Stress and problem solving often go hand-in-hand.

Unfamiliar or complex challenges can easily make us feel overwhelmed, uncertain, and really uncomfortable.

But not all stress is necessarily harmful. There’s a big difference between experiencing distress and eustress.

Distress is what you may typically associate with tension, anxiety, and worry. It can drain your energy and make it much harder to think clearly.

Eustress feels much different—more like tapping into a power supply than a power drain—energizing and inspiring you to take action.

The same exact challenge could trigger either of these states, depending on whether it aligns with your sense of identity, your values, your purpose, and your vision.

When a problem isn’t connected to something deeply meaningful to you, it can feel like a threat to your sense of autonomy and control. It becomes something you feel you HAVE to do rather than really WANT to do.

In other words, it becomes a source of distress, not eustress.

But if you can clearly see the connection with your purpose and self-concept, that same challenge can start to feel like an opportunity to move closer to your most important goals.

Next time you’re feeling particularly stressed out by a business challenge, take a step back and ask yourself, “Will solving this problem positively impact something that I care deeply about?”

If the answer is yes, explore the different ways that tackling this challenge will help you become more of what you really WANT to be.

As you establish a stronger connection between that challenge and your purpose, pay close attention to your emotional state. Have the tension and anxiety loosened a bit? Do you feel more energy and enthusiasm?

What will you do today to turn a stressful problem into an opportunity to connect to something deeply meaningful and inspiring?

Will you create some distance to the challenge so that you can see it from a more empowering perspective?