fixed this problem in the front, my life will be easier/brighter/more relaxing. OK, let’s just focus on this problem without thinking anything else. The reality is that there won’t be a day you think you have fixed all the problems, never! And you don’t know how unexpected your next problem will be.

We can become so fixated on what we believe to be the path forward that we don’t realize it’s just another bend in an ever-winding road. We anticipate a moment of emergence, a conclusive end to our struggles, only to find that life continues to unfold in its unpredictable way.We might find that the solutions we seek don’t always lie straight ahead, but often come from the least expected places, just waiting for us to notice them.

I feel a bit relaxed after I found this pattern according to the past experience. Instead of being immersed in the infinite anxieties, it might be a good time to change the focus.