A ship can sail around the world many times, surviving even the most severe storms, but if sufficient water enters it, it will sink. Human minds work the same way. If you let in enough negative and destructive thoughts, the person will sink, just like a ship.  

We can not completely shun negativity in our lives. It is inevitable. But we can be prepared to face negativity by increasing our emotional resilience and learning to deal with negative thoughts.

Actions that help to improve our emotional resilience to negative stimuli: 

1. Get enough sleep. Not only does lack of sleep impair concentration and work performance, it is closely linked to such emotional problems as sadness, irritability and depression.

2. Be careful about using such stimulants as caffeine, sugar and alcohol. While stimulants like coffee, soft drinks, pastries, cocktails give you an immediate energy boost, the temporary “highs” are often followed by mood and energy crashes.

3. Maintain healthy diet. We all know that well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with negative stimuli, but often to save ourselves we some time skip breakfast, because we are running late for work. We eat lunch at our desk, because we want to get more work done. We buy processed and junk foods, because it is quick and easy. And of course we eat late at night, because let us face it, we have no time to eat during the day and we are starving at night! Even though these eating habits are understandable, they are still unhealthy as they contribute to emotional distress and lack of energy. 

4. Plan some time off with your family. The quality of your relationships is closely linked to career success. If work life is not balanced with personal life it will inevitably lead to stress, fatigue and pessimism.

5. Learn to turn your mind off. Pay attention to how you relax. If while you are relaxing your cell phone is constantly ringing, you are checking your Blackberry to see if you have new emails, your thoughts are revolving around things that need to get done, work projects, lack of time etc. then you are not relaxing. Giving your mind and body some time to rest and restore its energy levels is crucial for emotional and physical well-being. 

6. Incorporate exercise into your life. It is a well known fact that regular exercise helps to release negative energy, get back into shape, increase self-confidence, improve sleep and cope with stress better. Also during physical activity a large amount of health-enhancing hormones (endorphins) are released into our blood stream, which immediately improves our mood, gives us an overall feeling of well being and happiness.

7. Laugh more often. Research has demonstrated that the health benefits of laughter range from strengthening the immune system to reducing food cravings. Laughter also reduces the level of such stress hormones as cortisol, dopamine and adrenaline and increases production of feel-good endorphins.

8. Do something that you enjoy. Make sure that every single day you leave some free time for the leisure activities that bring you inner satisfaction and joy. 

9. Be proactive. Find out what triggers your negativity and look for possible solutions to prevent it. For example, if you have noticed that the evening news make you feel anxious, turn the TV off or switch to a different channel. If you can not stand waiting in traffic, take a longer but less-used road. If you get easily upset and repeatedly argue over such topics as religion or politics, cross them off your conversation list and stop bringing them up.