Unit 1 focused on noticing what is happening. You learned about the gap between demands and resources, the spiral from Lesson 3, your four types of stress signals, and the stress record. By now, you may already have a few situations recorded.

In this unit, you will choose one of those situations and work through it step by step.

Unit 2 introduces a method called ADAPT, developed by psychologists who created problem-solving therapy. It includes five steps, with one step covered in each lesson.

• A: Attitude. How you approach a problem before you begin working on it. This is the focus of the current lesson.
• D: Define. Identify the facts and choose a realistic goal.
• A: Alternatives. Find more options than the first one that comes to mind.
• P: Predict. Consider the likely outcome of each option, choose one, and create a plan.
• T: Try Out. Put your plan into action, then compare what you expected with what actually happened.

Why use this method? A 2025 analysis of mobile stress programs found that problem-solving was among the best-performing approaches. However, the point made in Lesson 1 still applies: the overall effects of these programs tend to be modest.

Why begin with attitude instead of moving directly to the practical steps? Because what you believe about problems can determine whether you reach those steps at all.

The authors call this your problem orientation. They describe it as “the ‘set of eyeglasses’ that we constantly wear in viewing the world, especially with regard to problems in living.”

There are two main orientations.

• A positive orientation means seeing a problem as a challenge rather than a threat. You believe that problems can be solved, trust that you can take part in solving them, accept that the process may require time and effort, and choose to face the problem instead of avoiding it.
• A negative orientation means seeing a problem as a serious threat to your well-being. You doubt your ability to solve it and quickly become frustrated or distressed when a problem appears.

If you recognise yourself in the second description, it is not a judgement about your character.

Your orientation develops from what has happened to you. A series of problems that did not improve can quickly teach you to expect the same outcome next time. This is a learned expectation, not a fixed personality trait. Because it can be learned, it can also change.

Your orientation describes what you believe about problems. Your problem-solving style describes what you do when a problem appears.

Researchers identify three common styles:

• Planful: You work through the problem carefully and systematically.
• Impulsive or careless: You respond quickly, focus on a narrow range of options, and choose the first idea available.
• Avoidant: You postpone action, remain passive, or hand responsibility for the problem to someone else.

You can now see the different parts of the loop described in Lesson 3.

A negative orientation combined with an avoidant or impulsive style can drive the spiral. The problem looks too big, so you either react too quickly or leave it alone. It remains unresolved, which makes the next problem look even bigger.

You cannot leave this loop simply by trying harder while following the same pattern. Change begins with what you bring to the next problem.

One idea is worth remembering: “Nothing is 100% perfect. Problems are a normal part of life. I cannot control the whole world, no matter how hard I try.”

There is an important limitation to explain about the order of these steps.

Attitude comes first because this is how the original method is structured, and one study supports that choice. In the study, adults with depression who completed the full program improved significantly more than those who learned only the practical steps.

However, the study was conducted in 1989, and its participants had depression rather than workplace stress. The order should therefore be understood as the researchers’ best judgement, not as a firmly established fact.

In the next lesson, you will choose one entry from your stress record and turn it into a problem you can work on. The result will be smaller and more specific than it may sound right now.