#3: Believing your thoughts unconditionally — If you’ve ever felt like your emotions were “too intense” or “out of control” you’re not alone. As a psychologist, I worked with a lot of people who felt this way—who had emotional intensity that seemed excessive or disproportionate. But the reason emotions feel out of control often has less…

#1: Stop judging your anxiety — Chronic anxiety is awful. And it’s frequently one of — if not the — primary causes of issues like: Chronic stress and burnout Self-doubt and perfectionism Insomnia and sleep problems Depression and low self-esteem Unfortunately, many approaches to dealing with anxiety actually make it worse in the long-run because they…

#4: Trying to control emotions — We all experience painful emotions: From anxiety and grief to shame and resentment, emotional suffering is universal and unavoidable. And yet, how we respond to emotional suffering varies dramatically from person to person. As a psychologist, I’ve seen first-hand how for many people, emotional pain triggers a cascade of negative…

#1: Worry about the future — Everybody wants to know what to do to be happier… More life-hacks More coping skills More frameworks More pills More coaches and therapists More wellness apps And while all these things have their place, no doubt, what if this quest for more to make us happy is the wrong direction? …

#1: Negative self-talk — If you struggle with taking things personally, you’ve probably heard the standard advice: Just don’t let him get to you so much! Stop being so hard on yourself. I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it. Or my personal favorite… You just need to learn to let things go. And…

1. Manage your stressors, not your stress — During tough times, it’s easy to get lost in spirals of stress and anxiety — endlessly worrying about the future, obsessively ruminating on the past, procrastinating on the goals that matter most. Unfortunately, many of the habits we fall into during times of stress only make our stress worse in…

#2: Use self-compassion, not self-criticism — If you struggle with low self-worth and haven’t found anything that seems to help long-term, some of these ideas might be useful: 1. Live as if you had no willpower One of the biggest sources of low-self worth is habitually breaking promises to ourselves: You tell yourself you’re going to work out today after work. …

#1: Coping skills — When you’re emotionally fragile it means you have a hard time managing difficult emotions: Little bits of worry throw you into cycles of anxiety and panic. Small bouts of sadness lead to spirals of self-criticism and depression. Tiny bits of irritation quickly blaze into hours or days of anger. But…

#2: Unrealistic expectations — Anger is a normal human emotion. Which means there’s nothing wrong with feeling angry. In fact, it’s often helpful: Anger can motivate us to maintain fairness and correct injustices. But chronic, unexamined anger puts you at risk for two serious consequences: Aggression. From small sarcastic comments with your spouse to…