Well, it is my Wednesday post #2 and like I promised myself I am posting again. Not that I have much to say today, but here I am.
I’ve been working for my new company for just over a week now and the greatest conflict story I can come up with is the one I am having with my body. Flying can really take a toll on you when you do it everyday, several hours at a time. I honestly don’t know how those flight attendants at commercial carriers like Southwest Airlines fly 4 or 5 flights per day. The up and down pressure changes can wreak havoc on your ears and sinuses. For the last 4 days my head feels like it is going to blow off my shoulders. My body is in constant conflict against the elements when we are descending from 33,000 feet. Thank goodness I only do it once a day.
When the pressure in my ears and sinuses is battling against changing cabin pressure, there is little to do until the pressure comes to an even balance. Just like conflict between individuals and groups, a certain amount of pressure is returned to the other to move an agenda or balance out the playing field. As one party pushes, the other naturally begins to push back in resistance, causing a little bit of pain or discomfort. In response, the other party returns the pressure, sometimes ratcheting it up a notch.
So what do you do to relieve the pressure? One option is to just take it, suck it up until it goes away and deal with the pain and discomfort. The other option is to push back so hard that eventually someone gives up. But the best option is to try to read the other party. Look for a common interest and exert just enough counter pressure to move forward.
So how do I deal with cabin pressure conflict in that lump attached to my shoulders? I do a couple of things. First I take a nice decongestants before I ever get on the plane. I know the conflict is coming, so I go in with the tools I know will make the conflict easier to deal with. Second, When the plane begins to descend I will try to drink something ( swallowing helps the ears to pop), or suck on a piece of candy or a cough drop. Sometimes yawning will help too. If all else fails, I use the Valsalva Maneuver. While this is not the ideal method to “pop” your ears, it can prove helpful. Sometimes in conflict we need to add a little counter pressure, and this is the same idea. Plugging your nose and mouth and GENTLY blowing out will help to open up the Eustachian Tubes in your ears and help to open the sinuses. Ahhhh! Sweet relief.
So there it is… my conflict thought for the week. Tune in next week and I’ll try to come up with something a bit more exciting. And please remember… I am NOT a doctor, and in no way should you misconstrue my advise on unplugging ears and sinuses as anything other than a good analogy. 
Ken
