Whether it’s a flat tire, a bad conversation at work or a failed exam. Setbacks are everywhere around us. How do you deal with setbacks and problems? Are you a pessimist who considers the glass almost empty? Or are you an optimist, someone who considers the glass almost full? There is also a third approach: wondering where the tap is. This approach of dealing with problems is what the Dutch call ‘flip-thinking’  Want to learn more? Read along! 

Flip-thinking

Flip-thinking does not necessarily mean that problems are considered as something fun or as a nice challenge. It mainly means that there is no point in resisting your problems. Problems belong in life and sometimes we can make the best of them. In this case you can make the best of a problem by making it a possibility: flip-think a problem.

Just like mindfulness: let the problem be the problem. We do not oppose it and we accept that the problem is there. It is what it is and from there you continue.

Problems are not the problem

Can we change the problem? No. Do we have to worry then? Also no. What you can do is change and/or adjust your expectations. Because let’s be honest: our expectations can cause a lot of “problems”. Living without expectations is very difficult, but try to realize that the higher your expectations are, the greater the disappointments will be. So try to make it a little easier on yourself, and try to live with more attention for the here and now.

Two strategies

There are many different ways to practice flip-thinking. In this article I identify two effective ways:

Reverse

Let’s take a look at an example of someone with ADHD: a person who is diagnosed with ADHD can be seen as overly energetic. This can be seen as a “problem”, but what if we reverse it and see it as a talent? Comedian Jochem Myjer wouldn’t be Jochem Myjer if he didn’t have ADHD.

Ally

Make a ally of your problem, like the US Army. Every year the Army organizes a competition for the best hackers. Who can crack a certain program wins a cash prize. The consequence of this is that the most intelligent techniques of hackers are constantly known to the army, resulting in a rock-solid security!

You cannot change from one day to the next: it requires practice and patience. Let’s take the first step and just try it out. Write down in NiceDay App which situations you have practiced flip-thinking and which effect this had on you.