We are used to thinking in terms of problems. Our brain loves to solve problems and find solutions. But most of all, it loves to find even bigger problems in existing problems. We like to be grandiose, and every problem or solution we find gives us a sense of supreme importance as if we've discovered Atlantis.

This problem-centered thinking focuses on everything that is not working or has never worked. Everything revolves around problems. We are quick to identify what is going wrong, and then blame someone as if all bad things happen on purpose, in various malicious ways. We get lost in a real puzzle of problems. We find here all the history of our life, all our losses, and failures. And then, we look for solutions by asking ourselves:

• What is wrong?
• How could this happen?
• When it all happened?
• How long has it been going on?
• Who is to blame?
• Why haven't I solved this problem yet?

And my favorite, which resets the cycle of questions:

Why me?

These questions help us internalize certain lessons about accepting the past. But if you are focused on continuous development, the search for answers to these questions can lead you deeper into strong psychoses from which it will be very difficult for you to escape.

This whole cycle of questions focuses on finding solutions in the present to past or present problems. It's also guaranteed to make you feel even worse about those issues. And even worse, you will find or create new ones. Thus, you will only succeed in deepening and multiplying the mystery and feeling of helplessness.
Just thinking about problems makes you anxious and predisposes you to negativity. It is known that, in a state of stress, or as they say in popular terms "on nerves", our brain no longer thinks clearly, and our body no longer functions properly, due to the released stress hormones.

The moment our brain senses a threat, it commands the body to go into a state of alert. During this time, the adrenal glands secrete stress hormones: adrenaline^[1], norepinephrine^[2], and cortisol^[3]. Their role is to give us a boost of energy and a reflex reaction of self-defense in critical moments.

The evidence of our immediate reactions in these alert situations is represented by the secretion of adrenaline. It increases the heart rate, and blood pressure, and provides extra energy.

Norepinephrine has the role of making us more aware and attentive to everything that is happening around us.

On the other hand, cortisol maintains the balance of body functions and reduces those that are not needed at the time. With its help, our body reallocates energy resources intended for certain functions, such as digestion or the immune system, to other functions that immediately need it, such as self-defense through motor forces. Cortisol can change our mood, level of motivation, or fear.

Problems transformed into stress, perceived as dangers, cause the constant release of stress hormones, even if our life is not threatened in the true sense, thus will generate:

• Anxiety states
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Headaches
• Heart conditions
• Digestive disorders
• Panic attacks

And so it is very difficult for us to find solutions.

Any problem is much harder to solve using problem-centered thinking.

If you want to achieve high performance, you need an unsuspected strength to not get into this cycle of problem-focused questions that can generate continuous stress and need a lot of courage combined with a dose of curiosity in identifying what you need to become to break the cycle.

I suggest you change the angle from which you see things. Instead of looking at the past, look from the present to the future and answer questions like:

• What am I good at?
• What do I need to become to feel fulfilled and happy?
• What am I going to do about it?

These questions will take you in a much more useful direction: rather than focusing on problems, they will help you focus on needs, habits, and goals. The answers will come automatically, in an instinctive way, and will lead you, step by step, in a non-invasive manner, towards discovering those needs and habits necessary to achieve your goals.

Footnotes

1. More about Adrenaline on Wikipedia
2. More about Norepinephrine on Wikipedia
3. More about Cortisol on Wikipedia