Turn Problems Into Opportunities

Everyone has problems, challenges, and obstacles to overcome in life. To solve these difficult issues, you need mental, emotional, and physical energy. You can turn your problems into opportunities by learning to manage your energy.

Routine

One of the biggest mistakes people make is letting their routine kill their energy. What, isn’t having a routine a positive thing? Yes, but only to a point. When your routine has become dull, stifling, and you feel like you’re trapped, your routine is no longer serving you. Instead, you are letting it kill your energy. Everyone needs to let their creative, free-spirited side loose sometimes.

Often, people find solutions to their problems by thinking outside the box. Vary your routine by taking a new route to work, trying a new restaurant, or unplugging from social media for the day. Breaks from your routine will help increase your energy and encourage you to be creative and courageous.

Disorganized Environment

Do you have to move piles of papers just to find a pen on your desk? How often do you misplace your keys or glasses? A messy environment reduces opportunities by wasting time and effort. It also diminishes your feelings of control. Eliminate one problem by organizing your workspace and home, and you will have more energy to organize your life.

Overscheduling

If your schedule is always overbooked, you can miss opportunities. It’s hard to be focused, in control, and energetic when you’re always trying to finish something or feel like you can’t catch up. Leave open spots in your day so you can manage distractions, interruptions, and unexpected issues without falling behind schedule. You will have more energy to handle situations that come your way when you have time to deal with them.

Perfectionism

While doing a good job can help you succeed, perfection kills your energy and makes you less, not more, effective. You can’t control everything, and life is often about doing the best you can, not about making things perfect.

Imagine planning a dinner party for friends. A well-cooked meal that you know you can accomplish will impress your friends more than trying a new, complicated recipe that leaves you too anxious and tired to make dinner conversation.

Arguments

According to the John Hopkins Medical Center, chronic anger increases your heart rate and blood pressure and damages your immune response. Anger is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. Getting angry and arguing with people over misperceptions or assumed slights keeps you stuck in problem mode.

Negative People

Friends and family often share their sorrows and joys with one another. But spending too much time with constantly negative people is an energy killer. If you know someone who always tries to pull you into their drama and uses your time to complain about everything, limit the time you spend with them. You will have more energy and a more positive outlook.

Health Needs

Physical health contributes to how you perceive problems. If you don’t feel well, it is hard to meet challenges and enjoy life. According to researchers, a healthy lifestyle boosts your body’s ability to problem solve. Ways to improve your health include:

• Diet
• Sleep
• Sunlight
• Water

A healthy diet prevents the energy highs and lows of eating high sugar snacks. When the body gets too much sugar too quickly, your energy spikes but crashes back down. Whole-grain bread, fruits and vegetables, and nuts take the body longer to process, so your energy levels stay consistent.

Yoga and meditation can help you relax and get a good night’s sleep. According to Consumer Reports, sunlight boosts serotonin levels. Serotonin helps with mood and sleep. You also need plenty of water to stay energized. Tiredness and fatigue are signs of dehydration.

How well you take care of yourself and manage your lifestyle makes a difference in your ability to see opportunities. Make changes for yourself, so you don’t let problems overwhelm you.

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