Russell says he has adopted such an approach after changing his mindset this year from playing "the long game" and collecting points to going all out for the big results.
In Singapore, Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton pitted for new tyres under a late safety car in an effort to have the firepower with which to attack race leader Carlos Sainz.
But Russell was still behind Lando Norris in third when he crashed out of the race on the final lap, leaving Hamilton to pick up the position.
"It's not the first time I've had a difficult situation like that," he said.
"I think through everybody's career you have ups and you have downs, and I'm very thankful for having some difficult situations to bounce back from in the past because I think it helps me deal with these situations better.
"Probably 24 to 36 hours it sort of takes to get over it, and you've always got to take the positives from a moment like that."
Russell said any mistakes he makes have resulted from trying hard.
"I think there's definitely a reason for all of them," he said. "And that's just pushing to the limit, and potentially on both occasions pushing over the limit, trying to extract more than what's possible.
Source: Autosport