A happy & fulfilling life is not only pleasant; research shows that an attribute of happy people is that they can experience negative emotions, without losing their overall ability to feel happy. Negative emotions are valuable because they prepare our system to react to threatening or unexpected events… they notify us that we need to change something.

How you think determines how much you will “suffer” from your negative emotions, so next time you feel anxious, sad or angry, try this approach:

• Don’t sweat the small things: how important will this be in 6 months?
• Be decisive about your discomfort: tolerate it & don’t make it worse
• Act on the message: what can you do within this context?
• What are you avoiding: the discomfort, the message or the required change?