How To Handle Yourself and Situations When You Get Upset

Norman Vincent Peale in one his books writes a great action plan for motivating ourselves during adversity,

How To Handle Yourself and Situations When You Get Upset

1. Analyse the situation carefully and determine if you acted unwisely. Admit all your mistakes openly and honestly, telling the whole truth and admitting your ineptness.

2. Utilize the scientific-objective approach to mean or unkind things said about you, asking yourself: Is it true or false? Who said it? Is this opinion of any value? Is he a prejudiced or honest critic?

3. Apply cool scientific scruntiny to any epithets and against you, tkaing them apart in a detailed examination to see if they apply. If they do, correct yourself. If they don't, forget it.

4. Keep on esteeming people even when they act badly toward you.

5. Ask another dispassionate question. Did this person have right to take the action he did? If so, accept it in good faith.

6. Seek the counsel and guidance of thoughtful friends and practice all the cool reason and common sense of which you are capable. Hard as it may be, you must think; you must use reason, not emotion. Any turmaoil will ultimately settle down if you do that. And you will get answers that answer.

7. Ask yourself, "Am I enjoying my misery?" Cast off all self-pity.

8. Try loving everyone involved and pray for them, hard as they may be. Loving doesn't mean sentimentality but rather a rational esteem for them as persons.

9. Put the problem in God's hands, let go and let God take it over. He will bring it out better than you think.

To sum it up: Be optimistic, rational and insenstive to emotions. Have Faith in God!!