How To Destroy Most of Your Problems

Problems: The disliked and often-used spice in the spice rack of life. Before I can show you how to eliminate most, if not all of the problems in your life, I first have to define what I mean by “problem.”

A problem is something that causes you distress, or regular stress. It is usually associated with choices to situations and puzzles that naturally crop up in life. To explain the difference, here is an example: Your boss hands you a problem that needs to be figured out, and you're playing Free Cell. Both your work problem and the card game are situations that need resolution. Both may require the same amount of effort. However, one you solve and it causes you stress, the other you solve for fun.

The other types of problems to be destroyed are the self-inflicted ones. These problems have no actual basis in the world around us, instead flowering in our brains like ugly, choking vines. These useless plants would block our vision so thoroughly that even the best of circumstances could seem like doom. They must be cut away quickly and with vigor.

Ultimately, when I say, “destroy your problems,” I don't mean changing the natural situations that life hands us all daily. What I do mean to destroy is your outlook towards them, converting all “problems” into games and fun puzzles.

1. Get Enough Sleep. The primary and Holy Grail of life-changing habits to take up is getting enough rest every night. Eight hours should be the minimum, if you can swing it, but never less than six or seven. Being tired can cause a grumpy and irritable personality, changing even the best of days into a tiresome and annoying routine. In addition, sleep deprivation can cause health problems, which will only further a bad outlook in which all life does is crap upon us. Try to get to bed before 10 pm, even if you aren't used to it. Soon, the habit will develop, and you'll begin to see benefits immediately.

2. Get Some Exercise. I say, “some,” because I know most of us don't get any at all. It doesn't take much, and the body thrives on having blood flow stimulated and all those bones, muscles and joints worked. “Clearing out the cobwebs in the head” is a good term to apply to any and all methods of exercise, and as you probably already know, the clarity you experience after a workout is both liberating and relaxing. And, as a bonus, you'll be tired enough to really enjoy all that extra sleep you're getting.

3. Eat Veggies. I'd say, “eat right,” but we've all heard that a million times. Such a vague “do good” type mentality is easy to shrug off in favor of fast food. There are a million studies out there that suggest, if not outright declare, that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is the healthiest kind, so why not? Switch from a grain-based diet to a fruit-and-veggies one, go vegan, do something, ANYTHING, to try and make your diet the healthiest it can be for you, personally. (I'm not a doctor, so you might want to ask yours before doing anything drastic.)

4. Get More Sleep. I said it once, and I'll say it again. It is the single most important thing you can do to destroy your problems in one fell swoop.

5. Learn to Relax. Meditation is a great help in releasing all the stress that can come in a day, leaving one fresh to enjoy all the crap that'll come up in the future. I personally recommend Transcendental Meditation from experience, but as always, do what you feel is best.

6. Look at Your Situation. If you've truly mastered and live all of the above, you'll find your life will naturally shift into one that is entirely enjoyable. If you've been getting eight hours of sleep a night for several months solid, eating right and getting out and being active, and you find that your life is still riddled with problems, then with clear eyes and head, re-evaluate your situation in life. Perhaps it is time for a change there too! 

Good luck, and remember, this will only work with dedicated effort, discipline, and fun.