Many people deal with negative emotions – frustration, disappointment, anger, fear – by suppressing those feelings, hiding them and putting on a fake smile. This is not effective and leads to several negative outcomes for the person: negative impact on relationships, resentments, less support and elevated blood pressure. And it also elevates other people’s stress response.

Rather, reappraise or reassess the situation. REFRAME THE ISSUE AS A CHALLENGE INSTEAD OF A THREAT. Reassessing the issue allows you to calm down and then you can better respond to the stress and the issue. Rather than feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed by the situation (“This is so crazy”, “Why me?”), think of it as a challenge (“What steps do I have to take?”, “Who can I reach out to?”)