Nothing good happens in your life if you can’t tap into your creative problem solving to eliminate stress, especially in the workplace.  You don’t get the promotions you are due.  You don’t get the recogniti0on you should.  Your motivation in the workplace, and at home, and everywhere else – suffers..  And so far, nothing you’ve been doing – especially to combat stress – has done anything the change this.

But creative problem solving is the key to handling stress.  Using creative problem solving not only attacks stress, but can be used in other areas to make you stand out at work.   Workplace anxiety is replaced with workplace enthusiasm and leadership.  You can learn creative problem solving very easily, by using a few exercises and practicing it daily.  This can eliminate the pain caused by lack of recognition because as you gain control of how you handle stress, you gain the attention – in a positive way – of management.

Here are 5 ways to use creative problem solving to handle stress in the workplace:

1. Define the problem or stressor better.  By having a clear definition of the situation, the solution may be obvious, thus eliminating stress.
2. Define the goals to be achieved in detail.  This will focus your efforts, so there is no stress of wasted effort.  It wil also help you know when you are done, so you can eliminate the stress of always working on something.
3. Be free to brainstorm.  Many people are reluctant to voice an idea, because other people may not think much of it.  Since a key starting point of creative problem solving is to get as many ideas as possible on the table initially, you are free to out forth your wildest ideas.
4. Gives you more options than just “fight or flight.”  It is this reaction that causes all the negative effects of stress.  By having more options, your body does not go into that state right away.
5. Get other people on board early.  Another big cause of stress is having all the responsibility fall on your shoulders.  By asking others to participate in creative problem solving of the situation. They may be more invested and easier to convince when - later on - you ask them to help out.

If you don’t develop your creative problem solving skills, your status as “turned down again” will get worse.  This is because you have not done anything to stand out, to separate yourself from jhe pack at work.  Other people who do show some – any – creativity will be promoted ahead of you, whether they deserve it more than you or not.  The bad health effects of stress will get worse, because your body will go into “fight or flight” reaction mode much quicker, over much smaller stressors.  You may think you don’t have creative problem solving skills.  But ignoring the skills you do have will be much worse.

Creative problem solving is an integral part of a comprehensive stress management system.  You probably have already attended seminars or read books on stress management.  And they may talk about creative ways to handle stress.  But that is not enough.  That’s like having the coach tell you how tr odeal with the pain of striking out, instead of having the coach improve your hitting skills.  Once you get your hitting up, you have to deal with the pain of striking out much less often.  Using a comprehensive stress management system which includes creative problem solving throughout will eliminate missing out on promoti0ons and give you raises and recognition at work.