Jan McKingley Hilado

“Self-control is a key factor in achieving success.

We can’t control everything in life, but we can definitely control ourselves.”

4 Tips To Manage Your Emotions For The Best Problem Solving

Anger, frustration, anxiety, and many other emotions rush through our minds the minute we discover that we have problems.

This is understandable because problems can have dire consequences if not handled correctly.

But, when it comes to finding the best solutions, those emotions can't dominate us.

What's the key to managing them? In the last part of this series on The 3 Problem Solving Approaches, we've covered the Methodical Approach, the Creative Approach, and now we will take a look at the Emotional Approach.

Here we will discuss some ideas on handling emotions.

Let's get started.

Stay Calm

Facing the challenge of dealing with a problem is difficult. Initially, you may be filled with anxiety or nervousness about what to do next.

Before you start rushing to find any solutions, take a minute to calm yourself down.

Take some slow deep breaths to help calm yourself and get centered first.

If that isn't working try a few of these tips:

Get some paper and start writing down everything you know so far.
Make a list of everything you need to do moving forward
Start by working on a small task first
Take periodic breaks to stay fresh
Take a daily walk before you start working

Address Any Underlying Problems

Start paying attention to see if you are having the same emotional reactions to situations that come up again and again.

You may be dealing with symptoms of problems instead of dealing with its source.

If you can deal with the underlying problem, you will resolve it once and for all.

Here's Another Consideration

Another consideration that you may be experiencing when reoccurring emotional responses keep coming up is that you may be experiencing burn out.

Make a list of things that cause stress or frustration and cut down those activities. You may be trying to tackle entirely too much.

Work With An Accountability Partner

If you find yourself constantly struggling with controlling your emotional reactions to day-to-day problems, you may want to get some help.

Find someone you can trust to be your accountability partner. They can provide insight and challenge you to deal with overwhelming emotional reactions in a positive way.

They will be able to see things that you can't, and offer other healthy alternatives that you can try.

Embrace Your Feelings But Control Them

Yes, it's true that feeling upset, angry, and worried can signal the presence of a problem, but it is also a fact that feeling these emotions will do little to help you solve the issues.

Feelings are important as a guide that something needs done, but before you begin the work necessary to resolve your issues, check your emotions at the door.

For the best problem solving, you need a cool head for rationally directed thoughts. Negative emotions just cloud the real issues.

Embrace your feelings so that you can have total control over them.

Conclusion

Whether you consider yourself a Super Achiever or not, one thing is certain, you will be confronted with challenges that need resolved.

These challenges can be resolved expertly by applying the Methodical, Creative, and the Emotional approach. You can use one or all three in any combination that helps you make problem solving easier.

Everyone is uniquely different and the resolutions we come up with are as varied. But having a strategy and an approach helps resolve issues faster.

Success is found on the other side of challenges. You can make it through anything as long as you have the willingness to make it through to the other side of any challenge.

Question?

Does your anger stand in the way of your problem solving? How can you control it?

Thank You

Hope it helps you in some way.

Please post a comment below, and let me know what you think.

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And remember,

"Make something great happen today."