Stop fighting yourself

When you’re feeling down, it’s normal to want to do whatever it takes to make the pain go away. But fighting your negative emotions doesn’t always work, and it can even make you feel worse! This is called the fight-or-flight response. The next time you’re feeling stress or emotional discomfort, try to understand your reactions. Do you tend to suppress these unpleasant thoughts or feelings? Do you run away from certain situations?

The following quiz will help you better understand your reactions and the fight response.

Take the quiz

Since stress, self-doubt and negative emotions are all a part of life, why not give them a little breathing room? With practice, you’ll soon seen that it gets easier to carry on… even when you have feelings of discomfort!

Here’s an exercise that can help you do this:

Learn more about yourself through your values

Understanding your personal values and knowing your strengths can also help you make decisions when you’re going through a rough patch. Values represent what is most important to us. Think of them like an anchor that keeps us connected to ourselves, or a compass that guides us in our choices. What values are most important to you? What ideals do you want to foster with your friends, your family, or in society in general? To help you identify your values, we invite you to fill out this list.

ZOOM on my values

When we feel bad, we’re often made to look outside ourselves for advice on how to calm down. But there’s no such thing as a perfect solution! More often than not, the answers are inside you. And for this reason, they’re most likely to correspond to your values. Next time you need to choose how to react, try to base your decision on your values. You’ll find that it’ll be that much easier to manage your emotional discomfort.