Candy Floss! A huge cloud of sticky nothingness made out of one small spoon of sugar. (Or Cotton Candy if you’re in the States.)
The Candy Floss Syndrome
Have you heard of Candy Floss Syndrome? I’d be surprised if you had as I think I’ve made it up.
(It’s possible I might have gone too far with this analogy but I know you’ll tell me if so.)
If you’ve experienced my coaching you’ll know that I don’t subscribe to any particular school or style. Unless eclectic and even a tad eccentric is a style? There are no ‘eight set questions’ or principles I follow. I mean I do have principles, obviously. But they’re mine, not part of some school.
My principles are listen well. Listen some more, reflect and try to help the client articulate what they need to. I never know where it’s going until we start. Then it’s about trying to come up with something helpful and practical. Together. Something that will stick with my client. Which is how I arrived at candy floss…
Coaching Story
I was recently coaching someone who had what was to her a really huge problem. Together we began to look at the problem in detail; it was genuinely causing my client concern and some pain.
Together we explored the roots of the issue. As we went back it became apparent to both of us that this problem had grown out of all proportion. My client had not had an opportunity to reflect on what was going on for her. The size of her dilemma grew in direct proportion to the amount of time she’d spent going over it in her head.
She had over-thought it, (or spun it) without testing out any of her thoughts or hypotheses. Some of her colleagues called her a drama queen but in truth I think it’d become habit. Lacking the tools or opportunities to reflect, she’d let it grow unchecked.
A Spoonful of Sugar
Which is what made me think of candyfloss.
A small spoonful of sugar had been dropped in . It had spun and spun in her head, unfettered, until it had become something huge, big and sticky. Yet closer examination revealed that candy floss syndrome was at work. The concerns were not truly substantial, (although they felt it) and a quick bite into them soon deflated the cloud.
I don’t want to go too far with this analogy but it’s a useful idea to use sometimes. We all do it from time to time. We get a thought stuck in our head which gathers size at speed as we spin and spin it. Before we know it we have ourselves a huge sticky problem!
Using this analogy really helped my client. Was she experiencing a real dilemma or was it something spun out of proportion? Habits are easy to acquire, less easy to get rid of. It helps to replace them with something else. So each time my client had an issue she visualised it as huge cloud of candy floss. She took a ‘bite’. Actual candy floss will disappear after about ten minutes in the open air. Let your problem out into the air. Take a few moments to bite into it. Look at the issue for ten minutes or so, and then see if it is still as big. Consider it from all points of view.
It may just turn out to be an acute case of candy floss syndrome.
What helps you keep a sense of perspective?
Candy floss Photos from Unsplash
RenewYou, My Tried and Tested Career Booster!
RenewYou has helped thousands of women make positive and lasting change in their lives. I deliver it one-to-one as part of a bespoke coaching package for women looking to move into leadership, to progress their career, or who wish to be the absolute best version of themselves.
Posted on March 26th, 2026 by Jane
