How about A Solution to Problems! Our society is addicted to focusing on problems. And if your recovery does the same, you’re at risk of staying stuck. In this video, I break down 5 changes — perspective, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and feelings — that move you out of the problem and into the solution. When you learn how to S.T.O.P., you give yourself the space to transform your mood and your recovery. ✨ Recovery grows where you put your focus. Stay stuck in the problem, you stay stuck. Shift into the solution, and you create a future.

5 Shifts to Stay in the Solution — Not the Problem

Are you stuck in a cycle of overanalyzing what's wrong in your life or recovery? In this short video, we uncover how shifting five specific internal patterns—your perspective, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and feelings—can radically change your experience. When you learn how to S.T.O.P., you stop reacting and start choosing. This isn't just mindset work—it's transformation.

Watch the video above and discover how to move from analysis paralysis into forward motion. Your recovery begins where your focus shifts.

Why Fixating on Problems Keeps You Stuck

Our society trains us to diagnose, dissect, and dwell on problems. It’s the default setting: we’re rewarded for identifying what’s wrong but rarely taught how to nurture what’s right. This same pattern shows up in recovery. If you're constantly focusing on your trauma, your flaws, your failures—then you’re feeding the very mindset that keeps you trapped.

Problem-focus increases anxiety, limits creative thinking, and makes healing feel like a never-ending checklist. More importantly, it blocks your ability to recognize the progress you've made. If your recovery process is always centered around what's broken, you'll miss the parts of you that are already whole.

Solution-focus, on the other hand, doesn’t ignore the problem—it just doesn’t let the problem be the main character. It puts you in the driver’s seat, with clarity about where you’re going.

The 5 Key Shifts

1. Perspective — How You See Shapes What You Do
   Perspective is the lens you use to interpret your experience. Shift it, and the same situation looks entirely different. In recovery, seeing challenges as invitations instead of failures rewrites the story. Ask yourself: what else could be true here?

2. Assumptions — Unlearning the Automatic
   Your brain loves shortcuts—but those shortcuts often come from outdated beliefs. If you assume people will always leave, or that nothing ever works out for you, your behavior starts to mirror that belief. Challenge those assumptions. Are they facts, or fears?

3. Expectations — Letting Go of Control
   Expectations create pressure and disappointment when they aren’t met. Instead of expecting perfection or constant growth, expect to show up. Healing is messy, nonlinear, and beautifully human. Your worth isn’t tied to progress metrics.

4. Beliefs — The Inner Rules You Didn’t Know You Had
   Beliefs operate beneath the surface. They're the internal rules about what’s possible, what you deserve, and who you are. When you identify and shift limiting beliefs, you create new possibilities for recovery and relationships.

5. Feelings — From Reaction to Response
   Feelings aren’t facts—but they are signals. Learning to pause, name, and regulate your emotions is one of the most powerful tools in recovery. The S.T.O.P. method helps you create that space. When you stop reacting, you start responding.

Coming up next: How to use the S.T.O.P. method to create space, shift mood, and make clear decisions in real time. Ready to go deeper? Explore our blog or schedule a session today.