1. Reframe Your Pictures. I want you to imagine changing the frame around a picture in your living room. You’ll notice that changing the frame changes the way the picture looks as well as how that new frame modifies all the design elements in the room, even though the picture didn’t change. The picture represents the facts of a situation or problem. Those don’t change. The frame represents all the assumptions, stories and expectations you add to those facts to define it and give it meaning. If you change your “frame” of reference and give those facts a different interpretation, it not only changes the way you see the situation, it changes what you see as the most appropriate course of action.

This is called “reframing” a situation.  A simple reframe is a cup that is either half-full or half-empty, depending on which half you notice. Another one is if you’re given lemons, make lemonade, showing how you dealt with a sour situation. More relevant to the world of work is when you are working with an employee who doesn’t get along with others. You can see it either as a big problem and a waste of time for the two of you or a perfect opportunity to develop her communication skills.  The secret to reframing is to manage the way you explain things to yourself. As George S. Patton said, “We’re not retreating, we’re just advancing in another direction.”

2. Watch Your Language. No, I’m not talking about that! The way you describe something in language reflects the boundaries of how you define it. That’s why coaches correct clients when they use terms like “never,” “impossible,” “can’t,” “stuck,” or “nothing.” Changing a “problem” into a “challenge” opens up new possibilities for how it can be resolved. If a direct report says, “It’s impossible to hit those numbers in that time frame,” he is telling you he won’t succeed because he is defeated before even starting because of his mental label called “impossible”. You might respond, “I know you think this is more than you can do, but if it were possible, how would you strategize getting it done?”

3. Upgrade Your Questions. When you ask low-quality questions, you get low-quality answers that don’t help you solve your problems. “Who’s responsible for this?” is not as good a question as, “How did this happen?” The first question won’t really solve the issue behind the question, which is to prevent it from happening again, to say nothing about how defensive it will make everyone. The second question opens up the discussion as an opportunity to debrief how the events took place allowing for people to learn from them, which is really what you want to happen. The key is to think about how to use your questions to direct conversation and explore core issues not just surface symptoms.

4. Change Your Perspective. All five of these strategies can be thought of as changes in perspective but this one is for stimulating creativity when you feel blocked and stuck (I know, see strategy # 2). One way to change your perspective is to think of someone you know (personally or who you know about) who is great at what you’re dealing with and ask yourself how she might deal with your situation? This moves you out of your customary, comfortable and limited mindset and stimulates you to think of things from a different point of view. Several other perspectives to try are: the most optimistic, best problem solver, most analytical, artistic, eccentric or strategic. You can even pick people from history and imagine how they might deal with your situation. Try this when your team is struggling to come up with creative approaches or working on making a breakthrough. Write down all ideas and combine the best into workable strategies.

5. Abolish Your Problems. It seems that business is all about solving problems. The more you solve, the more you have. The better you get at solving them, the bigger the problems you get to handle. Robert Fritz, bestselling author of “The Path of Least Resistance,” writes that, “Problem solving is taking action to have something go away-the problem. Creating results is taking action to have something come into being-the full achievement of your goals.” It’s much more effective to think in terms of what you want to create, rather than what you want to eliminate. This is not just some small semantic difference. It is a completely different orientation that can produce significant changes in your personal, team and organizational effectiveness.

There is nothing absolute about these five strategies (there are countless others to choose from that can work as well) so don’t treat them as commandments. If they fit for you, try them out first in your personal life and then share them with your colleagues, direct reports and teams. By inviting people to experiment with these approaches, you begin to instill a new mindset and vocabulary for possibility thinking and peak performance, which is the hallmark of a great leader.

To land a new job it takes more than a polished resume and dynamic interviewing skills. It requires energy and enthusiasm, which are in short supply after laid off and out of work for awhile. This program provides some of the most practical psychological tools and skills for getting back up after being knocked down by job loss. Okay, so now you know what the program is about. That’s not why I’m writing this blog.

In many of my classes, I ask participants to identify the most effective strategies they use to lift themselves back up when they’re discouraged from things not working out as they would like. I want to pass some of these ideas along to give you some new choices should you need a boost or two. By the way, you don’t need to be unemployed to use these helpful and healthful activities. They’re all just great ways to nourish yourself, regardless of your circumstances.

One more thing: don’t make these another “should” on your already too crowded “to-do” list. Try one and if it works, great. Make it a daily or weekly habit. If it doesn’t, try another one. What you’re looking for is something that resonates with your personality and temperament. The goal is to do something that energizes and revitalizes you. Enough said.

• Get out of your head, your home, and get into nature and let it rejuvenate you
• Do some aerobic exercise that fits with your level of conditioning, like walking, jogging, riding a bike, swimming, or yoga
• Read inspirational literature of biographies of people who have overcome adversity
• Spend time with family and/or friends, and avoid isolating yourself
• Deepen your spiritual life by prayer, meditation, or attending religious services
• Practice stress management strategies, which can be learned online or from books or classes
• Write about your experiences in a journal and look for the changes you’re making over time
• Listen to your favorite music, preferably uplifting music
• Volunteer and help others who are perhaps hurting even more than you are
• Cultivate an attitude of gratitude, by focusing on what you have, not what you don’t
• Attend cultural events of all kinds (movies, museums, concerts, galleries, plays, exhibits) that are free or inexpensive and broaden your perspective
• Rewrite your personal goals and plans for how you’re going to get out of your current situation
• Use visualization and affirmations to focus on the positive
• Make specific plans for how you are going to expand your personal and professional network, and then go out and build it
• If you’re stuck, talk to someone (professional, spiritual, or friend) to help you generate some new options
• Take up a new hobby or learn about something you’ve always wanted to know about, and consider joining a group around that hobby, not only for the learning but for the social connections
• Take a class on something that could enhance your credentials or advance your chances of landing that next job
• Improve your diet and lose some weight (if needed) to make you feel better about yourself and your appearance
• Surround yourself with positive people and spend less time with negative people
• Simplify your life, in terms of possessions (give these away to charity) and unnecessary commitments.
• Find ways and opportunities to laugh and lighten up
• Perform acts of kindness, just because…

These 22 suggestions should give you some new ideas and directions for revitalizing your life and helping you get through these tough times. I invite you to submit your comments and suggestions for additional strategies that have worked to lift you up when you’ve been down. Please join the conversation.